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While Hillary Clinton may be receiving the lion's share of media attention when it comes to Obama's secretary of state pick,Richard Holbrooke is apparently still a top contender for the position. Holbrooke has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize seven times and has served under Bill Clinton as ambassador to the United Nations.
The AP has listed Holbrooke as a contender, and a recent LA Times article suggested that Holbrooke's best resume item for the job may be lobbying for the job itself:
Holbrooke is among those under consideration to be America's top diplomat. Known as the "Bulldozer" and the "Raging Bull," Holbrooke -- a 34-year foreign service veteran -- has a negotiating tenacity that is beyond dispute.But this most recent task is a challenge because of Holbrooke's history of conflict with core members of Obama's foreign policy team. In addition, some liberal Obama supporters, fretting that leading candidates for his Cabinet seem too centrist, believe Holbrooke is too much of a hawk for the job.
The depth of the conflict was underscored when Holbrooke's prospects improved last summer, said close campaign observers. Some of Obama's advisors "began saying: 'We've got to stop Holbrooke! We've got to stop Holbrooke!' " said Steve Clemons, a foreign policy analyst at the New America Foundation. "He's the guy they fear the most."