Reply #60: Health and Human sevices is interesting, but I wonder what Ted Kennedy would say

[karynnj]

The person leading on Health care in the Senate will be Ted Kennedy. He is chair of the appropriate committee and he has actually gotten healthcare passed. He has said, in a slightly more positive than perfunctory way, that HRC is knowledgeable in this area. The easiest time to assess the level of his support was an early January 2007 Sunday talk show. He said he was still there for Kerry, if he opted to run, but then spoke of this being an extraordinarily hard decision for Kerry and his family and friends. The warmth in his voice and the words he used to describe Kerry's skills, depth and character were noticeably different than what sounded like a far colder tone and fairly prosaic praise for HRC.

The comments by Bill Bradley and others suggests that HRC might have - on balance - been a negative factor that hurt getting healthcare passed in the 1990s. Not from lack of desire to do it, but because she went about it like a bull in a china shop.

I think Richardson might be ok as SoS, but I think either Kerry, Gore or Biden would be better - if either would want to leave the Senate. (I think the environmental conferences could be under the SoS and there is no one better than Kerry or Gore for that.