Clinton Pick Wins Conservatives’ Approval

It’s not entirely clear whether this represents cause for encouragement or alarm, but there are some from the right and even far-right reaches of the U.S. political scene who applaud Barack Obama’s rumored choice of Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state.

Ana Marie Cox in The Daily Beast:

Neocons, right-wing scribes, and impeachment managers are in rare agreement with Obama — Clinton is a great choice for Secretary of State.

Hillary Clinton has found some unlikely allies and supporters in her journey to becoming Secretary of State: neoconservatives, contributors to the National Review, even a former manager of her husband’s impeachment proceedings. You might call it a vast right-wing conspiracy.

How to explain the generally positive take Republicans have on Clinton’s nomination? Her willingness to veer right in international policy. While she all but—all but—apologized for her pro-war vote in the Democratic primaries, Republicans are counting on her toughness in the days ahead. As one consultant put it: “We all know that secretly, she’s a hawk.” Writing in The Weekly Standard’s blog, Michael Goldfarb wrote hopefully about Clinton “even present[ing] the case for war with Iran to an insubordinate United Nations in the event that Obama’s personal diplomacy somehow fails to deter the mullahs from their present course.” His editor, Bill Kristol, responded to the news with a giddy email: “I look forward to working with her!”

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