Regarding...(A Number Of Things)....

REGARDING...A POTENTIAL SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON....

Hillary Clinton is highly intelligent and experienced enough insofar as international policy is concerned to do a good job as the next U.S. Secretary of State. Though she and President-Elect Obama do not naturally see eye-to-eye on all areas of foreign policy, they agree more often than they disagree on a number of crucial foreign policy issues. (And she'll most likely adhere to her future boss' wishes regarding the issues on which they tend to disagree.)

She might also be able to help push a few more "dove-ish" Obama policies (in comparison with the Bush II policies) toward the Middle East because she herself is a cautious centrist--some might even say she's naturally hawkish--when it comes to the region. Just as Democratic chief executives sometimes find it easier to cut taxes than do Republicans (...if a Democrat wants to cut taxes, many folks often think, "Well, that must be the way to go according to a vast majority of people, because even the Democrat is for it..."), so too might a soon-to-be President Obama find it easier to convince the American public to change its mind on a few select Middle East issues if the far more hawkish Hillary Clinton is often his mouthpiece on the region. The psychology behind this kind of "muscular-yet-more-leftwards" thinking is complex and seemingly convoluted, but it's often quite successful, as well.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are internationally famous, rock-star-esque politicians, so there will assuredly be a number of ego clashes in their working relationship. So we'll have to see if they can keep their differences largely out of the public eye. (My guess is that they can pull this off.) And, anyway, she has proven that she can be a team player. Now, let's just see if her husband can do likewise, which largely means keeping his mouth shut....

REGARDING...A POTENTIAL COMMERCE SECRETARY BILL RICHARDSON....

If you've read this blog more than a few times, you know that I am a fan of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. I will, therefore, try to keep this section relatively short, in order to avoid repeating myself a bit too much. Please let it suffice to say that in this international era nearly everything recirculates back to the realm of foreign policy (even what we often view as being in the exclusive realm of "domestic policy" does this, for the most part...). It is therefore the case that whoever becomes the next U.S. Commerce Secretary needs to have extensive knowledge of world politics and a working relationship with many world leaders.

As far as that is concerned, Bill Richardson is a former multiple-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., a former U.S. Energy Secretary, a present (and popular) two-term state governor, an ongoing international hostage negotiator and diplomat, and someone who has been nominated five times for the Nobel Peace Prize. I would have preferred him to have been the forthcoming Secretary of State, but as the worthy Hillary Clinton is slotted for that position, I think he'll do a fine job as U.S. Commerce Secretary instead. I'm glad to see that President-Elect Obama has apparently decided to offer this job to Governor Richardson; it's another fine choice amongst several fine early cabinet choices on the part of Mr. Obama.

REGARDING...READING WHAT ONE'S STUDENTS READ....

I have taught English (as well as, to a far lesser extent, Religion, Citizenship, and a few other areas of study) to people ranging in age from about ten to well into adulthood. At present, I have stumbled somewhat accidentally and fortuitously into a job at which I teach both English and Reading (the latter of which is for struggling readers) to junior high students here in Minnesota. A rather large percentage of these students are at present fascinated by Stephanie Meyer's young adult "Twilight" novel saga (at present, there are four novels in the series).

Since the film version of the first novel--also called "Twilight"--has just been released, I found myself shrugging and purchasing the paperback version of that book this past weekend. I told my students that I would read the book over the next week or so in order to determine whether or not I want to see the movie, which was greeted with a number of smiles and approving murmurs. I started the novel this evening, and so far it strikes me as having the somewhat contradictory characteristic of being ingratiatingly self-absorbed--rather like a lot of teenagers, though not all of them--and evocative of the "young outsider experience," which is hardly a new motif, but, hey....

So far, I think I like the novel. I hope that lasts.