Short of a major new development, tomorrow President-Elect Obama will name Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State. While the primary discussion surrounding Clinton as SoS rightly focuses on her ability to advance Obama's dilomatic agenda -- a policy area where she differed from Obama during the Primary's, there are secondary effects of her nomination.
One of these is the fact that she will no longer be a public figure on the front line of Healthcare reform.
If Obama looks to push any kind of Healthcare policy through Congress, Clinton's new roll as SoS will preclude her from being involved in the passage and development of this legislation. While I don't think this was a primary factor in choosing Clinton, I think it is a benefit.
I do not hate or dislike Senator Clinton, however, when it comes to the question of enacting Universal Health Care, she brings baggage to the conversation. "Hillarycare" has become synonymous for both partisanship and failure. We need to move past the battles in the 90's if we are going to be successful in passing major policy changes.
The Hillary haters will no doubt say that Clinton was in the pocket of big pharma and that thank god she is out of the picture, at least in this regard. I do not agree with this. From my understanding of her biography, Clinton has always been a hard advocate for expanding health care, especially for children. If you believe her bio, she was a primary behind S-CHIP.
It looks like if we get UHC in Obama's first term, it is going to be the Kennedy Plan, rather than the Clinton plan. Kennedy is perhaps a better front man to put this policy to the public. Yes, Kennedy is a surname that is also highly partisanly charged. But unlike Clinton, Kennedy is reaching a point in his career where he is transcending his party affiliation, and moving towards becoming an American Political Legend. The Liberal Lion, returning to the Senate after illness to a standing ovation. Kennedy is no doubt heading for the Canon of American Politics.
While I have respect for Senator Clinton and her dedication to this subject, particularly for the extent to which she was helpful in keeping the Healthcare Debate central to the Dem. Primary, I think we have to let go of the past, put "Hillarycare" to rest. And I am glad that the battles of the past that surround Senator Clinton will not pose a distraction as the Senate looks to take up this urgent subject.
Sen. Clinton is no doubt assured her own place in the Canon of history, but right now Kennedy is a better standard bearer for this fight.