Foggy Bottom Blues

ETTL is far from convinced that Hillary Clinton becoming Secretary of State is the best move for her. Why not stay in the Senate, with a mind to becoming Majority Leader, and thus one of the most powerful politicians in America?

Indeed the State Department means Hillary will have to switch from tough, near-iconic domestic liberal to the US' top diplomat - no campaigning for the mid-terms, indeed no real "political" activity at all whilst she is at Foggy Bottom. The fact the job may be for only four years is another con.

What Hillary is doing is accepting that there will not be another Clinton in the White House, at least from this generation. Times have moved on considerably from when, in the emergent US' political sphere, State was considered the logical step before the Presidency.

Thus in offering her the job, the President-elect is formally consolidating his victory over both her and her primary campaign.