Obama nominates Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State

Following days/weeks of speculation – and a “sure thing” endorsement from the national media – Barack Obama announced today that he will nominate Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State.

Clinton has been touted as a choice who can “hit the ground running” as she has a substantial knowledge of foreign affairs and is a respected envoy.

Assuming that she will be approved by the Senate (each cabinet member will be questioned by and voted upon by the Senate, following the inauguration), Clinton will relinquish her New York Senate seat. She has served in the Senate since 2001.

By nominating Clinton, Obama is staying true to his pledge to staff his cabinet with diverse and possibly antagonistic parties. The Senators did not see eye to eye on many issues over the campaign – and it will be interesting how Secretary Clinton approaches the task of representing the administration abroad.

Also on Monday, Obama confirmed that Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, will continue in that post in the new administration.