Obama To Name Clinton Secretary Of State Monday

A deal with Bill Clinton over his post-White House work helped clear the way for Hillary Rodham Clinton to join President-elect Barack Obama's national security team as secretary of state, reshaping a once-bitter rivalry into a high-profile strategic and diplomatic union.

Obama was to be joined by the New York senator at a Chicago news conference Monday, Democratic officials said, where he also planned to announce that Defense Secretary Robert Gates would remain in his job for a year or more and that retired Marine General James L. Jones would serve as national security adviser.

The officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly for the transition team.

To make it possible for his wife to become the top U.S. diplomat, the officials said, former President Clinton agreed:

_to disclose the names of every contributor to his foundation since its inception in 1997 and all contributors going forward.

_to refuse donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Global Initiative, his annual charitable conference.

_to cease holding CGI meetings overseas.

_to volunteer to step away from day-to-day management of the foundation while his wife is secretary of state.

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_to submit his speaking schedule to review by the State Department and White House counsel.

_to submit any new sources of income to a similar ethical review.

Bill Clinton's business deals and global charitable endeavors had been expected to create problems for the former first lady's nomination. But in negotiations with the Obama transition team, the former president agreed to several measures designed to bring transparency to those activities.

"It's a big step," said Sen. Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who said he plans to vote to confirm Clinton.

The former president long had refused to disclose the identities of contributors to his foundation, saying many gave money on condition that they not be identified.

Lugar said there would still be "legitimate questions" raised about the former president's extensive international involvement. "I don't know how, given all of our ethics standards now, anyone quite measures up to this who has such cosmic ties, but ... hopefully, this team of rivals will work," Lugar said.

Obama's choice of Hillary Clinton was an extraordinary gesture of good will after a year in which the two rivals competed for the Democratic nomination in a long, bitter primary battle.

They clashed repeatedly on foreign affairs. Obama criticized Clinton for her vote to authorize the Iraq war. Clinton said Obama lacked the experience to be president and she chided him for saying he would meet with leaders of nations such as Iran and Cuba without conditions.

The bitterness began melting away in June after Clinton ended her campaign and endorsed Obama. She went on to campaign for him in his general election contest against Republican Sen. John McCain.

Advisers said Obama had for several months envisioned Clinton as his top diplomat, and he invited her to Chicago to discuss the job just a week after the Nov. 4 election. The two met privately Nov. 13 in Obama's transition office in downtown Chicago.

Clinton was said to be interested and then to waver, concerned about relinquishing her Senate seat and the political independence it conferred. Those concerns were largely resolved after Obama assured her she would be able to choose a staff and have direct access to him, advisers said.

Remaining in the Senate also may not have been an attractive choice for Clinton. Despite her political celebrity, she is a relatively junior senator without prospects for a leadership position or committee chairmanship anytime soon.

Some Democrats and government insiders have questioned whether Clinton is too independent and politically ambitious to serve Obama as secretary of state. But a senior Obama adviser has said the president-elect had been enthusiastic about naming Clinton to the position from the start, believing she would bring instant stature and credibility to U.S. diplomatic relations and the advantages to her serving far outweigh potential downsides.

Clinton "is known throughout the world, very smart, a little harder line than Senator Obama took during the campaign," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close McCain friend and adviser who is on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, said the Clintons will have to tread carefully to avoid the appearance of conflicts.

"The presumption will be that both Secretary of State Clinton and former President Clinton will be very judicious in what they take on because there's a new dimension here," Reed said. "I think they've put up a good framework. This disclosure, this transparency is the right way to go."

Lugar and Reed both spoke on ABC's "This Week." Graham was on "Fox News Sunday."

(This version CORRECTS James M. Jones to James L. Jones.)

Comments

[WFV]

She has no place in this cabinet. This was a major mistake, regardless of all the promises made.

[bogues]

I have been impressed with Mr. Obama's good judgement and willingness to make dicisions based on what will work best and not what will benefit him most. His choice of Mrs. Clinton as SOS will take a bit of accepting on my part but I continue to have confidence in his thinking and I have no doubt but what she will do a remarkable job for the country. God bless them both.

[talkingclock]

His choice of the Clinton's I just have to ask WHY and what is he thinking? I wished that he would have picked Kathleen Sebilious, instead, she would have been the ideal candidate for this position, at least she has more experience than HRC, who rides of off the coat tails of her spouse and is still not transparent..

[MelRoy]

Surely you don't think President-Elect Obama chose his cabinet based on political favor? He chose on the basis of ability and promise.

[frenchie25]

guys, the primaries are way over and guess what? Our team won!!

There are many of us who supported Sen Clinton for Prez, but after BO won the nomination, we not only got behind him figuratively, we did the heavy lifting: phone banking, voter registration, traveling to different states and knocking on doors, etc all to help BO win the GE.

