Opinion

DC’S SMALL CHANGE

Congratulations to Hillary (and Bill) Clinton – who seem to have won the presidential election, despite the official results on Nov. 4.

That’s certainly a reasonable conclusion, anyway, based on the folks President-elect Obama is eyeing for his administration – folks such as former Clinton officials Eric Holder and Rahm Emanuel and Hillary Clinton herself.

It’s déjà vu all over again for Team Clinton – and America. And it’s already prompting reminders of all the sordid affairs that attended that era.

On Tuesday, for instance, it was reported that Holder would be Obama’s attorney general. As deputy AG under then-President Bill Clinton, Holder played a key role in a Clinton-era scandal: the pardoning of fugitive financier Marc Rich.

Meanwhile, talk swirls that Hillary herself might be secretary of state. Obama’s folks are now sorting through Bill Clinton’s complex financial arrangements to assess conflicts of interest, a process that in itself recalls the spaghetti-like ethical issues from his presidency.

Earlier, Obama named Emanuel, a hard-knuckled veteran of the Clinton White House, to be his chief of staff.

Who knew when Obama talked about the need for the nation to “turn a page,” he meant turning it backward?

There’s more: Tapped as White House counsel was Clinton’s lead legal aide for his impeachment fight, Greg Craig.

And yesterday Obama also named ex-Sen. Tom Daschle to be secretary of Health and Human Services. Daschle wasn’t part of Team Clinton, but the former Senate majority leader isn’t exactly a fresh face, either.

True, a new administration needs solid veterans on board. And Obama’s picks surely all have pluses as well as minuses.

But much of the president-elect’s appeal was his promise to bring change – not to return to the hyper-partisan and ethically mired days of the Clinton era.

On the other hand, it’s early yet. And there’s certainly room for improvement.