Bob Miller: What Obama should do with Clinton

In the May 13 New York Times, former Senator George S. McGovern outlined a plan for the Democratic candidates to implement to restore party unity before the convention meets in Denver this coming August. McGovern, of course, is speaking from experience as a presidential contender in not one, but three presidential campaigns (1968, 1972, and 1984). He cites the Democrats’ defeat in each election as a direct result of the lack of unity among Democrats.

Certainly, the issues that divided Democrats in 1968—principally and foremost America’s ongoing commitment to the war in Vietnam—were formidible, and, in the end, insurmountable. As high pitched as the rhetoric has been in this current campaign, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama agree on most issues. While their path to reconciliation could be rocky, the differences that separate the two camps can be bridged.

In the early months of this campaign, when Clinton held a double digit lead over Obama, she was the presumptive nominee of the party. Analysts speculated what political plum might be rewarded to the newcomer Obama if he was able to stay in the race long enough to distract Clinton march to the nomination. One commentator suggested that an appointment to the Supreme Court was the perfect remedy. Obama, the former law professor, would be allowed to make an impact on the nation’s jurisprudence and he would be out of President (Hillary) Clinton’s way. A win-win scenerio.

Several months later, with only four primary election contests remaining, Obama finds himself the odds on favorite for the nomination. Obama now has options at his disposal to lure Clinton into standing down as an active candidate and uniting behind him. Recent speculation has centered on Clinton’s enormous campaign debts and the likelihood that Obama might offer to help pay it down. This is not a likely scenario. Hillary Clinton entered this historical contest “to win.” Money was just a means to that end. Once the Clintons make their exit from public service, they will have no trouble generating revenue to vanquish old campaign debts.

So what inducement is left? The Vice Presidency? Again, given Clinton’s desire to become the first woman president, it is doubtful she would ever be content with second place. Besides, Obama needs to save some of the drama for the convention and the general election.

The one symbolic jesture that Obama could make at this point is a rapprochement on the issue of health care. One need only watch video clips of the Clinton-Obama debate in Cleveland to be reminded that the one issue that has driven and defined much of Senator Clinton's campaign for the nomination is her earnest desire to implement universal health care in the United States. To make peace before the convention, Senator Obama could and should offer Clinton a substantive role, perhaps at the cabinet level, to direct or coordinate such an effort in a prospective Obama administration. This would go a long way in mending fences between the the camps and work toward a positive good at the same time.