Madame Secretary

Let bygones be bygones. At least that seems to be the case for President-elect Barack Obama and just-nominated Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.

After a grueling primary season, during which each tried to discredit the other, and a backlash against Obama for not selecting Clinton as his running mate, the two seemed to have finally made amends.

Clinton's appointment as the United States' top diplomat, will require her to soon-to-be-President Obama's policy stance across to foreign leaders. Clinton will be, as both parties have made clear, a de facto Obama, at least in foreign policy relations.

While during the 2008 Democratic Primaries, Clinton and Obama attempted to display markedly different policy stances, each opportunistically highlighting particular instances or ideas (e.g., Obama time and time again pointed out that Clinton casted a vote in the Senate to send troops to Iraq, while he did not; Clinton criticized Obama's policy to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other leaders without preconditions), they have since tried to showcase a more unified, similar stance on foreign policy.

The extensive vetting process for Clinton to become secretary of state, required her to release detailed financial records, including those of her husband, former President Bill Clinton who revealed to have collected millions of dollars from overseas for speeches, which some say could be a conflict of interest for the secretary. Going above and beyond normal government protocol for the vetting process, Clinton is sure to play an extensive role in the Obama presidency.

As the new secretary of state, Clinton brings nearly eight years of Senate experience as well as extensive experience abroad. During her time as first lady, she has established connections overseas, visiting more than 80 countries, establishing relationships with both government and community leaders. The author of two books, It Takes a Village and Living History, Clinton graduated from Wellesley and Yale Law School.

Photo from ABC News.