14/11/08 Obama, Clinton meet to talk about her future

President-elect Barack Obama met with his former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton to see if she would be interested in a role in his administration, two sources told CNN Friday.

Obama also will meet with the man he defeated in the general election, Republican Sen. John McCain, on Monday, the Obama transition team announced Friday.

Clinton went to the meeting because "she knew Obama wanted to talk about whether she would have a role in the administration," one of the sources knowledgeable about the meeting said.

Obama and Clinton met in Chicago, Illinois, at the request of the president-elect, the sources told CNN.

The two sources said Clinton was surprised to hear the rumors about the secretary of state position. The sources could not confirm that the two discussed the nation's top diplomatic position or that it was offered.

This is not the first time Clinton has been rumored to be under consideration for a position on Obama's team.

The New York senator was said to be on Obama's short list of possible vice presidential picks this summer, but Obama ended up picking Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware.

That source said Clinton thought the speculation that she would be tapped to be Obama's secretary of state was "silly" because of the earlier buzz about her becoming Obama's running mate. iReport.com: Who should Obama pick?

A spokesman for the former presidential candidate and first lady, Philippe Reines, said "any speculation about Cabinet or other administration appointments is really for President-elect Obama's transition team to address."

On Monday night, while walking into an awards ceremony in New York, Clinton was asked if she would consider taking a post in the Obama administration.

"I am happy being a senator from New York. I love this state and this city," she said. "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."

Other names that have been mentioned for the top diplomatic role include Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democrats presidential nominee in 2004, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and energy secretary in the Clinton administration.

Latino groups are championing Richardson for the top State Department slot. If picked, Richardson would be the nation's first Latino secretary of state.

A source close to transition team tells CNN that Obama is also trying to build a diverse Cabinet that includes women and minorities and that works as a team.

Obama's transition team is expected to announce some high-level staff positions on Friday.

Obama campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs is widely expected to be named White House press secretary, and Obama chief strategist David Axelrod is expected to be picked as a White House senior adviser.

Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/14/transition.wrap/index.html