Does Obama Need a Divisive Secretary of State?

President Obama begins his second term as a seasoned foreign policy leader. He has the opportunity in a second term to make a real impact on the world. What he doesn’t need now is a bitter, partisan fight over the confirmation of his Secretary of State. If Susan Rice is his choice for the job, the President needs to figure out how to make her confirmation a less divisive and contentious affair. If trust is an issue, and Senate critics fear that Ambassador Rice puts her duty of loyalty to the President above her duty of candor to the Senate, then the real problem lies between the President and the Senate rather than between the Senate and Ambassador Rice. She can’t fix that problem; only the President can. As Ambassador Rice continues to meet with Republican senators, trying to win them over, the White House needs to reinforce her efforts with a sustained effort to engage those critics. It is a time for stroking, not arm-twisting.