Hitchens on Clinton for Secretary of State

He doesn't like the choice.

In matters of foreign policy, it has been proved time and again, the Clintons are devoted to no interest other than their own. A president absolutely has to know of his chief foreign-policy executive that he or she has no other agenda than the one he has set. Who can say with a straight face that this is true of a woman whose personal ambition is without limit; whose second loyalty is to an impeached and disbarred and discredited former president; and who is ready at any moment, and on government time, to take a wheedling call from either of her bulbous brothers? This is also the unscrupulous female who until recently was willing to play the race card on President-elect Obama and (in spite of her own complete want of any foreign-policy qualifications) to ridicule him for lacking what she only knew about by way of sordid backstairs dealing. What may look like wound-healing and magnanimity to some looks like foolhardiness and masochism to me.

In case it isn't obvious - Obama's trying to be Lincoln - by bringing his political enemies into his Cabinet. A way of neutering them. Or maybe he's trying to be Michael Corleone.

In any case - how unserious is Hillary about her actual Senate position? She'd just be willing to bail on being a Senator to be Sec. of State? This woman...she is not for me.

Another side note - I listened to a bit of Obama's speech on the way to work today - and was rather disappointed. He basically repeated the same vague platitudes about hope and Americans coming together, etc, etc, regarding the financial crisis. Part of me was like - you know what, dude - we don't need a cheerleader to be President. We need someone who knows the least worst option of how to handle this mess. It reminded me of the Entourage episode last night when Vince explodes at Eric about being overly optimistic and he asks the question: what if things really aren't going to be all right? Just repeating it over and over doesn't make it so. Of course, Entourage cops out and makes a sugary ending...a much more interesting choice would have involved leaving the friendship and Vince's career up in the air.

What if things aren't going to be okay? Is everyone too afraid to ask this question? Is America so tired of the Bush administration, they just want to eat the red pill like Joe Joe Pantoliano in the Matrix part 1?