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Report: Clinton ready to accept sec'y of state job

BY TOM BRUNE AND CRAIG GORDON | tom.brune@newsday.com; craig.gordon@newsday.com

November 22, 2008

WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton is ready to accept the job of secretary of state, according to a report that came a day after the Obama transition team worked out an arrangement with her husband, Bill Clinton, on his worldwide charities and business dealings.

Aides to both President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. Clinton (D-N.Y.) sought to downplay a report in The New York Times Friday citing two confidants saying she had made up her mind to accept the post.

"We're still in discussions, which are very much on track. Any reports beyond that are premature," said Philippe Reines, a senior adviser to the senator, in a statement after the article appeared on the paper's Web site.

An aide to the Obama transition team Friday added that while the nomination is "on track," no formal announcement of the State Department position or any other national security posts will be made until after Thanksgiving.

While some Clinton friends appear to believe she will quit the Senate to take the post, putting her fourth in line to be president, others urge caution.

"It's clear that the discussions are very much on track," said Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic national committeeman from Great Neck, who is familiar with the process.

"But it certainly is premature for anyone to make an announcement except President-elect Obama," he said.

The timing of Friday's report that Clinton had decided she's ready for the job closely followed an indication by the Obama transition team that it had worked out financial disclosure issues involving Bill Clinton's charities and businesses.

Before Hillary Clinton could even begin the exercise of thinking though what would be a major decision about her public career, another Democratic friend said in his view she had to know her husband's finances were not an issue.

If she decided not to take the post, she wanted to make sure it was based not on her husband's finances, but on her own thinking about what her next steps should be.

"I would imagine they would want to clear up issues around President Clinton first," said the friend, who has been in contact with her recently. "It was my view, before she was going to settle into it or not, what was the point of going through that exercise" until that was resolved.

The Obama transition team has not made a specific statement that Bill Clinton passed muster in the vetting process, but it also has not indicated it has found any deal breakers.

Lawyers for the transition team and former president combed through his finances and set guidelines for future activities to avoid appearances of conflicts if his wife took the job, the Times reported.