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Matthew Freeman is a Brooklyn based playwright with a BFA from Emerson College. His plays include THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR, REASONS FOR MOVING, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE AMERICANS, THE WHITE SWALLOW, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR, THE MOST WONDERFUL LOVE, WHEN IS A CLOCK, GLEE CLUB, THAT OLD SOFT SHOE and BRANDYWINE DISTILLERY FIRE. He served as Assistant Producer and Senior Writer for the live webcast from Times Square on New Year's Eve 2010-2012. As a freelance writer, he has contributed to Gamespy, Premiere, Complex Magazine, Maxim Online, and MTV Magazine. His plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc., New York Theatre Experience, and Samuel French.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Clinton as Secretary of State

It seems as if Hillary Clinton will accept the role of Secretary of State for the Obama Administration (that still has a nice ring to it). My view on this appointment, should it be finalized, is that it's a bold choice, a brave choice, and a risky move. Obama may simply be following the lead of Abraham Lincoln in keeping his rivals close. But having Clinton in a role that's this visible, in the age of 24 hour cable news and YouTube, begs an almost constant stream of behind-the-scenes stories about personality struggles and Clinton-era triangulation.

That concern might add up to a hill of beans (no pun intended): Obama has proven adept at managing the media, and Clinton is certainly experienced enough and capable enough to do a good job. But her foreign policy stances are one of the things that soured me to her as a candidate. She's surprisingly hawkish; or at least made great efforts to appear so in the campaign.

As Secretary of State, she'll be a member of a team, and the manager of a State Department that is in desperate need of repair. I'm curious if she can be the manager to put the State Department back together, and if she can truly bring her own team in line with a vision that she is simply carrying out, not spearheading.

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