Clinton prepares to relinquish independence

Battle was professional, not personal
While Obama and Clinton's primary battle was often fierce, friends say it was professional, not personal, and that they enjoy a mutual respect. And while they do not share the close bond President George W. Bush has with the current secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, or that Bush's father shared with his widely respected secretary of state James Baker, they have a similar world view and know how to make strategic use of their shared celebrity.

"The tension and rivalry between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama was very intense and very brief. It doesn't go back 20 years, which is sometimes true in politics," said Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for President Bush and a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "It's easier for politicians to get along when they're part of a winning team. There's an opportunity there for real reconciliation."

Obama has had Clinton in mind for secretary of state for some time, his advisers said, believing that her visibility and the respect she commands from many world leaders would lend immediate heft and credibility to U.S. diplomatic efforts.

Bill Clinton easing the way
Bill Clinton, whose network of business dealings and global philanthropic efforts might have complicated his wife's efforts, has also done his part to make the partnership work. He's agreed to step away from day-to-day operation of his foundation while his wife serves and to submit speeches and business deals for administration vetting.

Obama and Hillary Clinton's views on foreign policy are for the most part very similar. Both advocate a timetable to remove U.S. troops from Iraq and for increased U.S. focus on Afghanistan, which has largely fallen back under Taliban control. Both support Israel but favor a robust Middle East peace process. And both have warned of the dangers posed by Iran, vowing to prevent the country from developing a nuclear arms program.

Baker, on NBC's "Meet the Press," said such common ground is essential for the Obama-Clinton partnership to work.

"She will be successful depending upon how seamless she is with her president and how they operate together and how he protects her back. And vice versa, how he formulates foreign policy, she picks up on that formulation, and she implements it," Baker said.

Friends say that even though Clinton would be relinquishing independence to become secretary of state, the position confers enormous responsibility and importance that being one of 100 senators doesn't match.

"She'll represent the president but she'll also represent the United States. Anybody would be proud to serve in that position," said Wesley Clark, the former NATO commander who has known Clinton for more than two decades. "It's a great opportunity for her to be involved in national decision-making at a crucial time in America."

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