Senator Bill Clinton?

What if the Junior Senator from New York, Hillary Clinton took the position of Secretary of State and Governor David Paterson appointed her husband, Bill Clinton? Senator Bill Clinton? Senator Clinton. It has a familiar ring, doesn't it? There are a lot of picks that would be worse, such as any of the no name, do nothing, downstate Congress members or New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo is not a bad choice, but I think Bill Clinton would be a better replacement. Bill Clinton brings knowledge, skills, and experience to a position and branch of government that needs some (actually it needs a lot). I truly believe that he would do a good job at the job. In the very least it would be both interesting and entertaining at the same time. He, I'm sure, would also enjoy again being in the limelight. Plus, he'd get more chicks as a Senator.

As Dan Lynch (AM 1300) pointed out on Friday, Bill Clinton would not be able to charge his large fees for speaking engagements around the world, potentially with nations that receive US foreign aid, as a Senator. If not chosen, his speaking fees creates a conflict of interest with Senator Hillary Clinton, if she became the United States' Secretary of State. The people of New York would also receive a better Senator than Hillary Clinton (he would do as good of a job if not better than the other names that have been suggested) and America can have a Secretary of State without a conflict of interest with her husbands' speaking fees in foreign nations. Nations that could and do receive foreign aid from the United States. This makes sense. It also sounds like a win-win.

David Paterson, I think you should at least consider appointing Bill Clinton to fill the anticipated vacancy by Senator Hillary Clinton resigning (it it happens). I can say this with a clear conscience as Governor Paterson will not appoint a Republican to fill the vacancy, so let's give Bill a shot. As I said before, we can do a lot worse. In Dr. Larry Sabato's A More Perfect Constitution, he suggests that past Presidents be appointed to the Senate as "National Senators". This would allow them to shed their expertise, leadership, and contacts as the only nationally elected officials that would bring a different prospective (Sabato, 2007).

This would not be the first time a President left office and returned to elected office. John Quincy Adams was elected to the House of Representatives after leaving the White House and Andrew Jackson was appointed by the Tenneessee state legislature.