Hillary says 'yes' to US Secretary of State post

Washington, Nov 22: After days of reluctance, New York Senator Hillary Clinton has accepted President-elect Barack Obama's offer of the job of secretary of state. Hillary is expected to accept the position of secretary of state in the Obama Administration. A formal announcement is planned for after Thanksgiving, FOX News reported. Reports indicate that Clinton made her decision to accept quite recently, after persistent courting by Obama and his transition team.

ABC News reports that Clinton even was leaning toward rejecting Obama's offer, until his staff members flooded her with calls to convince her to say yes. Clinton had told the Obama transition team on Wednesday that she didn't want to give up her independence in the Senate, sources told ABC News. The New York Times, citing two Clinton confidants, said that the former First Lady reached the decision to accept after further discussions about her potential role with President-elect Barack Obama.

Clinton, who has represented New York in the Senate for eight years, will have to give up her seat to join forces with her former rival, who beat her for the Democratic presidential nomination in a bruising contest.

The decision comes one week after Clinton and Obama met secretly to discuss the idea of Clinton becoming the nation's top diplomat.

One transition aide said that the two camps have worked out a plan to address financial disclosure issues involving Hillary's husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the complicated international funding of his foundation, which operates in 27 countries.

ANI