Moving from the Senate to the secretary of state’s office seems like a step up for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and perhaps a way to position himself for a presidential run in 2028. Rubio may have good reasons for moving into the Cabinet, but improving his prospects in four years is not one of them. Indeed, the Cabinet has long been a graveyard for presidential contenders.
This sounds surprising, as some of the most notable names in American history — Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams and Martin Van Buren — led the State Department. But that was all during the early days of the republic. The last president to have previously held that position was James Buchanan, right before the Civil War.
And Cabinet membership is not just bad luck in the presidential race. While Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was the Democratic nominee in 2016, she was better known for her other roles, including First Lady and senator. Before her, the last nominee to have held the job was James Blaine, the failed Republican nominee in 1884.
It is not just the secretary of state position that is cursed. Though plenty of........