Clinton is a controversial figure in Washington, to say the least. To put it bluntly, many people love to hate her. Many find her arrogant. But Obama's expected choice is a very good one.
Clinton is well suited for the job of secretary of state. She has a strong character, perseverance, and a good understanding of foreign affairs. And to top it off, she gets to have one of the country's best political advisors for free: her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Henry Kissinger, the legendary former secretary of state who negotiated the armistice agreement between Syria and Israel during his relentless shuttle diplomacy that took him to Damascus and Jerusalem 36 times in just under one month after the 1973 October War, said Clinton would make "an outstanding appointment." Kissinger, considered an elder statesman now, and who served as secretary of state under two Republican presidents said "that to appoint a very strong personality with an independent constituency into a cabinet position requires a lot of courage."
If Clinton takes the job, it will not be an easy one. As secretary of state, Clinton will have to start out by undoing much of the mess in foreign relations left over by eight years of the George W. Bush administration. She will have to mend fences with the Arab and the Islamic worlds created by the wars in the Middle East and past policies adopted by Washington.
She will have to court the Europeans in order to convince them and NATO to maintain – and even augment – their contribution of troops in Afghanistan. She will have to let the Russians know that no harm is intended by Bush's plans to install an anti-missile defense system in the Czech Republic and a radar station in Poland.
She will have to tackle the thorny Palestinian-Israeli dispute and get a handle on the Israel-Syrian issue. She will have to negotiate with people such as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and make nice with authoritative rulers such as Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.
But if anybody can accomplish any of those feats, Clinton can. Yes she can.
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