Barack Obama is one of America's shrewdest political leaders, but is he not risking his Presidency if he appoints Diva Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State? 

Senator Clinton lost the Democratic primary to Obama.  Anticipating a victory, many New York Democrats had been lining up to inherit her Senate seat.  Since none expects Clinton could mount another Presidential campaign, they are pressuring President-Elect Obama to find a suitable government slot for Clinton.

Her Senate career is stalled as no Junior Senator gets powerful committees or subcommittees to chair.  Nor is there a vacancy for Senate Majority Leader or Deputy. 

Senior Senator Edward Kennedy (MA) has sponsored universal health care initiatives during his long career and intends to promote his own bill with the President-Elect's support.  Despite health care being Clinton's career hallmark, she is out of the power loop on this legislation.

Her best move would be to become Health and Human Services Secretary, a senior Cabinet position in the Obama Administration, where she can shape government's delivery on Kennedy's bill. There is already a management setup for Medicare and Medicaid that could compensate for her lack of executive and line-management experience.

This is the best opportunity to guarantee her a much-deserved political legacy.

On the other hand, Secretary of State is a much more visible, glamorous and prestigious option for both Clinton and her husband, former President William Clinton. 

The problem for the Clintons is that the job is to carry out policy decisions of the President (with considerable input from his foreign-policy expert Vice President Joseph Biden).   

It is not their own 'parallel' government.  Nor can the President permit them to set up one.

Leaks from Obama-Clinton discussions indicate Clinton is demanding controls over policy as well as input in the choices of Secretary of Defense, NSA and CIA heads, etc.

If these leaks are true, Senator Clinton may be trying to negotiate maximum power for herself in advance--deliberately ignoring that she would only serve at the President's pleasure.

Giving her the kind of power she is asking for would set a dangerous precedent and would threaten the Executive Office with a nuisance at best and a rival administration in foreign affairs at worst.

Many foreign heads of state have made it clear that they are anxious for a 'new start' with America and want to meet with Obama personally.

For now, this new President has universal goodwill and trust among our allies and must take advantage of all opportunities to re-establish America's prestige.  He cannot afford American rivals (who could be played to mischievous advantage) or mixed messages.

President-Elect Obama ran for office promising enlightened, pragmatic, bipartisan policies that would scrap President Bush's belligerent neocon foreign policy and Friedman supply-side economics (Reaganomics).

What signal does Obama send to America and the rest of the world when he chooses a neoliberal Democrat, who has a globalist husband with many business conflicts of interests, to head up the State Department as America's foreign policy face? 

The demoralized State Department needs a proven professional with executive experience and line-management experience to reorganize it and its international outposts. 

It needs a leader who understands its function and makes maximum use of the exceptional talents of its expert employees.

Our country needs a Secretary of State who is the Spokesperson for us citizens and our elected Executives not a couple jockeying for Presidential power.

The job requires selfless service to the policies of the President and the Country.

                                                                  http://www.susansviews.com