Secretary of State: Clinton, Richardson or Kerry?

Today, the big buzz around Barack Obama's choice for his Secretary of State is all about Hillary Clinton. But there are a couple of other people for whom there are still very strong arguments. Namely, John Kerry and Bill Richardson.

The logic behind Clinton's selection, that they would be a 'team of rivals,' has strong backing. Naming Hillary Clinton to such a high cabinet position would go a long way to healing the rift caused by the battle for the nomination. Obama has stated that he admired Abraham Lincoln's model of choosing people who had been his adversaries for his cabinet, setting aside personal differences. Clinton, after eight years in the White House, has tremendous experience in dealing with heads of state. Her foreign policy skills would be formidable and the prestige she would bring to the office would be unmatched.

Many have pointed out that getting Clinton on board in some capacity is important, lest she undermine him, the 2012 election in her sites. While some believe that Bill could meddle, others argue that Obama might do best to keep him close. President Bill Clinton's foundation, however, could present some conflict of interest problems. Another rumor is that Clinton herself is behind the Secretary of State rumor, as part of her angling for the job, possibly as a way of getting back at Richardson and Kerry.

Bill Richardson and John Kerry represent a very different argument. Both are high-ranking Democrats with great foreign relations experience. And, perhaps most importantly, both broke with the Clintons during the primaries to endorse Obama. Going against the Clintons, former president and former first lady, was considered to be an incredible political risk for both of these men.

Bill Richardson, of course, was also a rival for the nomination, who later endorsed Obama to the deep displeasure of President and Senator Clinton. After his endorsement of Obama, Clinton advisor James Carville called Richardson a "Judas."

A Hispanic, Richardson also represents a voter block that both parties very much want to court. His endorsement was seen as helping Obama win Hispanic voters. He served as the Clinton administration's ambassador to the UN and Secretary of Energy. In 1995 he negotiated the release of two Americans held captive by Saddam Hussein and in 2006 he helped secure the release of journalist Paul Salopek in Sudan.

John Kerry selected Obama to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, the speech that rocketed Obama to star status in the Democratic Party. A decorated Vietnam vet, John Kerry is also the third ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He did vote for the Iraq war, but has since said it was a mistake: "the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time." And, of course, nobody has forgotten that Kerry was the Democratic nominee in the 2004 election.

Kerry has said he was interested in the job, and supports many of Obama's policy of talking to the leaders of rogue nations. Kerry was also an Obama supporter during the primaries. There were reports during the primaries that after Kerry announced his support of Obama, Clinton advisors were heard saying he was "dead to us."

There are good arguments for all of these candidates for Obama's Secretary of State. Obama's transition team hasn't confirmed that Clinton is being considered for the Secretary of State position, and the media is very susceptible to speculation right now. One point that shouldn't be missed is that Obama is also set to meet with John McCain this week as a conciliatory gesture.