President-elect Obama’s selection of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state has aroused much guessing about his motives in the choice. We would bypass the political explanations. The two senators were steadfast rivals during the race for the Democratic nomination, and some of the rhetoric was sharp. But that was election-year politics. Once the contest was decided, the acrimony receded. Now that Mr. Obama has been elected president by a comfortable margin, he has little reason to court the New York senator and her ardent supporters.

Thus we will take the nomination of Mrs. Clinton at face value — as a sign of Mr. Obama’s confidence in her ability to represent America abroad.

What about policy differences? Much was made of the back-and-forth during the campaign over Mr. Obama’s willingness to talk to Iran’s leadership without pre-conditions. We basically agree with that stance, while noting that Mr. Obama has since said that such discussions would be prefaced by meetings of lower-level officials. In essence, this closes the gap with Mrs. Clinton.

Most national politicians who have spent time raising campaign funds have amassed some unsavory backers. The Clintons certainly have, and the senators conducting her confirmation hearing will go over the list.

As she should, Mrs. Clinton will face double scrutiny in that she is something of a package deal with her husband, the ex-president. Expect to hear the name of John Huang, a prodigious Democratic fundraiser and Clinton White House guest who has been tied to several Asian business interests. The same goes for James Riady, who with his father controls Indonesia’s Lippo Group conglomerate. The Riadys have been linked to Chinese intelligence, though the tie seemed to be mostly business-related. And this recitation would not be complete without mention of Mr. Clinton’s nasty pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich.

But were these individuals more questionable than Tony Rezko, the controversial Chicago real-estate man and long-time Obama contributor? His relationship with Mr. Obama was quite close; he once transferred land next to the Obamas’ house to the couple at a favorable price. (After Mr. Rezko was convicted of several felonies, Mr. Obama reportedly gave most of the felon’s contributions to charity.)

The post-presidential Bill Clinton has gone forth to help foreign interests, and they must be looked at. But are his potential conflicts more serious than those of George W. Bush? During his presidency, Mr. Bush’s father, former President George H.W. Bush, represented (and was paid big fees by) the private-equity firm Carlyle Group before the world’s power elites, with special attention paid the Saudi royal family.

Mrs. Clinton is an internationally known and poised figure. She offers a high-profile face for an administration that vows to rejuvenate U.S. diplomacy pushed into the background during the Bush years. She would not be a free agent but Mr. Obama’s emissary. We feel confident in the new president’s ability to keep her on message, that is, his message.