Students and politicians from Senator Hillary Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) home base of New York embraced President-elect Barack Obama’s decision to name her as his Secretary of State, an appointment which he announced yesterday in Chicago.
The nomination of Senator Clinton signals a change from what many Americans view as the Bush administration’s failed foreign policy. “It sends a message that the next four years will be very different than the last eight,” Democratic leader of the 69th district Cynthia Doty said. “It is a commitment to restoring America’s image across the world.”
Students also noted the importance of President-elect Obama’s appointment. “It shows that [Obama] is ready to change Bush foreign policy,” said former Friends of Hillary intern Maddy Joseph, CC ’12. “The last few years, diplomacy was sidelined.”
Joseph stressed Clinton’s political experience, which she believes will be an asset for U.S. communication with foreign dignitaries and leaders. “Hillary proved herself as the candidate who best knew policy during the primaries, which works well in one-on-one conversations,” she said.
She dismissed the idea that the heated primary battle between President-elect Obama and Senator Clinton would leave residual feelings of hostility. “In making the decision to be secretary of state, [Clinton] put aside her ambitions,” Joseph said. “She is very focused on the task at hand.”
Doty agreed, asserting that “Obama and his team have worked hard to bring people together.”
Both Joseph and Doty lamented Clinton’s departure from what they described as an extremely successful Senate career. “Hillary Clinton had a lot to achieve in the Senate,” Joseph said. “She was a very effective senator.”
Yet Doty said that Clinton’s legislative credentials will only make her a more capable cabinet member. “As our New York senator, she is very tuned into terrorism,” she said. “I think she can fulfill more of a role quicker as secretary of state. Clinton doesn’t want to sit on the sidelines.”
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