An interesting point

From Nathan Citano by way of Historiann:

For me, the significance of Clinton’s appointment, if she accepts and is confirmed, is that many diplomats and world leaders will deal with her on the basis of their assumption that she will be the next US president.  This will be a dramatic change from Condoleeza Rice’s experience, because many people abroad assumed that US foreign policy was made outside of the State Department and that other figures, such as Cheney and Rumsfeld, had more influence.  In fact, Obama might use this expectation to his advantage as a way of signaling that US foreign policy will be less militarized than it was under Bush, and that the State Department will take the leading role in conducting diplomacy.  Of course, Clinton can use her role as secretary of state to immunize herself against the very charges of foreign policy inexperience that she faced during the primary campaign, in preparation for a possible run in 2016.

Comments

[Hypatia]

I don't see Clinton as the presumptive nominee in 2012, although certainly she will be in the mix. She will be almost seventy and if Biden remains as VP for an eight year Obama term, the field will be wide open. Gaining foreign policy experience can't hurt, but the lack of it did not damage Obama in the primaries.

Rice was the national security adviser when Cheney and Rumsfeld were in the driver's seat, but her time at the State Department has been quite different. Her record there is mixed, but she was not the ineffectual failure she was as NSA.

[John Petty]

You never can tell. Eight years is an eternity in politics.

You have to give Hillary a lot of credit. She could have gone the safe and comfortable route and stayed in the Senate. Instead, she ratcheted herself up another notch and probably told herself she had five years to change the world. Hillary is a classic Methodist. That kind of thing would appeal to her.

I thought Rice did OK as SOS. I agree she did better there than she did as NSA. She was green and Cheney rolled her.