She's back! I knew Obama wouldn't leave her out. Hillary Clinton is on the short list of Secretary of State candidates. Andrea Mitchell broke the story last night, and everyone else has picked it up today. (Rachel Maddow has a segment on this that you can listen to over in The Media Bar.)

Reuters:

Sen. Hillary Clinton emerged on Thursday as a candidate to be U.S. secretary of state for Barack Obama, months after he defeated her in an intense contest for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Putting Clinton, wife of former President Bill Clinton, in the position could help heal whatever lingering divisions remain in the Democratic Party after her bitter battle with Obama.

The New York Times

Will it take a top cabinet post, namely the job of Secretary of State, to finally heal the rift between President-elect Barack Obama and his former opponent Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton?

The Associated Press, quoting unnamed Democratic officials, reports that Mrs. Clinton is among the candidates Mr. Obama has his eye on to be America’s chief diplomat during his first term. As the A.P. notes, other contenders include Senator Chuck Hagel, Senator John Kerry and New Mexico’s Gov. Bill Richardson.

Politico:

Several Obama transition advisers are strongly advocating Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) for secretary of state, a move that would create the ultimate “Team of Rivals” Cabinet, according to officials involved in the discussions.

President-elect Obama has narrowed the possibilities for secretary of state, and Clinton is among those being strongly considered, the officials said. Some even call her the favorite.

A possible clue to Obama’s willingness to consider Clinton for chief diplomat can be found in a January interview he gave to Katie Couric, anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News.” As part of her “Primary Questions” series, she asked him what books besides the Bible he would considers essential if he were elected president.

“Doris Kearns Goodwin's book ‘Team of Rivals,’” Obama replied. “It was a biography of Lincoln. And she talks about Lincoln's capacity to bring opponents of his and people who have run against him in his cabinet. And he was confident enough to be willing to have these dissenting voices and confident enough to listen to the American people and push them outside of their comfort zone. And I think that part of what I want to do as president is push Americans a little bit outside of their comfort zone. It's a remarkable study in leadership.”

. . . Clinton would be most attractive if Obama concludes that he will have to focus his early days in office on the domestic economy, and will have to essentially outsource heavy-duty foreign travel to his secretary of state.

I think the "Team of Rivals" goes a long way in helping to predict what Obama will do. Doris Kearns Goodwin is just that good. If selected, Hillary Clinton would be the hightest ranking member of the Cabinet.

Hillary Clinton issues her statement:

Tonight, we are celebrating an historic victory for the American people. This was a long and hard-fought campaign but the result was well worth the wait.

Together, under the leadership of President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and a Democratic Congress, we will chart a better course to build a new economy and rebuild our leadership in the world. And I look forward to doing all that I can to support President Obama and Vice President Biden in the difficult work that lies ahead.

For too long, middle-class families in this country have felt invisible, struggling alone as wages stagnate, jobs disappear and the costs of daily life climb upward. In quiet, solitary acts of citizenship, American voters gave voice to their hopes and their values, voted for change and refused to be invisible any longer. [wowOwow]

The Washington Blade reports:

The Human Rights Campaign released its biennial scorecard assigning U.S. lawmakers ratings for their votes and sponsorship of gay-related legislation in the 110th Congress.

• Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the Democratic presidential nominee, scored 94 on the scorecard. He lost points for not supporting HRC’s position on the Uniting American Families Act. Obama supports the bill but has not signed on as a co-sponsor. HRC's scoring criteria included points for co-sponsoring the measure.

• Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the Republican presidential nominee, scored 0.

• Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), a former contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, scored 95. She also did not support HRC’s position on the Uniting American Families Act. She also supports UAFA but has not signed on as a co-sponsor.

• Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), Obama’s running mate, also scored 95. Like Obama and Clinton, he supports UAFA but has not signed on as a co-sponsor.

I was a big Hillary supporter. Toward the end there, I made hundreds of calls to voters in North Carolina to gently remind them to "Vote for Hillary!" And then I would get hung up on after the callees would wail, "Why won't you people leave me alone! Please! You HillRaisers keep calling me over and over! I can't stand it anymore!"

I still love Hillary. She will, of course, be running again in 2016. And she will, of course, win. But who to choose as her running mate? The answer couldn't be simpler -- Michelle Obama! I will always love Hillary, but Michelle is really starting to warm my heart.

Imagine an all-female ticket. Imagine another black and white ticket. Imagine the former First Ladies taking over the place.

After Michelle's recent media tour, I was nothing less than a little bit in love with her. Especially after she told Jon Stewart, in response to his question about why potential First Ladies are now being "voted" for by the media and the public. Her response was that she understood it because the 24-hour news cycle means that 24 hours need to be filled with something, and once the candidates themselves are exhausted as a source of news it's only natural for that focus to shift to those surrounding the candidates. She is saying that she understands our boredom and our need to not be bored! How could you not love her for that? She is simultaneously insightful and empathetic.

See what I mean? See why it has to be Hillary and Michelle in 2016?