Democratic officials say President-elect Barack Obama will nominate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be his secretary of state on Monday.
Obama plans to announce the New York senator and former rival for the Democratic presidential nomination as part of his national security team at a press conference in Chicago, the officials said Saturday. They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly for the transition team.
To clear the way for his wife's nomination, former President Bill Clinton has agreed to disclose the names of every contributor to his foundation. He'll also refuse contributions from foreign governments to the Clinton Global Initiative, his annual charitable conference, and will cease holding CGI meetings overseas.
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 his post-presidential work.
The Clinton pick was an extraordinary gesture of goodwill after a year in which Clinton and Obama competed for the Democratic nomination in a long, bitter primary battle.
CBS News confirmed last week that Clinton had decided to accept the Secretary of State job.
"In many ways this pairing would seem the most unlikely of the new administration, especially given the often bitter primary battle between the two," said CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs. "But the President-elect has emphasized his desire to bring former opponents into his administration and there’s not a better example of this 'team of rivals' approach than this. Whether it works out in the long run is the $64,000 question."
Some Democrats and government insiders have questioned whether Clinton is too independent and politically ambitious to be an effective secretary of state. But Mr. Obama is said to admire her talents and experience, as do many other Democrats.
But a senior adviser to Mr. Obama said the president-elect believes Clinton would bring instant stature and credibility to U.S. diplomatic relations and that the advantages to her serving far outweighed potential downsides.
Health Care Reform Debate 11/21
Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow addresses the floor on the first vote that will take place for the health reform bill.
Health Care Debate 11/21
Michigan Senator Carl Levin addresses the Senate prior to a vote on the health care reform bill.
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