Hillary nomination 'on track'

2008-11-21 07:35

Washington - President-elect Barack Obama is on track to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state as early as next week, an aide to his transition said.

One week after the former rivals for the White House met secretly to discuss the idea of Clinton becoming the nation's top diplomat, the two sides were moving quickly toward making it a reality, barring any unforeseen problems.

Obama is on track to nominate her after next Thursday's US Thanksgiving holiday, the transition aide told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The aide said the two camps have worked out financial disclosure issues involving Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the complicated international funding of his foundation that operates in 27 countries. The aide said Obama and Hillary Clinton have had substantive conversations about the secretary of state job.

Clinton has been mulling the post for several days, but the transition aide's comments suggested that Obama's team does not feel she is inclined to turn it down.

Some Democrats and government insiders have questioned whether Clinton is too independent and politically ambitious to be an effective secretary of state. But Obama is said to admire her talents and experience, as do many other Democrats.

A senior adviser to Obama said the president-elect believes Clinton would bring instant stature and credibility to US diplomatic relations and that the advantages to her serving far outweighed potential downsides.

No final decision

Clinton would have to surrender her Senate seat, which she has held for eight years, to take the job.

Clinton spokesperson Philippe Reines would not comment on Thursday night, except to say that anything about Cabinet appointments is for Obama's transition team to address.

The president-elect also is likely to choose Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to be secretary of homeland security, top Obama advisers and several Democrats said on Thursday as the shape of Obama's Cabinet begins to emerge.

The Obama advisers cautioned that no final decision has been made on putting Napolitano in charge of the Homeland Security Department, the massive agency created by Congress after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But the advisers said she was easily the top contender.

Thus far, Obama has informally selected Washington lawyer Eric Holder as attorney general and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as health secretary. The plans could be sidetracked by unexpected glitches in the final vetting process, officials note.

Among other Cabinet posts: Senior Democrats say there is a strong possibility that Defence Secretary Robert Gates would stay temporarily and later give way to former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig. Even so, Republican Senator Chuck Hagel and Democratic Senator Jack Reed also are said to be under consideration.

Democrats also say that several people remain in the running for treasury secretary, including Timothy Geithner, president of Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Lawrence Summers, former treasury secretary and one-time Harvard University president; and former Federal Reserve Chairperson Paul Volcker.

Obama's cellphone records breached

Several news organisations reported on Thursday that Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, who was Obama's national campaign finance chairperson, was his leading choice to become commerce secretary. However, Pritzker issued a statement on Thursday saying she is not a contender for the post.

Officials say Laura D'Andrea Tyson, the former chair of White House Council of Economic Advisers in the Clinton administration, is in the running for the Commerce job.

The Obama advisers and Democrats discussed the Cabinet positions only on grounds of anonymity because of the private nature of the screening process.

Obama appears to be assembling a team that includes a mix of longtime aides, Washington insiders and a sprinkling of Democratic governors. Besides Napolitano, strong contenders for Cabinet posts include New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

Sebelius and Napolitano, who once was Arizona's attorney general, were among the first governors to commit to Obama's candidacy. Richardson endorsed Obama after ending his own presidential bid, angering the Clintons.

Separately, Clinton has reduced the size of her presidential campaign debt to less than $7.5m as of November 1, according to campaign finance reports filed on Thursday. Clinton owed vendors a high of $12m at the end of June. That was the month she abandoned her presidential campaign and ceded the Democratic nomination to Obama.

Also, late on Thursday, telephone company Verizon said some of its employees snuck a peek at Obama's old cellphone records and will be reprimanded accordingly.

Obama aides said no voicemails or e-mails were accessed. The company said the account has been inactive for several months.

- AP