I highly suspect the Obama news conference scheduled for Monday, December 1^st, at 10:40am (EST) will be Obama’s naming Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. 

In order to do so, Obama’s team had to clear Hillary, and consequently Bill, of any conflict of interest. 

Among the odd events that seem to have been leading up to this is Bill Clinton’s release of the long-secret list of 208,000 donors to his presidential library and foundation. He has promised to produce the list by the end of the year. Why? No reason unless Hillary was going for Secretary of State. 

There is also rumor of CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) not hosting annual events outside the US and that CGI will no longer accept foreign government contributions. Why? Again, no reason unless Hillary was going for Secretary of State. 

Also scheduled to attend is Robert Gates, Bush’s Defense Secretary, who will remain on board at the Pentagon. 

Is it a good move? 

Well, this remains to be seen but it certainly shows Obama is willing to put powerful personalities on his team. On the other side, for Hillary fans, this will most likely be the end to her ever seeking the Presidency. If she is indeed taking the Secretary of State position, she is stepping into a very difficult position that, historically, does not end at the Presidency.

Godfather Added: Confirmed this morning, Obama did nominate Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Additionally added to the list are…

Obama confirmed he is keeping Defense Secretary Robert Gates in his current role.

Obama named retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones as his National Security Adviser.

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as Homeland Security Secretary.

Eric Holder as Attorney General.

Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations.

Given Thanksgiving is this week; I was going to make a list of things I was thankful for. I am sure the list would have included the obvious – health, family, and Captain Crunch with Crunchberries.

I am amazed at the attitudes of people making their way into the workforce today. Frankly, given the current state of the economy I would expect people to be a bit more humble in their job demands.

I am thrilled to now have the ability (meaning “permission”) to add some quality artwork to The Slow Bleed. The artist is a long time friend - although when pressed to answer

You can tell a lot about someone’s character by how they react when they win or lose. Obama’s acceptance wasn’t the traditional “victory” speech.

Ask some people about how long you have to return a checked out library book and I am going to guess 50% of people would say “two weeks.”