Obama's Foreign Policy team

Barack Obama faces two challenges in naming his foreign policy advisors. Firstly, he must name competent individuals in an effort to shore up his reputation as a foreign policy naif. Secondly, and in a contradictory direction, he must also try to keep his message of "change" running through all his appointments. Balancing these two will likely prove a difficult task.

In terms of the National Security Advisor, a good bet would be for Richard Clarke to come back to the White House. Clarke, who was Bill Clinton's counterterrorism czar, has been an outspoken critic of the current administration's counterterror policy, and an early casualty of the Iraq war. he is also on record as warning the Bush team, as they came into office in 2001, that an Al-Qaeda attack was on the cards.

Obama's big chance to play the bipartisan card is in picking the Secretary of Defense. For this post, the most likely candidate is probably Chuck Hagel. Currently, Hagel is a final-term Republican senator with a reputation for independent-mindedness. In addition, he has a strong background in defense, and was a strong critic of both the Iraq War and Donald Rumsfeld. Alternatively, Robert Gates, the current incumbent, could keep his position.

There is no obvious candidate for the position of Secretary of State. It is possible that Obama may select someone from within the State Department, or go outside the government altogether. However, there is another interesting possibility. A stellar candidate exists, with excellent government experience, who is respected in both America and across the world. This person's recognition factor alone would be helpful, as would their track record in conflict resolution and diplomacy. The only problem is, would Bill Clinton be willing to serve in an Obama presidency?