Team Obama isn’t easy to understand

By WILL BUNCH

The big story recently — except for, you know, that recession thing — has been Barack Obama’s new team, and while it’s more center-right than many people, friend or foe, had expected, it’s basically fine — as long as it can implement Obama’s campaign proposals like a pull-out from Iraq in as little as 16 months, etc.

But here’s what I don’t get.

Remember this summer when there was all the talk about whether Obama should pick Hillary Clinton for vice president? To a lot of people, it seemed like a slam dunk — HRC would unite the party, fire up female voters and appeal to the blue collar electorate that backed her so heavily in Rust Belt swing states like Pennsylvania and Ohio. But the problems seemed obvious, too.

There was too much leftover tension between the Obama and Clinton camps. There were huge financial disclosure issues with Bill Clinton, and the idea of both the larger-than-life ex-president and his wife looming over the White House was just something Obama probably didn’t need. Those were all valid reasons, but it was a huge risk not to pick her. Before the economy tanked, it looked like the election against John McCain would go the wire and Obama would need every vote, and no one disputed that Clinton meant more extra votes than any other pick.

But instead Obama chose Joe Biden. Not a terrible choice, but there were legitimate worries about gaffes and his close ties to the credit card industry in Delaware. The one area where Biden’s credentials were fairly impeccable (2002 Iraq vote aside) was foreign policy, which is why Biden was on the top of everyone’s list ... for Secretary of State.

Now, four months later, Joe Biden is vice president-elect, and Hillary Clinton is the Secretary of State-designate. Why? The issues regarding Bill Clinton that would have had to have been worked out for the vice presidency still had to be worked out for SoS. And as for Obama and Hillary Clinton getting along, apparently they do.And Biden will probably be a fine No. 2, but it still feels like he belonged at State.

X Will Bunch is a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

2008, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.