What's next for Hillary?

With Barack Obama effectively clinching the Democratic nomination for president, what is next for Hillary Clinton? The odds of her fading into obscurity are slim. In the short term, she has no choice but to campaign for Obama, yet she needs to consider her long-term career plans.

• Obama's Vice Presidential nominee. Will Obama select Clinton and create a unity ticket? The prospects of of such an outcome are fading.
• 2012 Democratic nominee. If Obama loses the general election to John McCain, Clinton instantly becomes the presumptive nominee in 2012 and will have four years to further fine-tune her campaign. However, if Obama wins, it will be 2016 before she can run again for the nomination.
• Cabinet position. Clinton ran a strong campaign in terms of policy and the party is likely to incorporate some of her ideas into its platform. She has always been known for making healthcare a priority: why not Heath and Human Services Secretary?
• Supreme Court. If Obama wins, Clinton could lobby to become his first appointment to the Supreme Court, following the historical precedent of other politically prominent justices, such as former California Governor Earl Warren and former President William Howard Taft.
• Senate sage. Clinton could remain in the Senate and take on a Ted Kennedy role as the well-respected political sage from the first family of liberal American politics.
• Champion of a cause. She could drop out of politics altogether and 'do an Al Gore', leading the charge on a global issue. Global warming is taken, but the food crisis is up for grabs.