Clinton for SoS?

If Obama was looking for a Madeleine Albright surrogate, he could do a hell of a lot worse than hand former primary rival, Hillary (Rodham) Clinton, the Secretary of State position. The prior frontrunner, John Kerry, seems destined to replace Biden as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

[Clinton's] confidant today suggested that the role of Secretary of State, with its clearly defined parameters, might be a "better job" than that of vice-president. Bringing Mrs Clinton inside the tent would have the added advantage of removing her from the battlefield should Mr Obama's administration, constrained by economic crisis, begin to go back on campaign promises such as introducing universal health care coverage.

While Obama's support for protecting the endangered car factories is an early mis-step, the advice he's getting on putting together his administration team is top-notch.