Hillary Clinton considered for post of Tooth Fairy

Andrea Mitchell of NBC News reported Thursday that two sources in the Obama camp say Hillary Clinton is under consideration to become the next Secretary of State.

Two things jump out at us immediately about this story.

First, Andrea Mitchell complained on her MSNBC show earlier this week that the Obama team doesn't leak, so if they're putting this story out there, they're probably trying to accomplish something totally separate from naming a Secretary of State.

Second, are they kidding? Hillary Clinton? Secretary of State? Seriously?

The woman who couldn't keep wars from breaking out in her own campaign headquarters?

The woman who demonstrated her team-player credentials with an entire week of Lucy-Show scheming behind the scenes at the Democratic convention?

The woman whose foreign policy experience is so thin that she had to make up a story about almost getting shot on an airport runway in Bosnia?

Well, then, if the Obama team is not seriously considering Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State, and if they only leak when they have a purpose, what's the purpose and what are they trying to do for Hillary Clinton?

Maybe the answer can be found in Tuesday's U.S. News & World Report item by contributing editor Bonnie Erbe, headlined "Barack Obama's Continued Hillary Clinton Snubs Signal Problems With Women."

Ms. Erbe cites a story on Politico.com about Michelle Obama calling Hillary Clinton for advice on protecting her daughters from the media spotlight. Then she writes this:

"Personally, I believe the Clintons are letting themselves be taken to the cleaners: For them, it's all give and no get. Politico.com goes on to report something I've blogged about several times: President-elect Obama still has not helped Senator Clinton retire any of her campaign debt--something which was widely reported last spring as part of his pledge to her if she would get out of the nomination race."

U.S. News & World Report may have missed it, but Senator Clinton didn't get out of the nomination race.

Details, details.

"Senator Clinton has already written off her taxes the $13 million she loaned her own campaign during the primaries. Ouch!" Ms. Erbe writes sympathetically, failing to mention that this write-off was required by federal election law. Then she takes another shot at the Obama team. "There's still the business of $7.9 million she owes to vendors," Ms. Erbe writes, "Maybe he'll come through and help her pay off that debt."

Maybe Senator Clinton should declare herself a bank holding company and go trick-or-treating at the Treasury Department with the guys from American Express.

America Wants To Know still suspects that Senator Clinton illegally spent the money that was raised for the general election during the primary campaign. We think that's why she stayed in the race for an entire month after she had no mathematical chance of being nominated, and why she was in such a frenzied rush to raise money when it was finally over.

That could be wrong, of course, but the fact remains that Senator Clinton spent herself deep into debt in order to defeat Senator Obama and now she wants him to do something to help her pay those bills.

He has steadfastly refused to e-mail his legions of supporters to ask them to write her a check, but today two Obama team members told NBC News that Senator Clinton is under consideration to become Secretary of State.

That should help her raise some money. There must be thousands of people who want jobs in the State Department, or federal contracts, or high-level meetings. Somewhere on K Street there is probably an entire floor of lobbyists assigned to stay on the good side of anybody who might be tapped to run the State Department.

That'll be $2,300, ladies and gentlemen. Make your check payable to "Hillary Clinton for President."

And hurry up. The real nomination could be announced any day now.


Copyright 2008

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