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 Ms Clinton becoming the nation's top diplomat, the two sides were moving quickly toward making it a reality, barring any unforeseen problems. Mr Obama is on track to nominate her after next Thursday's US Thanksgiving holiday, the transition aide told The Associated Press yesterday. The aide said the two camps have worked out financial disclosure issues involving Ms Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the complicated international funding of his foundation that operates in 27 countries.
The aide said Mr Obama and Ms Clinton have had substantive conversations about the secretary of state job. Ms Clinton has been mulling the post for several days, but the transition aide's comments suggested that Mr Obama's team does not feel she is inclined to turn it down. Some Democrats and government insiders have questioned whether Ms Clinton is too independent and politically ambitious to be an effective secretary of state. But Mr Obama is said to admire her talents and experience, as do many other Democrats.
A senior adviser to Mr Obama said the president-elect believes Ms Clinton would bring instant stature and credibility to US diplomatic relations and that the advantages to her serving far outweighed potential downsides. Ms Clinton would have to surrender her Senate seat, which she has held for eight years, to take the job. Ms Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines would not comment Thursday night, except to say that anything about Cabinet appointments is for Mr Obama's transition team to address. The president-elect also is likely to choose Arizona Gov Janet Napolitano to be secretary of homeland security, top Obama advisers and several Democrats said Thursday as the shape of Obama's Cabinet begins to emerge.
The Obama advisers cautioned that no final decision has been made on putting Ms Napolitano in charge of the Homeland Security Department, the massive agency created by Congress after the September 11 attacks. But the advisers said she was easily the top contender. Thus far, Mr 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 the defence secretary Robert Gates would stay temporarily and later give way to the former Navy secretary Richard Danzig. Even so, Republican Sen Chuck Hagel and Democratic Sen 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 Chairman Paul Volcker.
Several news organisations reported Thursday that Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, who was Mr Obama's national campaign finance chairman, was his leading choice to become commerce secretary. However, Ms Pritzker issued a statement yesterday 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.
Mr Obama appears to be assembling a team that includes a mix of longtime aides, Washington insiders and a sprinkling of Democratic governors. Besides Ms Napolitano, strong contenders for Cabinet posts include New Mexico Gov Bill Richardson and Kansas Gov Kathleen Sebelius. Ms Sebelius and Ms Napolitano, who once was Arizona's attorney general, were among the first governors to commit to Mr Obama's candidacy. Mr Richardson endorsed Obama after ending his own presidential bid, angering the Clintons. Separately, Ms Clinton has reduced the size of her presidential campaign debt to less than US$7.5 million as of Nov 1, according to campaign finance reports filed yesterday. Ms 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 Mr Obama.
Also, late yesterday, telephone company Verizon said some of its employees snuck a peek at Mr Obama's old cell phone records and will be reprimanded accordingly. Mr Obama aides said no voicemails or e-mails were accessed. The company said the account has been inactive for several months.
* AP
