Hillary Clinton Promises Smarter Approach to U.S. Foreign Policy

After eight years of tumultuous foreign relations between the U.S. and the rest of the world, the Bush administration will soon end its run in the White House. When President-elect Barack Obama and his team take the reins, Hillary Clinton is going to bring an established international presence to every negotiation she enters. As Secretary of State, she is promising to take a pragmatic approach to the issues that the U.S. is facing around the world, while staying focused keeping the nation safe from future attacks.

Hillary is getting support from both sides of the aisle, even before she officially begins her role as Secretary of State. Regardless of what you think about her politically or personally, there is no question that she is going to be very comfortable in direct contact situations with world leaders. And despite the differences she had with Barack Obama during their hotly contested run for the Democratic presidential nomination, the two seem to have closed the gap as far as their world views and what they hope to accomplish in the next four years - and possibly beyond.

The only small sticking point so far has been some concern that Bill Clinton's extensive reach as a global philanthropist and investor may present ethical issues for Hillary as she works with various world leaders. But again, the fact that this is even an issue speaks to the fact that there may be no one more qualified to immediately sit down with the leaders of the world on behalf of the United States. She and her husband know many of them personally and have dealt with them directly for much of the last two decades. If nothing else, she'll have credibility and familiarity on her side. What she can do with those advantages remains to be seen.