(dépêches)
Officials: Sen. Clinton eyed as secretary of state
Others mentioned for job include Hagel, Kerry, Richardson and Daschle
Madame Secretary?
updated 10:22 a.m. ET Nov. 14, 2008
CHICAGO - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is among the candidates that President-elect Barack Obama is considering for secretary of state, two Obama advisors told NBC News.
Clinton was rumored to be a contender for the job last week, but the talk died down as party activists questioned whether she was best-suited to be the top U.S. diplomat in an Obama administration. The talk resumed Thursday, a day after Obama named several former aides to President Bill Clinton to help run his transition effort.
A Democratic official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information, said the two met Thursday afternoon in Obama's Chicago office.
Clinton's motorcade — she receives Secret Service protection as a former first lady — was seen leaving the office complex shortly before Obama left for the day. Clinton's office told NBC News Thursday that any decisions about the presidential transition are up to Obama and his team. Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines, on Friday, would say only "Senator Clinton had no public schedule yesterday," and referred questions to the Obama transition team, which said it had no comment.
Clinton pushed Obama hard during the campaign, and was rumored to be a possible pick for vice-president after she lost the nomination to the young Illinois senator. Obama instead chose veteran Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate, prompting speculation that, among other reasons, he didn't want to be saddled with Clinton's restless husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Bill Clinton was cool toward Obama following the bruising nomination battle between Obama and his wife. However, any lingering animosity was put aside when both Clintons gave rousing endorsements of Obama at the Democratic National Convention in August, and later campaigned for him.
Since then, Obama has surrounded himself with several former staffers of Bill Clinton's presidency. Some of them are pushing Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. Other senators, including Democrat John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, also are thought to be under consideration.
The two Democratic officials who spoke Thursday did so on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering Obama and his staff.
In his first two weeks as president-elect, Obama has struck a bipartisan tone. He paired a Republican and a Democrat to meet with foreign leaders this weekend on his behalf in Washington, for example, and on Friday his transition office announced Obama would meet with vanquished Republican rival John McCain on Monday.
The meeting will be the first since Obama, the Democratic Illinois senator, beat McCain, an Arizona senator, by an Electoral College landslide in the Nov. 4 election.
"It's well known that they share an important belief that Americans want and deserve a more effective and efficient government, and will discuss ways to work together to make that a reality," Obama spokesman Stephanie Cutter said in announcing the meeting.
Cutter also said the two will be joined at Obama's Chicago transition office by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a McCain confidant, and Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois Democrat whom Obama has chosen to be his White House chief of staff.
2008 The Associated Press.
Hillary Clinton secrétaire d'Etat d'Obama?
Monde 14 nov. 2008 - 13h05 - 4 réactions
Selon deux conseillers du président élu, la nomination de l'ex-première dame à ce poste, équivalent américain du ministre des Affaires étrangères, est «envisagée».
Barack Obama et Hillary Clinton à Orlando en Floride, le 20 octobre.
Hillary Clinton dans l’équipe Obama? L’hypothèse est sérieuse selon la chaîne NBC News. L’ancienne candidate malheureuse à l’investiture démocrate figure parmi les personnes envisagées au poste de secrétaire d’Etat - l’équivalent du ministre des Affaires étrangères - selon deux conseillers anonymes du président élu. La chaîne précise qu’Hillary Clinton s’est rendue jeudi à Chicago, où réside Barack Obama.
La sénatrice de l’Etat de New York, âgée de 61 ans, avait apporté son soutien à son ancien rival et appelé ses partisans à voter pour lui lors de l’élection présidentielle du 4 novembre. Elle avait cependant critiqué pendant la campagne la naïveté, selon elle, de son adversaire en matière de politique étrangère notamment sa volonté de dialogue avec l’Iran.
Outre son expérience en tant que Première dame des Etats-Unis (1993-2001), Hillary Clinton est membre de la commission des forces armées au Sénat.
Les noms de plusieurs personnalités circulent dans la presse pour mener la diplomatie américaine notamment ceux de l’ancien candidat démocrate à la présidentielle de 2004 John Kerry et du gouverneur du Nouveau-Mexique et ancien ambassadeur à l’ONU Bill Richardson. En revanche, c’est la première fois qu’apparaît le nom d’Hillary Clinton.
Excepté Rahm Emanuel, désigné secrétaire général de la Maison Blanche, Barack Obama n’a nommé pour l’instant aucun responsable de sa future administration, qui entrera en fonction le 20 janvier.
(Source AFP)
