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.
5 thoughts on “Obama considers Clinton for secretary of state”
I have a great respect for Senator Hillary Clinton; but as an Ethiopian-American, I will be deeply worried about her being selected as a Secretary of State.
This is because it has been her husband, former President Clinton who has been commending the leader of the TPLF regime, Meles Zenawi, who is extremely unpopular with the Ethiopian and African population. In addition, Senator Clinton herself, her presidential campaign received a whopping $403,000 in political contribution from DLA Piper, a law firm that has been lobbying on behalf of the oppressive government of Ethiopia and against the wishes of the people of Ethiopia.
So, I don’t believe Senator Clinton would be the one who will bring “CHANGE” to the US policy towards Africa.
President-Elect Obama needst o be remindedof the fact that the Ethiopian vote is that delivered the State of Virginia, a traditionally Republican State, and the District of Columbia to him. Selecting Senator Clinton as ecretary of State would be a betrayal of the hard works of the Ethiopian Diaspora and their cause and their hope for democracy in Ethiopia. Some Ethiopians have almost given their lives for Obama’s cause. A case in point here is, an Ethiopian young lady in the Washington, D.C. area is in a hospital right now after having a brain injury and bleeding, and temporarily loosing her eye sights. This happened to her after working very hard to promote Obama’s cause and giving him a victory in Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. an the District of Columbia itself.
Like I already said, I still have a great respect for Senator Clinton; but I believe she would be more effective dealing with domestic issues, such as, healthcare and unemployment, etc, but not as Secretary of State.
President-Elect Obama, please reconsider this as this is an important and pressing issue for us Ethiopian-Americans, Somali-Americans,and Africans in general.
God Bless the USA and Ethiopia!
Her book ( memoir up to the White House), “Living History”, is a refresher in how much she had traveled around the world especially the third world and given her ears and attention particularly to women’s causes. Her over all experience, star name and personhood amiable to Americans as well as other countries helps.
As a New York Senator she represents a good percentage of JEWS. Most of them world wide and Israelite Jews MAY NOT BE TOTALLY COMFORTABLE with Obama. They have officially remarked that Obama is naïve in considering dialogue with some extremist countries like Iran. Independent Democrat Senator Lieberman’s (an Orthodox Jew) endorsement and active campaign on behalf of MacCain mostly reflects the positive expectation they have from MacCain’s presidency. Hillary might be one closest answer to their voice.
As far as supporting the war in Iraq, the Bush administration had made sure that Weapons of Mass Distraction existed in Iraq. So, initially several people who supported the insurgence later on changed their mind after learning the truth and the price of the war in every way. So, she is not the exception.
President elect Obama might be more comfortable with Senator Lugar from their common approach to nuclear weapons to the Middle East war. It might have also killed two birds with one stone to have included a republican who Obama seem to shape some of his foreign policy thoughts.
Most likely, from Obama’s administrative style, his transition team’s and others immediate member’s majority vote might be cosidered before he he has the final decision. One outstanding time he insisted against his campaign advisors advice was when he elaborated on race relation regarding his controversial former Minister Wright. It turned out to be a critical and positive judgement on his behalf.
I doubt the decision to appoint her to the position will be a top reason for a preferred choice” to include the Clintons in the tent than out of it”, as another news report suggested.
Politics can be a beast and in that tradition, some people may not care for her. If one follows all of her history and professional life, this is a woman of exceptional strength, iron will, patriotic, very bright, intelligent, a person tasted and above it and especially a life time of commitment to causes of women and children.
Caroline Kennedy is considered for the position of UN ambassador, and the news is that she might decline it. Senator Clinton’s past history also definitely entitles her to the ambassadorship to the United Nations. For Secretary of State position, she might have serious competition.
I believe that is a good spot for a woman. We need more women in diplomacy to bring peace in this world.
There goes Ethiopia’s dream for justice down the drain. She is a well known supporter of the woyane junta dictatorship currently ruling in Ethiopia
Senator Hillary is a wrong choice when we consider changing US policy towards Ethiopia and other oppressive regimes in Africa. The Clintons have been flurting with the murderers for 16 years. I was delighted when she lost the Democratic nomination. Now, she is coming back through the back door. I hope someone new who shares Senator Obama’s views and values gets chosen because our hopes and aspirations have been elevated with his victory. It is the Will of the majority of the American People that got him elected. The Ethiopian people are not FREE yet to practice what American did a week ago.IT is American financial and military backing of the current rulers that deprived our people off their basic rights. So, I will lobby and expect the Obama administration to break away from presidents Clinton and Bush policy of nurturing a Stalinst dictator in Ethiopia. 18 years of murder and torture is ENOUGH.As we speak,houndreds of innocent people are being Jailed and tortured for no reason. This rulers have gotten away with murder for too long.We must demand strongly that any American assistance from here on must be conditional to reflect American values and principles. The world lost a moral leader for too long and I hope the Obama administration restores that leadership.
Thank you