What if they somehow confirm Hillary as SoS in early January in the middle of all that?!
Fortunately they can't. Obama can't make appointments until he is actually in office and not merely the President-presumptive (not even President-elect until the EC votes are counted). For Hillary to be inserted into the succession before Obama takes Office she would have to replace an existing Bush cabinet member. But I don't put it past the Socialist Mafia to try something. There are already idiots trying to evict Bush. All Obama's appointments are probably going to be confirmed the first instant the Senate can legally vote on it so as to hit the ground running (trampling).