I am going to puke even just thinking about this: Is Bill Clinton Next in Line for Hillary’s Senate Seat?
See all, if you can take it:
Bill Clinton’s bid to become the first former president to return to the White House as first spouse went down in flames with his wife’s loss to Barack Obama in the primaries earlier this year.
But with Hillary Clinton expected to be named President-elect Obama’s secretary of state on Monday, Bill Clinton can still capitalize on his wife’s political success by taking over her New York Senate seat.
The camera-loving New York Sen. Charles Schumer, who reportedly struggled with being overshadowed by Hillary Clinton’s star power, is probably shaking in his boots, analysts said.
“Presidents know how to get on camera and Clinton could have Secret Service men run interference for him,” said William T. Cunningham, a New York communications executive and former top adviser to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “I could see Schumer getting tackled as Clinton walked on top of him to go on camera.”
Robert Shapiro, a professor of political science at Columbia University, said the most appealing part of the job for Bill Clinton, who is known for being long-winded, might be the lack of time restraints on making speeches on the Senate floor.
“The Senate does give someone a platform to show one’s statesmanship,” he said. “Once you have the floor, you can keep it forever.”
Cunningham imagined a desperate Schumer going to Majority Leader Harry Reid to mobilize at least 61 senators to stop Clinton from talking.
Schumer’s office did not respond to a request for an interview.
Cunningham also envisioned problems with Clinton standing up each time committee chairmen are addressed as Mr. President.
“It would be so confusing,” Cunningham said.
But the most fascinating scenario, according to Cunningham, would be Bill Clinton heading the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and interviewing his wife on her actions as secretary of state. “A lot of people would be tuning in,” he said.
The only former president to serve in Congress after leaving the White House was John Quincy Adams, who won[…]