Posted by Jed Lewison on Mon Dec 1, 2008 at 3:16 AM Pacific

The National Security Team

As you no doubt know, at 10:40AM Eastern time President-elect Barack Obama will announce his national security team: Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Bob Gates as Secretary of Defense, Jim Jones as National Security Adviser, and Susan Rice as Ambassador to the UN.

I was more than a little surprised when it became clear that Clinton would be the Secretary of State, but now that it's a done deal, it's easier to see that the proof will be in the pudding. Barack Obama has generally made good staffing decisions, and hopefully this one will be no different.

At this point, my basic view on Clinton is the same as it is with Gates: what really matters is accomplishing the goals Obama set forth as a candidate -- starting with leaving Iraq and rebuilding our relationship with the world. As long as we are making progress towards those ends, I'm happy -- especially given the monumental economic challenges we face.

At the end of the day, Barack Obama is responsible for accomplishments -- and failures -- of his administration, and if he thinks this is the best way to get things done, then I'm cool with that. At the same time, of course, we should all be watching with an eagle eye to make sure things stay on course.

One thing that I will say is that I do believe there has been a bit too much focus on the whole "team of rivals" thing. I know it's a great story line, but I just can't bring myself to believe that Barack Obama has such a sense of vanity that he would select Clinton merely because it fits Doris Kearns Goodwin's narrative of Lincoln.

I also don't believe that Obama is selecting Clinton to 'get her out of the way.' To the extent that she was a political threat to Obama, that time has long passed.

So why did Obama select Clinton? Obviously, I can only guess, but my guess is that he picked her for a very straightforward reason: he believes she's the best person to carry out the job.

And while her management skills are not the greatest, in a turbulent global environment, Hillary Clinton has the  stature to speak with authority anywhere in the world. And now that Bill Clinton has agreed to severe restrictions on his own independent activities,  she comes with an important spouse, to put it mildly. President Clinton has access to some of the most important actors in the global economy, and having him on board could be a tremendous asset.

This is one of those decisions that can't be fully appraised until the results are in. But this much is clear: Barack Obama wouldn't be selecting Hillary Clinton unless she were the woman he wanted to be Secretary of State, and he wouldn't be picking her unless he thought she could advance the interests of the country and the world.

Now that he's made his choice, the tough part is about to begin.

The National Security Team

As you no doubt know, at 10:40AM Eastern time President-elect Barack Obama will announce his national security team: Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Bob Gates as Secretary of Defense, Jim Jones as National Security Adviser, and Susan Rice as Ambassador to the UN.

I was more than a little surprised when it became clear that Clinton would be the Secretary of State, but now that it's a done deal, it's easier to see that the proof will be in the pudding. Barack Obama has generally made good staffing decisions, and hopefully this one will be no different.

At this point, my basic view on Clinton is the same as it is with Gates: what really matters is accomplishing the goals Obama set forth as a candidate -- starting with leaving Iraq and rebuilding our relationship with the world. As long as we are making progress towards those ends, I'm happy -- especially given the monumental economic challenges we face.

At the end of the day, Barack Obama is responsible for accomplishments -- and failures -- of his administration, and if he thinks this is the best way to get things done, then I'm cool with that. At the same time, of course, we should all be watching with an eagle eye to make sure things stay on course.

One thing that I will say is that I do believe there has been a bit too much focus on the whole "team of rivals" thing. I know it's a great story line, but I just can't bring myself to believe that Barack Obama has such a sense of vanity that he would select Clinton merely because it fits Doris Kearns Goodwin's narrative of Lincoln.

I also don't believe that Obama is selecting Clinton to 'get her out of the way.' To the extent that she was a political threat to Obama, that time has long passed.

So why did Obama select Clinton? Obviously, I can only guess, but my guess is that he picked her for a very straightforward reason: he believes she's the best person to carry out the job.

And while her management skills are not the greatest, in a turbulent global environment, Hillary Clinton has the  stature to speak with authority anywhere in the world. And now that Bill Clinton has agreed to severe restrictions on his own independent activities,  she comes with an important spouse, to put it mildly. President Clinton has access to some of the most important actors in the global economy, and having him on board could be a tremendous asset.

This is one of those decisions that can't be fully appraised until the results are in. But this much is clear: Barack Obama wouldn't be selecting Hillary Clinton unless she were the woman he wanted to be Secretary of State, and he wouldn't be picking her unless he thought she could advance the interests of the country and the world.

Now that he's made his choice, the tough part is about to begin.

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