BILL CLINTON AS NEW YORK SENATOR......MAYBE

Now that Hillary Clinton has officially been announced and accepted the post as Barack Obama's Secretary of State, her Senate seat now becomes one of three that are open waiting to be filled by Governor's from three different states. Obama's seat in Illinois remains to be filled. Biden's seat in Delaware is also open and now Hillary's in New York.

Of course all three states have Democrat Governors so for those who were hoping that the GOP might pick up a Senate seat when the posts are filled.....well Iran will become a trusted ally before that would happen. The speculation for Illinois and Delaware is not making headlines but New York is.

The leading candidates are famous names with one standing out in the crowd much more than the others. Two of the top three come from a well known and liberal entrenched political family. Caroline Kennedy daughter of President John Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy Junior are considered to be in the running.

The third top candidate poses a rather interesting situation. The Governor of New York is considering at the insistence of many in the National and State Democrat Party, asking Bill Clinton to take his wife's Senate seat for two years. The seat will come up in a special election during the 2010 election cycle. If Hillary were to complete her term the seat would not be eligible until 2012.

When Bill's office was asked for a comment concerning whether the former President would accept the seat rather than issuing a statement, his office deferred all questions to the Governor's office. Which could lead one to believe that Bubba is considering the possibility.

If he accepts the Senate seat he will become the third former President to serve in Congress after serving in the White House. Our sixth President John Quincy Adams served in the House for 18 years, elected from Massachusetts two years after losing his re-election bid for the Presidency.

The second and ironically the only other President in our history besides Bill Clinton who was impeached, our seventeenth Andrew Johnson served as Senator from Tennessee six years after leaving the White House. Johnson only served from March through July of the Senate term, passing away on July 31, 1875.

Clinton certainly knows his way around Washington and as a former President would bring a certain prestige with him to the Senate. But the question is will Bubba with his massive ego be willing to serve in the Senate when he travels the world now as a former President and receives millions of dollars in fees for speaking engagements ? Also would his ego be able to handle his wife being in a more powerful position than his ?

If she had won the Presidency he would have at least been part of the day to day activities in the White House and while not President himself would have been involved in the power of the office through his wife. But as a Senator with Hillary being Secretary of State ? I am not sure that huge Bubba ego would be able to handle the situation.

Of course this is all still in the speculative phase and any decision is waiting on the official resignation of Hillary as Junior Senator from New York. But it does open up some very interesting possibilities and if it happens whether Barack Obama would be able to hold the reigns of two Clinton's in high government positions.

Ken Taylor