For starters, Mr. Obama might consider making Mrs. Clinton the keynote speaker at this summer's Democratic National Convention. (Offering her the role of the nominating speaker would be a terrible insult akin to asking her to stay around and sweep up the confetti and balloons.) Though she wouldn't be the first female keynoter - Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and Texas Gov. Ann Richards delivered the 1976 and 1988 keynote speeches, respectively - it would still be a huge moment for Mrs. Clinton, for a variety of reasons.
One, it would allow her to set the tone not just for the election season to follow but for the policy agenda that a President Obama would bring to office. It would demonstrate that Mr. Obama is neither a sore winner nor threatened by her grabbing the spotlight from him in a significant (albeit temporary) way this August in Denver. And it would give Mrs. Clinton the historical opportunity to eclipse her husband, who gave a disastrous, long-winded opening night address at the 1988 convention in Atlanta.
Then there are the deal-making possibilities. Some in Washington whisper that Mrs. Clinton might someday aspire to move up the ranks in the Senate to become the first female majority leader. Mr. Obama could promise privately that, if elected, he would act as a broker with his former colleagues on her behalf. (There is even some buzz about Mr. Obama appointing Mrs. Clinton to the Supreme Court.)
Beyond convention bouquets and backroom deals, and the traditional routine of hiring some of Mrs. Clinton's campaign advisers and staffers, Mr. Obama may also need to let her out of a promise she's been making the past two months. When asked whether the nomination battle will leave the Democrats divided in November, both Mrs. Clinton and her husband have assured Democrats they will work hard and do whatever they can to help elect Mr. Obama.
Let's be real: The Clintons may do no harm, but they are not going to do everything in their power to help elect Mr. Obama. In the end, what Mr. Obama will need to do is allow the Clintons to slip quietly into the night, with his thanks and their dignity, as the dawn of a post-Clinton era approaches.
Thomas F. Schaller teaches political science at UMBC. His column appears regularly in The Sun. His e-mail is schaller67@gmail.com.
