Tough Choices, Wise Choices ...

It's a rare politician who will embrace a former opponent and invite them into close council. It's rarer still for anyone to do that with a Clinton.

But, Barack Obama has done it, naming fierce campaign adversary Hillary as his Secretary of State.  This move was long expected by pundits, but barely believed.

The President-elect didn't stop at one bold move.  He has kept Secretary of Defense Robert Gates onboard from the Bush cabinet, which may make strategic sense but certainly wasn't expected given Obama's campaign focus on a change in Iraq policy.  

There will likely be more bold moves to come, but nominating Clinton may prove his boldest, toughest choice of all. Will it prove to be a wise choice?  As the cliche says, only time will truly tell the tale.

For now, we can be comforted that Obama's picks appear to be well-considered.  They couldn't have been easy to make.