Hillary update

Turns out Hillary Clinton’s "personal" trip to Chicago involves meeting personally with President-elect Barack Obama at his transition headquarters. Mike Allen: President-elect Barack Obama met Thursday with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) at his transition headquarters in Chicago as a growing chorus of advisers pushes her for secretary of state. […] A clue to the ...

Turns out Hillary Clinton's "personal" trip to Chicago involves meeting personally with President-elect Barack Obama at his transition headquarters. Mike Allen:

Turns out Hillary Clinton’s "personal" trip to Chicago involves meeting personally with President-elect Barack Obama at his transition headquarters. Mike Allen:

President-elect Barack Obama met Thursday with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) at his transition headquarters in Chicago as a growing chorus of advisers pushes her for secretary of state. […]

A clue to the secret visit was contained in a note last night from the protective pool of journalists who follow Obama: "Several minutes before President-elect Obama’s motorcade emerged from the basement garage beneath his transition headquarters, another unidentified motorcade of approximately three SUVs left the garage."

I must admit to being mystified by the Hillary choice. Yes, she campaigned hard during the general election. but she was pretty clear during the Democratic primary that she views Obama as dangerously naive, someone far too willing to negotiate with leaders of rogue states. She never fully repudiated her support for the Iraq war. There are qualified people out there — Richard Holbrooke comes to mind — who are far more practiced in the dark arts of diplomacy. So what does she bring to the table?

A guess: Bringing her on board neutralizes a potential rival who might use her Senate platform to undercut the president.

More here from CNN.

UPDATE: Andrew Sullivan loves it:

I think making her secretary of state is an inspired idea. […] It’s an elegant and shrewd move; both public spirited and yet coldly calculating at the same time. Pure Obama.

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