No one could have seen this coming.

From the New York Times:

Washington continued to be gripped by the drama surrounding Mrs. Clinton’s fate and the possibility that Mr. Obama might bring his toughest rival for the Democratic presidential nomination into his cabinet. Mr. Obama’s advisers said the talks had gone well, but would not say if an agreement to avoid conflicts had been reached, as the Clinton camp has indicated.

Even if the guidelines for Mr. Clinton’s future activities are on the verge of being resolved, Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton must still decide if they can put the rancor of their long and bitter primary battle behind them. The two sides have a framework on “what he needs to do to satisfy the vetting concerns and that gives her an opportunity to consider the job on the merits,” said one person close to the Clintons.

Both sides were engaged in a delicate public and private dance, maneuvering for position and reputation in case the deal falls through. Aides in each camp have grown increasingly sour toward the other in recent days as the matter played out publicly.

In their public signals, the Clintons are trying to take the former president’s activities off the table as an issue, in their view eliminating any excuses for Mr. Obama not to give Mrs. Clinton the job. Some in the Obama camp are bristling at what they see as strategic leaks by the Clintons aimed at boxing in the president-elect and forcing him to offer the post.

The tension could foreshadow a complex relationship burdened by suspicion and enmity should Mrs. Clinton become secretary of state. By putting her in the cabinet, Mr. Obama could remove a potential thorn in the Senate on issues like health care and a potential rival for the nomination in 2012 if his term proves rocky. But he could also face a rival power center within his own administration with her on his team.

WOOOO! A team of rivals!

Self serving leaks? Sneaky tactics? From the Clintons!?!?

Well I for one am shocked.

Even with her hawkish foreign policy views aside (which it's not like he ran his entire campaign against or anything), why on earth would you want to bring this much bullshit into your administration? With so many qualified and genuinely awesome candidates out there, what positives does she even bring to the table to put her in consideration?

Can anyone come up with a reasons why this is be a smart move? The best reason I can come up with that she would do less damage to progressive goals in the cabinet, and I'm pretty sure I don't even believe that one myself.

Thoughts?