Ferentz Lafargue

I don't recall who used the term, but yesterday while watching one of the Sunday news programs, one of the pundits referred to Obama's cabinet as a team of egos, rather than as a "team of rivals," the name Lincoln gave his political consiglieres.  As expected much of the conversation focused on the all but substantiated rumor that Hilary Clinton will become Secretary of State in the new administration.  Clinton's forthcoming appointment has thus far alleviated any fears that news producers about significant post-election drops off in viewership for news programs.  Like his predecessor Bill Clinton from whose staff Obama has poached many of his top advisers, and John F. Kennedy, the young American prince to whom he's often compared, Barack Obama has developed an uncanny nack for moving the needle. 

Hilary Clinton, she of 18million votes is no slouch herself when it comes to getting people to tune, which means that her appointment guarantees us at least four years of soundbites from Freud impersonators dissecting her relationship with Obama.  Having such a high profile Secretary of State at the apex of her political careers also means that every American foreign policy decision will face a level of scrutiny unlike any other administration has ever encountered.  If anyone ever doubted Obama's seriousness about restoring America's image, then the Clinton appointment should put those doubts to rest because as long as she's in his cabinet, the whole world will be watching.

That said, I can't help but be a tad bit saddened that Clinton's talents are heading to the State Department.  In my estimation, the whole restoring America's image abroad narrative has been blown slightly out of proportion.  George W. Bush was an awful President who made a number of horrendous decisions, but outside of Iraq and Afghanistan most Americans have been largely unaffected by the Bush's regimes decisions abroad, and it will therefore be difficult for us to really assess how much the world's image of America has changed. Which leads me to consider another position where Clinton could have become a transcendent figure.  What if Clinton had been appointed Secretary of Education, instead of Secretary of State?

I know the arguments: Secretary of State is the more illustrious post; the secretary of education doesn't really have that much power--but isn't this the year of change? 

A larger problem than America's standing abroad are the problem's facing this nation's public education system, a system which (at least in my lifetime) has never had a formidable advocate at the Federal Level.  As much as this nation needs better foreign policy it needs someone capable of moblizing a national discussion on education policy that goes beyond vouchers and test scores. 

While it undoubtedly makes sense to have Clinton as this nation's most prominent diplomat, her capacity for drawing national attention to what's happening America's schools, is an opportunity that could not be underestimated. 

Prop Fo