The tables are now turned. HRC might not be your choice for SOS, but she is PE Obama's.

It's your turn to stand with us and to let us have this moment. She was qualified to be POTUS, she's qualified to be SOS. PE Obama believes in her, millions is us believe in her...can you, will you stand with us?

[smit9187]

I know, why are we dems barking at each other? It can't be denied that she loves the country, we might not always agree with her, but she'll never be as terrible as georgy.

[kay]

Because we're not Republicans, and we don't move in lock step, and base decisions on "loyalty", that's why.

I've never understood why I supposedly owe the Clintons. As far as I can tell, it worked out quite well for both of them.

I don't begrudge them the international fame and big bucks, but it's mildly ridiculous to say Americans owe them something.

We don't.

[lizziekw]

No, they cannot let go of the primaries and they will not support the President-elect's decision. They're Hillary-Hate PUMAs rather than Hillary-Love PUMAs but a PUMA is a PUMA, you know? I have no use for either faction other than to tell them off. A pox on both their houses.

But it's okay, because Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton is awesome. She is at the very top of the President-elect's Cabinet and she will rock this job so hard that Condi will be shaking in her NFL cheerleader's outfit.

[jackathol]

I supported BO from the beginning. My reply to you is a resounding yes. HRC will be a great leader as SOS.

[Czoe]

I supported Obama too and I'm definetly ok with Hillary as SOS.

[Grulg]

Exactly! Hillary will be a really good Sec of State. Sour graping here on the part of Hillary haters is just plain sad. Give YOUR GUY Obama better than that.

[talkingclock]

There is no hating from this blogger, just mere surprise that P.E. Obama picked her when there could have been someone better, that represents this country in its brightest light.

[talkingclock]

Yes we won, but why not someone else who is better qualified?

[MelRoy]

I rather think she does want it. She would have liked a lot more hands-on involvement in foreign policy when she was First Lady, but protocol did not permit. She is a junior senator at 60 without a committee chair. You know, the Senate is an old boy's club and the general rule is that you have to wait your turn, and that usually means waiting an awful long time, considering how many sitting senators have been there for decades.

I understand she only asked one thing of Obama in exchange for her support, and that was to do his best to pass some kind of universal health care plan during his term. I don't think she necessarily asked for a cabinet appointment, and I don't think he offered her one simply because she toed the party line after she conceded the nomination. I believe - and always have believed - that there is a great deal of fondness and mutual respect between the President-Elect and the Senator. He would not choose her if he didn't firmly believe she was capable and understood completely what is at stake. And even if it was only in her capacity as First Lady, she does have a leg up on many candidates, having travelled to 80 countries in an official capacity. Her resume as it stands is pretty impressive. She's smart, and she doesn't put up with any BS. I can envisage her as a modern-day Adlai Stevenson.

[MelRoy]

I never doubted HRC's abilities. Sure, she embellished her FP credentials during the campaign, but so does everybody. At least she didn't say she was an expert on Russia because she met Boris Yeltsin.

Seriously, she is a brilliant woman - underestimated. She is also a team player.

Her husband is the power junkie, but it seems he is willing to put aside his massive ego to help his wife, who always seemed to be the giver in the relationship. Bill is brilliant but deeply flawed. Hillary is much less flawed. She has shown for much of her life that she is willing to sacrifice her personal ambition for the greater good.

[nkhogan]

Great post. I have to agree with you on this.

I am giving her my support and the benefit of the doubt. I think she'll do a great job. And if she doesn't for some reason, I will be out here calling her to account loudly and vehemently.

But you naysayers are just contributing to the media narrative of Clinton drama. Why? Just leave it and don't feed it. Just hold your horses and wait and see.

Don't feed the drama or you are as guilty as HRC for feeding it. Cut off the oxygen now to the media firestorm.

[debrouillard]

Honestly,I do not trust Hillary and dont like her.But then I trust Barack and he has been right thus far,so I will give him the benefit of doubt.

[November2008]

So will I...trust President-Elect Obama, despite how I feel about HRC.

[thankulord13]

I don't think anyone who matters in these appointments care if you people like Hillary or Obama or not... it doesn't matter because at the end of the day you don't matter.

[November2008]

I do not like Hillary Clinton in this position. I do not trust her. I sense that Bill will do everything required and then some to get her into this position. He probably feels some blame for her not wining the primaries. His wilingness to reveal all of his information so that she can get this position sounds very desparate to me.

[ArcEnCiel]

Bill Clinton started the politic of uprooting africans (Congo) for their mineral wealth (Coltan) by supporting a mono-ethnic Rwanda. Bill was working for multi-nationals (Big corporates); will Hillary continue the politics of uprooting defenseless congolese from their land to install Canadians and US companies for coltan's mining?

