http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBAMA_RIVALS?SIT...OME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT


The appearance of bad blood between Bill Richardson & the Clintons makes President-elect Obama's choice harder than it should be. On the surface, the loyal Latino-savvy Richardson is easily more qualified to serve as Secretary of State than is Hillary Clinton, whose main qualification is having been Bill's wife.

Yet tabbing Hillary for Tom Jefferson's old job would scratch several itches for Barack:

-- Following fellow Illinoisan Lincoln's example, he would place a potential Presidential rival safely out of his way for 2012. If Hillary (or Slick Willie) acted up, Obama could always fire her for getting out of line.

-- Hillary, as Bill's missus, enjoys a worldwide panache that Richardson could never attain. The Secretary of State is more a figurehead than actual policymaker; no President can afford to deeply delegate diplomacy to an underling unless he, a la Bush Jr, truly considers himself inept worldly-wise. Give her points for pizzazz.


As much as my head says Bill Richardson is the right man to re-unite the American States from the Hudson Bay to the Straits of Magellan, bring Cuba back into the fold & make progress on regional security as well as the free passage of persons in our hemisphere, leaving Hillary to do mischief in the Senate seems like a risk Obama can't afford to take. Let the lady lead & the Latino learn as UnderSecretary of State for the next four years.

With Richardson, I fear we would be tearing down what fences have been built on our border [both the type that's seen AND unseen].