1 day, 8 hours, 11 minutes ago
Hillary Clinton weighing secretary of state post
By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press

Barack Obama
Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during a round table discussion on healthcare, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007, at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. Lorna Hines of Des Moines, Iowa, left, looks on. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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Former President Bill Clinton has agreed to publicly disclose the names of most donors to his presidential foundation and library, a significant concession aimed at helping smooth the path for his wife to become the next secretary of state.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, meanwhile, was expected to decide soon whether to take the job, which associates said she believes is hers if she wants it. Transition officials for President-elect Barack Obama said the former first lady had not formally been offered the job and other candidates have been vetted. But several Clinton associates said Obama has told her she is his top pick.

Bill Clinton's decision to open up his donor list for scrutiny was the former president's latest effort to lift concerns about any potential conflicts of interest for his wife.

Officials with knowledge of the vetting said the former president would agree to make public the names of all donors who had given at least $250 to the foundation. He has long insisted on keeping the names private, a decision that created controversy for his wife during her run for the Democratic nomination.

Advisers said they were still trying to figure out what to do about donors who had contributed to the foundation on the condition they would remain anonymous. Breaking that agreement with donors could hurt the foundation's fundraising.

Bill Clinton has also agreed to several other concessions, such as submitting his speeches and public speaking schedule for the State Department to review during the time his wife serves and alerting officials there about any new sources of income. He also has indicated he would step away from day-to-day management of his foundation, where he has raised millions from foreign governments and companies to help fight poverty and AIDS in the developing world.

Bill Clinton briefly addressed questions about the vetting process in New York on Wednesday.

"I'll do whatever they want," the former president said at a ceremony renaming the Triborough Bridge for the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

Bill Clinton's post-presidential ventures around the globe were heavily scrutinized this week during two days of intense negotiations in Washington between transition officials and a team of lawyers representing the former first couple.

Transition head John Podesta led the talks, along with Obama adviser Todd Stern and Tom Perrelli, a classmate of the president-elect from Harvard Law School. The Clintons were represented by longtime advisers Cheryl Mills, Doug Band and Bruce Lindsey.

The face-to-face meetings ended Tuesday, but aides to the president-elect said some final vetting is still under way.

Nonetheless, several Clinton friends said that she continues to be conflicted about the prospect of giving up her Senate seat from New York and that questions about her husband's business ventures would not be the deciding factor. She has been eager to work on expanding health care, a goal potentially made more attainable by the prospect of a new Democratic administration and several new Democrats joining the Senate.

"The issue for her is simply whether she wants to do it," said an associate not authorized to speak publicly for Clinton. "She's 61 years old, and it's been a very hard fought few years. Would it be good for the Senate, the country, the world for her to take it? Those are the things she's considering."

Associated Press writer Nedra Pickler in Washington contributed to this report.


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JERRYHOOD (19)
Progressive - Independent
posted 295 days, 12 hours, 34 minutes ago
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It does seem that Obama is more about trying to insult Hillary these days. Hopefully they can stay friends after this silly mess is all over.

bethany is online - (291)
Moderate
posted 295 days, 10 hours, 30 minutes ago
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JERRYHOOD says:

"It does seem that Obama is more about trying to insult Hillary these days. Hopefully they can stay friends after this silly mess is all over."





Seriously. I realize they are trying to win but their petty attacks against each other are doing a lot of harm.

mary smith (1)
Moderate
posted 294 days, 20 hours, 14 minutes ago
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Later Wednesday, Obama gave a 10-minute talk by live broadcast to a joint meeting in Atlanta of four historically black Baptist denominations, where Clinton appeared later. These groups produced some of the most prominent civil rights leaders, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., whom Obama quoted.

"Pastors are pushing this movement forward," Obama said of his campaign, "and I need each and every one of you in this fight."

He asked the audience to imagine what it would mean for the country to see him with his hand on the Bible, taking the presidential oath of office.

"Our children will look at themselves differently and their possibilities differently. They'll look at each other differently," he said.
I thought Mr. Obama did not want this to be about race. Lets see if you post this comment

kate (87)
Moderate
posted 294 days, 18 hours, 19 minutes ago
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bethany says:

Seriously. I realize they are trying to win but their petty attacks against each other are doing a lot of harm."





Are they really doing a lot of harm? It seems to me that Democrats on a whole are pretty committed to remaining unified and electing a Democrat in November.

indyelmo (28)
Progressive
posted 222 days, 17 hours, 46 minutes ago
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Why apologize for saying people are bitter due to socio-economic difficulties? It's the truth, and it is okay for them to be that way. Parsing language in this manner insults an adult's intellect. It's assinine to take a position, then look for ways to defend, rather than acknowledging reality and making decisions from there. Ideological and partisan hacks!

kennick (17)
Progressive - Democratic
posted 169 days, 11 hours, 37 minutes ago
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Mary Smith said:
Our children will look at themselves differently and their possibilities differently. They'll look at each other differently," he said.
I thought Mr. Obama did not want this to be about race. Lets see if you post this comment.
I assure you Mary that I am entirely white, yet I had my 13 year old daughter and my 15 year old son beside me as we watched this historical moment unfold. I know already that my children will look at the world differently than I did when I was their age, as they will see their American compatriots of color differently than their parents did. And today I can say, to those 35 million people who pulled the curtain behind them, and proceeded to vote for the first female candidate or the first African American candidate, "We've come a long way,baby". You should be proud,America. There will always be people like Mary Smith, who would like to find that fissure in order to continue to seperate us, but thank God, America is finally growing up, and, if your as old as I, it is our children we have to thank for it. To you 20 and 30 somethings, we've been waiting a long time for the next "greatest generation".

HelloDollyLlama is online - (1899)
Moderate - No Party Affiliation
posted 167 days, 23 hours, 56 minutes ago
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These days Obama is wooing her so hard, I'm surprised he isn't carring candy and flowers.

dpkell2000 (351)
Conservative - Unity 08
posted 147 days, 11 hours ago
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Let me get this straight the Clinton's get themselves into a bind and due to the tremendous dedication that everyone feels for them we can't possibly allow them to go to bed without peace of mind of being debt free. And the balance of the Democratic Party is pleading to the rooftops of Obamaville that he should come to her rescue?!?!? Good thing the Democrats are pushing for change...this sounds so pathetic and same old same old. Money for votes. Now I know traditionally it's been the white Democrats paying African American's for votes (in nearly every election since 1960).

How many Americans do you think strive out to start a new business and/or new venture investing their own time and money? Who comes to their rescue or pays their bills? No one. That's the American Way. Of course we should never expect the elitist Clintons to think the normal rules apply to them.

I say suck it up (much like Monica did) and pay your own bills. Obama is an idiot for paying for Hillary supporters votes. I had more faith in him than he seems to have in himself all of a sudden!!

HelloDollyLlama is online - (1899)
Moderate - No Party Affiliation
posted 146 days, 22 hours, 51 minutes ago
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So the Dems have been buying black votes for 50 years? Um, yeah.

Let's look at what has really happened in this country -- for the last 30 years the GOP has bribed us for our votes, with tax cuts which our children will have to pay for.


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