CAN'T WE ALL GET ALONG? (Presidential Appointments Edition)

Well, this is silly:

President-elect Donald Trump should appoint Hillary Clinton to be his ambassador to the United Nations, a Democratic lawmaker says.

"President-elect Trump should consider her for the position," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), whose district includes Trump Tower in Manhattan. She added that Clinton "would make an excellent Ambassador to the United Nations."

Clinton "will never stop working," Maloney said. "She will always make a difference and will always be a part of the dialogue in a positive way to advance the values of America."

This couldn't possibly happen, and there would be a complete clash of worldviews if it did happen. No one else is going to second Maloney's recommendation. And yet I guarantee you that if Clinton had won, especially in anything short of a landslide, there'd be widespread talk among Very Serious Pundits that Clinton should offer a Cabinet position to Trump. Secretary of commerce? HUD, because he's a builder (or at least he used to be, before he switched over to slapping his name on stuff made by other people)? Trump should definitely get something, we'd be told, because it would be a healing gesture. In fact, it would be deemed churlish of Clinton not to lard her Cabinet with two or three Republicans, Trump included.

Apart from General Jack D. Ripper Mike Flynn, who's a right-wing maniac, Trump is unlikely to have any Democrats in prominent positions in his administration, and I can't imagine him selecting even a Republican centrist. (I don't believe he'll pick Mitt Romney as secretary of state. From The New York Times: "A senior adviser described the meeting, in part, as Mr. Romney simply coming to pay his respects to the president-elect and 'kiss his ring.'" I think that's the only reason Trump is meeting with Mitt.) That'll be fine with the Beltway -- having an ideologically pure Cabinet and inner circle will be seen as "bold" and an attempt to (as the headline of this Times story puts it) "bulldoze the status quo."

Clinton would have been chastised for not making a gesture of reconciliation (probably by same the folks who thought she should pick John Kasich as a running mate). But no one will chastise Trump, trust me.