Does Clinton Know Something We Don’t?

I’ve tried to avoid commenting on the rampant speculation about President-elect Barack Obama’s consideration of his primary rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, for Secretary of State, because it seems to be just that: rampant speculation.

However, the news that Obama and Clinton met privately in Chicago yesterday would appear to confirm that something is going on.

Clinton just appeared at a conference on public transit in my hometown of Albany, N.Y., and I caught a snippet of her remarks on CNN:

I’m very happy there is so much press attention and interest in transit… [Laughter]

But in the off-chance that you are not here for this important issue, and are here for some other reason, let me just say that I’m not going to speculate or address anything about the president-elect’s incoming administration, and I’m going to respect his process. Any inquiries should be directed to his transition team.

While watching her speak, I believe I detected what appeared to be a knowing smile. Her demeanor certainly did not suggest she had just been told to drop dead during the discussions of her possible future in the new administration. Whether her apparent happiness is because she is angling for a new job is unknown, but I think she looked like she knew a bit more than she was saying.

And now I’ll go back to refraining from speculation.