BARACK AND HILLARY

Last Sunday on 60 Minutes, President Barack Obama and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were interviewed together, at the president's request.  The interview examined their "evolution from bitter opponents [for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination] to partners in the corridors of power".  And clearly the two now regard each other with respect and affection.  Obama's selection of Clinton for such an important post, and her acceptance in the name of service to her country and her president, echo Abraham Lincoln's selection of both political allies and political opponents to fill his cabinet ~ as described in historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's biographical portrait Team of Rivals.  In these times of ideological trench warfare in Congress, it is refreshing to see that opponents can become allies.

Here is part 1 of the Obama-Clinton interview (14 minutes), and here is part 2 (7 minutes).  The event, along with her four-year tenure as Secretary of State, can only enhance Clinton's propects for another run for the White House in 2016 ~ perhaps to Vice President Joe Biden's chagrin, and surely to the dismay of most conservatives in the Republican party, and misogynists in general.