Hillary Clinton: Top Rival To Top Aide

President-Elect Taps Former Opponent As Secretary Of State

(CBS)  On Monday, President-Elect Barack Obama named Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as his secretary of state. While the decision has been swirling around for days, it certainly brings to light the tough and often tumultuous relationship between the one-time Democratic rivals.

It was the most bitter, protracted and personal presidential primary punch up in history. Senators Obama and Clinton, once friends, hit each other hard on the trail.

From nasty attack ads to unleashing the fire power of former President Bill Clinton.

But after months of hard-fought campaigning, mud slinging and even crying, these foes, once again became friends -- at least publicly -- when Sen. Clinton threw her support behind Obama as the Democratic presidential nominee.

"When the campaign was over, she got back up on her horse and went out and campaigned hard for Sen. Obama," says Dee Dee Myers, former Clinton White House Press Secretary and CBS News consultant. "She did more than 60 events for him and I think got very little attention for doing that. But there was one person who did notice, and that was Sen. Obama."

Lanny Davis is a former special counsel to President Clinton and a longtime friend of Hillary Clinton.

"A lot of tough talk between the two of them and you wouldn't expect that it would be easy to repair," he says. "Yet, she devotes herself 100 percent to his election, moved for his nomination, and the two of them have become close."

They've become so close that it turned into a strategic courtship, leading to Clinton being at the top of his short list for secretary of state.

And while the New York senator would be relinquishing some of her independence, Myers says the role brings with it enormous power and prestige that being one of 100 senators does not match.

"It's an amazing team," she says. "He wants people who bring their own experience, their own perspective and that will stand up and tell him what they think is the truth."

And for now, that person is Hillary Clinton.