Obama considers Clinton for secretary of state: reports

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4 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US president-elect Barack Obama is considering naming former first lady Hillary Clinton -- his onetime rival for the White House -- as his secretary of state, US news media reported on Friday.

Two unnamed Obama advisers told NBC News network that Clinton, now a senator for New York, "is under consideration" for the post.

According to NBC, Clinton flew to Chicago -- where Obama is based -- on Thursday, but an adviser said it was on personal business.

Obama sources confirmed to CNN that Clinton was being considered, but her spokesperson Philippe Reines was non-committal when asked.

"Any speculation about cabinet or other administration appointments is really for president-elect Obama's transition team to address," Reines told CNN.

Clinton, 61, has extensive foreign policy experience from her time in the senate, where she serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and indirectly when her husband Bill Clinton was president from 1993 to 2001.

Several big names have been mentioned in the press as possible Obama secretaries of state including another former Democratic presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry; New Mexico governor and former UN ambassador Bill Richardson, a favorite of the Latino community; and moderate Republican senators Richard Lugar and Chuck Hagel.

The Obama transition team has not said publicly who may be under consideration for cabinet positions, but has insisted no announcements would be made this week.

According to the Washington Post, Clinton's name emerged because the Obama camp "is not overly happy with the usual suspects" contending for the job.

During the bruising Democratic presidential primary Clinton tore into Obama's lack of foreign policy experience, describing some of his proposals such as talking to Iran as "dangerous and naive."

Obama in turn constantly reminded voters that Clinton approved legislation authorizing President George W. Bush to invade Iraq, a vote she never publicly rejected.

Once Clinton lost the Democratic presidential nomination, the former first lady campaigned fiercely for Obama.

She was asked at a New York event on Monday if she would consider taking a position in the Obama administration. "I am happy being a senator from New York, I love this state and this city," Clinton said, according to CNN.

"I am looking at the long list of things I have to catch up on and do. But I want to be a good partner and I want to do everything I can to make sure his agenda is going to be successful," Clinton said.