Hillary 2016

Will she or won't she be he next Secretary of State? OVC believes she will take the job. We believe that SOS Hillary is a win win for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

We are quite impressed with the tone that is being set by the Obama team so far. Reaching out to Hillary is a sign that Obama is willing to bury the hatchet for the good of the country. The situation with Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) is also a good sign. If Obama had put out the word to ostracize McCain's campaign buddy, Lieberman would not have survived with his Homeland Security chairmanship in tact. Obama extended the olive branch here, and again we believe that is the correct tone.

Hillary has the intelligence, the temperament, and the toughness to be an excellent Secretary of State. Her views may differ a bit from Obama's, but she knows how to be a good soldier. We expect that she will have the intestinal fortitude to offer her honest opinion when Obama asks her, which we assume will be frequently, but she also has the realistic view of her position to pursue President Obama's policies. Hillary will not go "Palin" on Obama.

Here's how we see it. Hillary may not take this job for purely altruistic reasons. The scenario we see as a possibility is this. Hillary takes the SOS job. Sometime in 2011, Vice President Joe Biden decides not to seek re-election. Obama taps Hillary to be the next VP. Obama/Clinton wins big in 2012. Hillary is ready, willing, and able to run for President in 2016.

Hillary has two choices here --- Be the champion of the long overdue universal health care plan or set herself up for a 2016 run. We believe Hillary wants to be President even more than she wants universal healthcare. Hillary will be 69 right before the 2016 election. That's about the age of Ronald Reagan when he was first elected.