Hillary Clinton Will be a Shadow President

In countries with parliamentary systems of government, the party out of power is often referred to as a "shadow government." Ministers that would hold certain portfolios such as defense, welfare, education, etc., are known and serve as critics of their counterparts in government. America does not have such a system, of course. But the choice of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) by President-elect Barack Obama to be Secretary of State may be the closest thing our country has known to having a shadow presidency.

To be sure, Obama is not the first president-elect to chose cabinet members from amongst his rivals. Until recent times, it was something of a tradition that after a close primary battle, the winner took the vanquished on the ticket as the vice-presidential nominee. The strategy involved was to heal party divisions for the general election, as well as present the strongest possible ticket to the electorate at large. Barack Obama passed up that opportunity when he chose Joe Biden as his running mate after this year's bruising Democratic primary campaign between himself and Sen. Clinton. Obama's surprising choice of Clinton for the State Department is meant to mollify any lingering upset over the vice-presidential snub. But it also puts Clinton in the perfect position to undermine the Obama presidency, a risk Obama must surely have considered.

Obama versus Clinton was no ordinary rivalry, especially in the area of foreign policy experience. Hillary Clinton openly campaigned on questions about Barack Obama's ability to handle an international crisis as a key rationale for her candidacy. Her 3 AM ad made that point in no uncertain terms, as did her claim that she alone among the Democratic candidates for president would be, "ready on day one." Clinton even said that Obama would need a "foreign policy instruction manual," to guide him in a crisis and would need advisers to, "introduce [him] to world affairs." These are not simply differences of opinion or approach between two otherwise equal candidates. They are fundamental challenges by Clinton to the ability of Obama to serve as president, centered on his lack of foreign policy credentials. As Secretary of State, Clinton will in theory be running President Obama's foreign policy shop. She will have ample opportunities to steal the spotlight from him, or disagree discreetly and behind-the-scenes to build herself up or tear him down as the situation requires.

Another complication for President Obama will be President Clinton. Mr. Clinton played the role of attack dog for his wife during the primary. Although he gave a well-received endorsement of Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention, in which he declared Obama ready to be president, doubts remain about Mr. Clinton's commitment to see Barack Obama's presidency be a successful one. Proof of those doubts can be found in the extraordinary lengths to which the Obama transition team went to try and control the future husband of the Secretary of State's activities. President Clinton agreed to an unprecedented set of conditions in order for his wife to get the cabinet post. Clinton will disclose the names of every contributor to his foundation since its inception in 1997 and all contributors going forward, step away from day-to-day management of the Clinton Global Initiative while Sen. Clinton is Secretary of State, and submit his speaking schedule to review by the State Department and White House counsel, among other things. Obama's team clearly wants Mr. Clinton on a short leash, a sign of distrust, and with good reason.

The Clintons are master political manipulators. They are perhaps the most driven, ruthless, and calculating political couple in recent American history. No one is better at taking subtle, seemingly innocent, shots at an opponent, Democrat or Republican. Recently, for example,Mr. Clinton told CNN that Hillary Clinton first heard that she was under consideration for Secretary of State by reading it in the newspaper. He described her as "shocked" to learn that Barack Obama was considering her. Clinton went on to say that it was a "very wise" decision by Obama to select his wife for the post, but that it was a difficult one for her to accept. "She adored being in the Senate," he said. This is vintage Bill Clinton. In the span of three sentences, without actually saying so or saying anything bad about Obama, actually praising him, Clinton managed to sow doubt that Obama and his wife are on the same page, hint that Obama needs Hillary Clinton more than she needed to be in the cabinet, and paint her as the reluctant warrior, sacrificing her love for the Senate to tutor the new president on foreign policy. If that sounds like a stretch of an interpretation, think again. This is Bill Clinton talking. Neither of the Clinton's have ever uttered a word in their political lives that was not calculated for effect. And there will be plenty more where that came from for as long as Sen. Clinton is at the State Department.

Perhaps President-elect Obama's decision to tab Clinton for Secretary of State was a case of keeping his enemy close. Perhaps he realizes just what kind of damage the Clintons can do to his Administration from the inside and was willing to take the risk. But foreign policy is the one area over which the president has exclusive control and the one on which he is so often judged. Offering Clinton the State Department is like dangling a t-bone in front of a lioness. It is only a matter of time before she devours it, and the person holding it. President Obama had better keep his chair and his whip at the ready.

Read Tommy Christopher's argument that Obama and Clinton will play nice.

Vote for who you think made a better argument.