We have a charity operating in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe and South East Asia; from what we are gathering, HRC as SOS is frightening africans who hoped for an end to wars for control of mineral fields!

[Coinyer101]

try posting something different. the same old is not working for you.

[talkingclock]

I am just surprised that she is a part of this cabinet or will be.

[talkingclock]

Bill just needs to get over himself, others have. I for one never voted for them and do not have voters remorse on that note.

[chancho24]

She'll be a team player and will do the job. She's certainly qualified to be SoS.
She knows it would reflect very poorly on her future aspirations to be President of the U.S. if she brought the germs of dissension in an Obama administration.

[bluemike]

Serial fibber Clinton? Gates and his neoconman budies? Change you cannot believe in.

[Coinyer101]

"The change starts with me."

barack obama nov. 2008

[pupbayer]

And just when might that be?

[MIMom]

OT - but I wanted to share...

The main thread yesterday was the military seeing spike in enlistment due to the economic situation.

Read this to see how they treat some people once they get there.

http://www.mlive.com/grpress/news/index.ssf/2008/11/struggle_with_air_force_over_c.html

[hardybear]

I can process the ongoing Hillary venom through the lens of a hard-fought primary and
our political history.

I do, however, find mystifying the levels of blog aggression towards former President
Clinton. Arguably, finding issues to criticize regarding his administration are part
and parcel of a thinking electorate. What, though, has the man done to deserve these
near-hysteria levels of sturm and drang in his post White House Years?

I cannot fathom this scarlet-lettering of the man for leading a charitable organization
that has raised an ungodly amount of money for causes that I would be proud to
be aware of, much less contribute to.

Employ The Google, garner your own impressions of the Clinton Global Initiative.

If well-heeled donors of Any nation are pulling out their wallets to help these causes,
Bravo to the process. Headlines delineating Bill Clinton's fundraising as some sort of
offense; even a barrier to the future SOS's efficacy, are alarming in their number and angst quotient.

Even in a recession, I know few people who can even begin to
identify with the critical levels of need that exist outside our oft centrist purviews.

Pillory the man for past transgressions if you must. But I challenge anyone to find legitimate
bases from which to denigrate his current contributions.

[lizziekw]

Represent! And amen to all of that, Hardybear. Well done.

[demrepub]

The train wreck will be the senate confirmation hearings. I just don't know why Obama wants to associate himself with the Clintons. Yuk!

[VPN]

There are others I would rather see in the SoS job, but I voted for Obama because I trust his judgment so I'll wait and see.

[lizziekw]

Senator Clinton has been working with Senators on both sides of the aisle for years. She is liked and respected by her colleagues.

The confirmation hearings will be congenial, quick and more of a formality than anything else.

[harriscrl3]

I cant wait to have Hilary Clinton, Susan Rice and Samantha Power three POWERFUL women in the same department. I'm Very excited about this.

Carol

[ignorantwillyharper]

It'll be a blood bath.

[debrouillard]

Craol,yes,these 3 women are intelligent ans competent,but it isnt always about being a woman.

please stop doing this to the women folks.

[hardybear]

Debrouillard, can't we 'womenfolk' express pride in appointments and accomplishments that would not have been fathomable to our grandmothers? If I were african-american I imagine a certain level of overwhelming identification would be happening for me in regard to Obama's victory.

I would hope that no one is forcing their personal pride on others, it is ours as women to embrace if we so choose. For me it is frequently about being a woman. Accident of birth,
subjective perspective ~ but ours alone.

[Coinyer101]

power is on the transition team. not the state dept., yet.

[Dupree]

PART II

If she is fired.....I do not want to hear a word from her followers.

Because this is the job requirement that is crucial to the success of the role of Secretary of State and if she deviate from that description....SHE WOULD HAVE TO BE FIRED...END OF STORY....NO WHINING ....NO HOLLERING ABOUT SEXISM.....NO POUTING AND ACTING LIKE CHILDREN. HE IS THE PRESIDENT NOT HER.

As long as this is understood and we all act like adults and not be used as pawns to jump over traditonal roles that has been established long before Hillary or Obama been in office....Then this appointment will not be as much as a problem as long as each person understand their role.

[thankulord13]

Shut up! I love how you people who don't get a vote in these appointments just keep on telling others what to do that is why I said SHUT UP!

[hardybear]

thank you thankulord13.

[pupbayer]

Geez, dupie...her appointment hasn't even been announced yet and you talk about firing her. Take a pill or a drink or something. Seriously, chill, dude. This much stressing is unhealthy for you.

Instead of obsessing about Hillary why don't you do something productive like take some grammar lessons?