By: Nick Gill

I am a left-liberal Democrat. This is about my dream team. I voted for Hillary Clinton in the Massachusetts Democratic primary. I believed she was a serious, tough, capable, intelligent politician who could do a good job as President. I also liked Barack Obama, but I felt he might be too inexperienced for the job and that Clinton was slightly better prepared. I have learned some things during the months since my vote.

Two important things I have learned are that Hillary Clinton is willing to embroider her foreign affairs experience out of whole cloth and that John McCain doesn’t really have as much foreign policy expertise as he claims. Clinton’s repeated claims to have come under sniper fire when she visited Bosnia in the 1990’s are lies. She may have thought people would believe this myth and not check whether it was true. That was simultaneously cynical and naïve. McCain has repeatedly shown that he does not really understand the demographics and strategic situation in Iraq- confusing Sunnis and Shiites. This is incredibly boneheaded. The historical schism in Islam is something I learned about in high school. For anyone running for president not to understand this basic fact, and what it means for the foreign relations of the United States, is unforgivable. This is especially true for someone who is supposedly strong in foreign affairs and was on a trip to the Middle East to prove it.

Gerald Ford’s statement in debate with Jimmy Carter in 1976 that the Soviet Union did not dominate Eastern Europe disqualified him in my mind from being President. Similarly Clinton’s and McCain’s mistakes have disqualified them for me. If you are so insecure about your foreign policy credentials that you have to lie like Clinton did, you’re not qualified to be president. If you’re a mega-bonehead on one of key elements in one the most important issues in American history, like McCain, you’re not qualified to be president.

Barack Obama’s stature has grown in my eyes, as well. This has not been by default, due to the disqualifying statements of the others. He is said to have impeccable personal integrity. He gave a deeply thoughtful speech on race relations in America on the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. He has also shown the capacity for solemn reflection and wisdom in his book Dreams From My Father. He was a visiting lecturer on constitutional law at the University of Chicago law school. If Al Gore were President he could do a lot worse than to appoint Obama to be Attorney General of the United States. However, Gore is not president and that is not at all likely to happen. Obama also wisely opposed the Iraq invasion at a time when it was a popular idea. I believe integrity, wisdom and respect for the U.S. Constitution are among the most important qualifications needed in the next president and Obama has evinced these strengths.

Obama is an inspiring speaker who has motivated legions of volunteers, students, minorities, and internet donors. His presidency will revive much of America’s lost standing in the world and renew the possibility of a brighter, fairer future.

Having said this, I respect Clinton’s perseverance. She is a tough campaigner. She deserves credit for having done as well as she has. However, now is the time for her to withdraw. If she loses in Pennsylvania, she should take the opportunity to bow out gracefully. Obama should offer her a deal to help make this path easier to take. There are rumors that senior leaders of the Democratic Party plan to ask Clinton to run for Governor of New York. However, there is another job she might be interested in, Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Hillary Clinton has a long and honorable history of working on children’s issues and health issues. These are the province of the HHS Department. If healthcare really is to be reformed in this country, as promised by all the Democratic candidates, especially Clinton, a capable and dedicated cabinet officer in the department charged with implementing the reforms will be critical to the effort’s success or failure. However, Clinton will likely not find this a sufficient prize for a runner up, both because she has higher ambitions and other opportunities. She also may not see how success in the job could be a very real platform from which to run for president after Obama’s term(s). The American people would be very grateful to her if she were to execute healthcare reform and I believe it would make her popular in ways she cannot even envision now.

Still, there is another job Obama should offer which would sweeten the deal for Clinton. President Clinton is still immensely popular all over the world. He has a brilliant foreign policy mind, he is eloquent, and he would make an excellent secretary of state. Granted this is a step down from an office he has already held, but there is precedent for this type of dedicated public service in the story of John Quincy Adams, who after having served as president was elected to Congress from Massachusetts. I believe President Clinton wants to burnish his legacy. He also worked very hard during his presidency on peace negotiations in the Middle East, even until his last days in office. This position would give him the chance to make real progress in the currently moribund peace process. Progress would also result from Obama’s election, which foreign observers have often remarked would signal a sea change in America of major significance.

Because of my interest in the physical environment, ecology, and climate change, and because I have already mentioned him in this essay, suffice it to say that Al Gore would make an excellent Secretary of Nature. (The post, formerly known as “EPA Administrator” should be elevated to a cabinet level post by the next president.)

Other former Democratic presidential candidates who deserve serious consideration for cabinet positions include Joe Biden (for Attorney General) and Chris Dodd (for Treasury Secretary).

Finally, my dream team would include Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico as Vice President. Richardson is affable and intelligent. He is experienced in diplomacy and could continue his previous service as a roving diplomat while vice president. He is also a capable executive, a (former?) friend of the Clintons, an experienced Washington hand, and well connected. Furthermore, his Latino heritage would also send the right signal to important constituencies, allies, and neighbors.

It is time for the Democratic Party to rally as a unified team. It is time to take on the GOP plutocrats, instead of wasting more time and money on annoying and petty sniping and infighting. A healed party would include all its All Stars. It’s time to plan for who will be on that team, if not to announce it to a hopeful people.

Nick Gill studied Political Economy at Berkeley and Diplomacy at the Fletcher School. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.

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