"Oh we have a madman in the presidency because the Democrats forced Hillary on us"

[karynnj]

36. I don't think HRC was really eager to return to the Senate

She stayed away for nearly a month after losing the last primary. In addition, there were people allied with her angry because the Kennedy people rejected outright that she could head a subcommittee of the HELP committee and lead the effort on healthcare - rather than Kennedy who chaired the committee. The problem HRC faced in the Senate was that it is a seniority based organization and she had insufficient seniority to chair an important committee. There was a BIG imbalance in her power in the Senate and her power as one of the best known Democrats in the country.

Clinton was not part of the Kennedy wing of the party. I do think that the only, Ted Kennedy like thing she was seen to potentially do, would be to primary Obama. That would have meant a President Romney because of the power of both Clintons. I think that, even more than Hillary, Obama making her SoS was to tether Bill Clinton to his side - making Obama's success, Clinton's success.

However, as I said, Obama also did this because he thought HRC could do a good job. He designed the job to fit her skills. Her own fame meant that a visit by HRC was almost a Presidential visit. That went a long way to healing divides that grew under Bush.