And it's not Richardson, Clinton, or Kerry. In fact, he seems such an obvious choice to me I'm sitting here going "OMG, why ISN'T this guy on the list?"
Not that my opinion means a damn thing, and not like I have even the vaguest hair of a chance of influencing the selection of our next Secretary of State, but there IS one man I believe stands so head and shoulders above even Kerry and Richardson as a logical contender for the role that I actually had to (gasp) write a diary.
And that man? George Mitchell. Follow me below the fold for why.
Born in 1933, George Mitchell was born to a poor Irish father and Lebanese mother. Educated first at Bowdoin and then at Georgetown, he served as the Maine US Attorney before being appointed to fill Muskie's seat in the Senate. After an additional two terms and serving as Senate Majority Leader, he declined a seat on the SCOTUS (dang it, George!), was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for brokering the Belfast Peace Accord in 1998, and is now apparently developing a center for international peace at Leeds University. A quick biography here.
Man, talk about gravitas. He is "universally admired" (FLYP), "ranks among the most respected diplomats and statesmen in the world, he was voted most respected member of Congress six years in a row, and is a recipient of the UNESCO Peace Prize (an award also received by Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa).
Okay, maybe I'm a wee bit biased, being one of the Mainers that sent him to Washington (now over in New Hampshire -- it's close to home, at least :p). But I'd like to leave you with a quote from his acceptance speech for the Philadelphia Liberty Medal (yeah, he was awarded that, too):
"I believe there’s no such thing as a conflict that can’t be ended. They’re created and sustained by human beings. They can be ended by human beings. No matter how ancient the conflict, no matter how hateful, no matter how hurtful, peace can prevail."
Ah well, the deal's already done, likely -- or at least the list of potentials has, I'm sure, been pretty well set in stone. But dang, if I could go back in time ten days and pick up a phone and call the Obama campaign, I would have five words for them:
Secretary of State -- George Mitchell.
Edited for minor typographical errors. I hope I got 'em all!