A Strange Irony, Indeed

Obama originally got elected because he was right about Iraq and most pols were wrong. Supposedly. So why did he make Hillary Clinton the SoS? Obama defeated Clinton in the primaries based on the fact he opposed the war and she supported it. So it seems ironic, if you believe Iraq was a huge FP disaster, that you would place someone who supported that disaster in charge of foreign policy.

Of course, the answer only makes sense when you consider all the decisions were political (versus substantive) in nature. Appointing Clinton SoS works because it brings her political supporters into the fold. Of course, then what you are also saying is opposing the war in the first place was a political calculation and not a conviction. Or, it wasn't truly a disaster, but a 60-40 gambit.