Barack Obama may tap Hillary Clinton to be his Secretary of State

A secret meeting between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton yesterday has set rumors swirling that the president-elect might tap his former rival to be his secretary of State.

The pair met Thursday afternoon at Obama's office in downtown Chicago, Times staff writers confirm. Neither politician has spoken publicly about the meeting, but unidentified aides have told media outlets like CNN that Obama offered Clinton the role.

E-mails sent to Clinton's aides and to Obama's transition team were not immediately returned Friday.

Although Clinton has said in the past that she would not be interested in a Cabinet position, she seemed to indicate that she is open to the possibility in an interview on Monday at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards.

When asked what role she might play in an Obama administration, Clinton answered:

"I am happy being a senator from New York; I love this state and this city. 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 campaigned hard for Obama in the months leading up to the election, putting to rest rumors that she was bitter after her loss in the Democratic primary. Even her husband, former President Bill Clinton, rallied voters for Obama eventually.

Since winning, Obama has surrounded himself with several former staffers from Clinton's Presidency. Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, served as a top advisor in Clinton's White House.

Obama was rumored to also be considering Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska for Secretary of State.

-- Kate Linthicum

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Photo credit: Sen. Clinton greets Democratic supporters Barbara Douglass, left, of Long Beach and Lillian Verducci of Fortuna, Calif., at a fundraiser in downtown Los Angeles. Clinton swung through California to try to convince her supporters to support Obama (Mel Melcon / LA Times).

Comments

[Schigolch]

Mkistake. Hillary is insatiably ambitious and abolutely ruthless. And she has her husband. She will carve out an empire an eat him alvie.

[Stephen]

NOOOO!!! No! NO! NOOO! Bill Richardson is way more qualified than her and he knows energy policy. We need to get off oil. She has no foreign policy experience. This is not CHANGE I can believe in.

[Kent Ernst]

I think I am going to be sick. Obama promissed us change and to leave behind the old ways of Washington. Instead; he is re-assembling the Clinton administration.

[Lauren]

The AP reported today that Obama met with Bill RIchardson on Friday (today) to discuss the job of Secretary of State. Hillary Clinton has not been offered the job.

[Frank Stein]

HRC best candidate for State since Lincoln chose another Clinton. Good job both of them.

Now go deal with Russia - it's a full blown nuclear dictatorship now. All Hail Putin, Heil Putin, Putin uber alles.

Pay attention. Missile defense does not matter. They know they can overwhelm any puny defense we put up. So all the noise is about something else. Come on, we are all married, so we have all seen this. They want something. Putin wrote it in his fake PhD dissertation. They want to reestablish Russian dominance over the countries around them. Dominance to a Russian means absolute control. And they will stop at nothing to get it.
Pay attention or lose nations. Maam, you sure you want that State job?

[Giuliano Leverone]

She wiill do great.
Yes we can.
Miami Beach, FL.

[Mar]

heaven help us if this is ever to take place....see her for who/what she is America!!!

[AK]

Please not!

[HoraceManoor]

rahm emanuel's father has made it clear that his son holds two passports & will represent the interests of likud -- that means if obama names hillary as secretary of state, considering hillary's servility to likud, obama will be putting america second

[JB]

You gotta love it. The men who stood by Obama from the first (Richardson and Kerry) are going to have to sit back and watch Ms. Clinton once again take the prize position of Secretary of State position away despite their loyalty. Perhaps they should have been with the opposition!

[Nancy Pace]

What's wrong with Al Gore for Secretary of State? We need a green, global visionary who frames regional conflicts as opportunties to bring old and new enemies together to cooperatively solve pressing common global concerns. Hillary too has a global vision of a world fit for women and children, but she is still an old-school fighter who sees every conflict adversarially, and the last thing we need at Secy of State is a fighter. On the other hand, we will soon need another great Liberal Lion to step into Ted Kennedy's shoes, and unless Hillary is more interested in polishing her credentials in a job she's unsuited for in order to keep running for President, than she is in doing the important work of pushing through a torrent of Obama-era legislation, she will have ample opportunties for further history-making as a great Senate leader.

[M Saleem Chaudhry]

To build an effecient and competent team that can enable Obama to bring the change,he committed in his compaign, it makes sense to evaluate all individuals with potential to deliver.However his decision making should be purely on merit,irrespective,race and creed or any kind of political maenuovering.

[Girl with the bushy armpits]

Hillary will be a super secretary of state and lets hope
and pray that she apoints governor Judas as ambassador to Iceland or Haiti.

[Patricia Wylie]

GREAT IDEA!!! Teaming up Hillary with Obama will really send a valuable message to the people of this country that there will, indeed, be a change for the better. . We need strong intelligent leadership and with
Obama, Biden and Clinton we are off to a fantastic start. She can MORE than handle the job!!
I say Bravo!!

[Dan]

"unidentified aides have told media outlets like CNN that Obama offered Clinton the role."

Really? If so, then the first thing Obama should do, right now, is to stop the such leaks from his aides. This is oviously a big problem. Get some security.