Picking the Team

So Hillary Rodham Clinton will join the line of women to hold the office of Secretary of State- at least, we are left to assume this. The NYT broke that story like 2 days ago, and we've yet to hear a tornado of denials. It therefore must be so.

With this news, we are greeted with another round of Doris Kearns Goodwin-inspired stories, like this one in the NYT, extolling the virtues of a "team of rivals" in the White House.

Goodwin has sold a bunch of copies of her book about the Lincoln cabinet, and rather given some of the commentariat the vapors with regard to this style of government. At the risk of going far, far outside my area of competence here, wasn't the Lincoln model seen as a sign of weakness when he did it? A desperate move by an executive whose administrative unit was literally tearing itself apart?

And obviously, in a broader sense, putting Clinton at State (leaving aside for a moment questions about why_on_Earth she'd leave a senate seat for life to take the job) nods toward the idea that Obama is also a fan of this model. John Kennedy also appears to have used a modified version of this, thus ensuring that the concept appears historically with an aura of hallowed tradition.

However, probably far more presidents have attempted to use this model and failed than have managed to use it successfully. Think of examples of cabinet officers installed to inform policy debates with their "opposition" perspectives, who have subsequently been marginalized by presidents who might or might not appreciate hearing their perspective at moments of crisis but didn't actually want to make policy with them, and who as a result might have been better served by someone who could make policy suggestions that actually reflected the president's views. Think of George Ball, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and most recently, Colin Powell. The "team of rivals" is appealing for its elegance and what it says about the person capable of using it well, but many fine presidents have found it unworkable, if they ever attempted to use it at all. The "team of rivals" is the governing equivalent of a racing yacht- magnificent if handled skillfully, but delicate even then, and ruinous in the hands of those temperamentally unsuited to it. Remember what happened to LBJ with JFK's advisers?

And anyway, considering Hillary has her own national following and the marital equivalent of a loose cannon smashing around below deck, aren't ya just asking for unnecessary headaches with this? Is there any reason to believe she can play well with others? Hillary might turn out to be a fantastic part of an Obama governing team. But she might just as easily turn out to be a constant reminder of the tragi-drama of the '90's.