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November 26, 2008
Interesting: Text of Constitution Bars Senator Clinton from Serving as Secretary of State
A provision prohibits any Representative or Senator from taking an executive job whose "emoluments" (salary, most importantly) were raised during her term.
The last Congress improved cabinet pay. Ergo, Clinton cannot serve, nor any other Senator.
The thing is, this has happened before, during Nixon's term; but in that case his Senator-turned-AG took the previous salary so that he didn't receive any additional "emolument." But constitutional scholars think that's a nonsense evasion, and defies the letter of the constitution (which prohibits anyone from taking a position whose salary they've increased, not from merely receiving that salary).
No lesser constitutional light than Senator-Kleagle Robert Byrd said so in the seventies.