It looks like New York may be stuck with Senator Clinton after all. Some eagle-eyed constitutional scholars have pointed out the obstacle presented by Article I, Section 6 of the U.S. Constitution:
No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.
“Emoluments” is 18th-century talk for salary. And the salary for all cabinet positions did go up in 2008, i.e., “during the Time for which [s]he was elected.” The real question, of course, is whether “constitutional law professor” Barack Obama (who should presumably be familiar with the fine print of the Constitution) will have the integrity to back down from nominating her. Assuming the answer is no, will any of Hillary’s fellow Senators — even the Republicans — have the balls to raise the issue during the confirmation process? Call me a cynic, but I’m guessing the answer is another no.
What, you expect our elected officials to uphold and defend the Constitution or something?