Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton plans to accept the position of U.S. Secretary of State offered to her by President-elect Barack Obama, who is eager to create a broad coalition administration ready to tackle major challenges, writes the British daily on Tuesday.
Obama’s advisors have begun to consider the Bill Clinton Foundation, which distributes millions of dollars to Africa for development aid, to check for any conflicts of interest, reports The Guardian. Clinton would be welcomed at the helm of the State Department, as the successor to Condoleezza Rice, the paper explains, noting that the New York senator has specialized in foreign affairs and defense. Although she supported the war in Iraq, Clinton and Obama fundamentally agree on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from that country. The Guardian considers whether it is advisable for Clinton to accept the position of U.S. Secretary of State given her aspirations for the continuation of her career.
Hillary Clinton still hopes for a future presidential candidacy, The Guardian holds, and in that context, it might be better for the senator to remain in the Senate than to accept the much more uncertain career of Secretary of State. The Guardian further writes about Obama’s meeting with Republican John McCain, whom he defeated in the presidential election in early November. Obama did not offer McCain a position in his cabinet but held the conversation as part of efforts to achieve broad cooperation with influential figures, which is also reflected in the joint statement released after the meeting. Obama and McCain believe “at this defining moment in history” that Americans of all parties “want and need the cooperation of their leaders” to change the bad habits in Washington and to address the common and urgent challenges of our time. (H)
