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"I'm not going to speculate or address anything about the president-elect's incoming administration," Clinton said. (Reuters) |
WASHINGTON — The United States was abuzz Saturday, November 15, with speculations that president-elect Barack Obama is mulling former Democratic primary rival Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.
"I'm not going to speculate or address anything about the president-elect's incoming administration," Clinton said in a speech to the New York Public Transit Association, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"I'm going to respect his process."
Obama met the New York senator in Chicago on Thursday.
"She knew she was not going there (to Chicago) to have tea with the president-elect," Democratic strategist James Carville told CNN.
Aides to Obama and Clinton refused to comment on the rampant speculation, but equally did not deny the reports.
A source was quoted by the ABC network as describing the Obama-Clinton talks "as not a hard offer. Obama is more cautious than that."
Obama told Clinton that he knew how much she "cared about health care but said there are other challenges" and he wanted to reach out to her about secretary of state, ABC said.
Obama also has met with Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico to discuss the secretary of state job.
Key
Inheriting two wars and an economic crisis, the post of secretary of state will be key player in Obama's administration.
Clinton, 61, has extensive foreign policy experience, having travelled widely when her husband was president from 1993 to 2001.
The New York senator also serves on the Armed Services Committee.
After Obama narrowly beat Clinton in the bruising Democratic primaries, her supporters were disappointed when she was not approached to be his running mate.
But Clinton campaigned feverishly for Obama in the final days of the presidential campaign, doing more than 50 rallies.
According to the Washington Post, Clinton's name emerged because the Obama camp "is not overly happy with the usual candidates for the post.
Those include Senator John Kerry, a former presidential candidate, former UN ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Richardson and moderate Republican Senator Chuck Hagel.
Speculation has also swirled around the post of defense secretary, with rumors Robert Gates might be asked to stay on.
Obama, who will be inaugurated America's 44th president on January 20, would also meet with defeated Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Monday.
"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," a transition statement said Friday.
Aides said Obama would assemble a "team of rivals" uniting his former political foes, like that framed after the 1860 election by his hero Abraham Lincoln.
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