Barack Obama had his eye on Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state for some time, but it took some serious courtship before the two took their relationship to the next level Monday.
Clinton's nomination as secretary of state came after concessions from both sides — Clinton got assurances that she could name her own staff at the State Department, and former President Bill Clinton offered to take steps to prevent any conflict of interest in his international dealings while his wife would be the country's top diplomat.
The nomination is the latest chapter in a complicated relationship between Clinton and Obama. The two struggled bitterly over the Democratic nomination, with Clinton persisting in her fight against Obama even when her prospects for victory were virtually dead. The hard feelings softened during the general election when Clinton campaigned in support of Obama and finally they have settled on a boss-employer relationship that would have been almost unimaginable when the presidential race began.
One person close to Clinton said she began to hear rumors in the days after Obama's election Nov. 4 that he was considering her for the post, but she didn't get confirmation that he was really interested until he reached out on Nov. 12 and asked her to meet him the next day to discuss it. Clinton flew to Chicago secretly, but the meeting became public knowledge after she was introduced to staffers around the office and her departing motorcade was spied by reporters outside Obama's office.
In the coming weeks, Obama and Clinton had several conversations about her taking the job — one Clinton associate described it as the five or six "dates" required before they could form a union. Meanwhile, lawyers representing both sides met to work out details including financial disclosure issues involving former President Bill Clinton's finances.
There was a concern that the former president's international dealings could create a conflict of interest if his wife was representing the U.S. government around the world. The former first couple had refused to disclose the donors to his library and the Clinton Global Initiative during the presidential campaign, saying some contributors had been promised anonymity.
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.
After two days of negotiations at the law office where incoming White House counsel Greg Craig works, both sides had made their concessions. Bill Clinton offered to release the names of all his donors, as well as other steps that include submitting his speeches for State Department review.
Clinton's request to choose her own staff means that she will have even more influence over State Department policy. She has a group of fiercely loyal allies who have long been working to protect her, and career diplomats are already grumbling about her bringing in her people.
Dan Bartlett, who was President George W. Bush's communications director, said high-level Cabinet positions often involve some give-and-take, although the extent of negotiations with the Clintons was clearly more intense because of the complexities surrounding the former president. He said Hillary Clinton was smart to negotiate the right to name her own staff.
"It's always a request, but that one is rarely given," Bartlett said. But he said almost any request can be worked out. "Most of the time, if a president really wants somebody you'll always find a way to get a yes."
Obama said it wasn't a "light bulb moment" that led to the very unconventional idea of putting his one-time foe as his top diplomat. He said he always admired her and wanted to find a way to collaborate with her, with the secretary of state idea emerging after the election. But one senior adviser said Obama had been thinking about it long before that time, believing she would bring instant stature and credibility to U.S. diplomatic relations.
Clinton confidants said she struggled with the thought of giving up the Senate seat that is the only office she ever won in her own right to serve at Obama's pleasure. Clinton herself looked pained as she spoke Monday about the difficulty of stepping down from the office, but she ultimately decided that being secretary of state is the best way to serve her country during a defining moment where Americans are demanding change.
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On the Net:
Obama transition: http:/www.change.gov
Clinton's nomination as secretary of state came after concessions from both sides — Clinton got assurances that she could name her own staff at the State Department, and former President Bill Clinton offered to take steps to prevent any conflict of interest in his international dealings while his wife would be the country's top diplomat.
The nomination is the latest chapter in a complicated relationship between Clinton and Obama. The two struggled bitterly over the Democratic nomination, with Clinton persisting in her fight against Obama even when her prospects for victory were virtually dead. The hard feelings softened during the general election when Clinton campaigned in support of Obama and finally they have settled on a boss-employer relationship that would have been almost unimaginable when the presidential race began.
One person close to Clinton said she began to hear rumors in the days after Obama's election Nov. 4 that he was considering her for the post, but she didn't get confirmation that he was really interested until he reached out on Nov. 12 and asked her to meet him the next day to discuss it. Clinton flew to Chicago secretly, but the meeting became public knowledge after she was introduced to staffers around the office and her departing motorcade was spied by reporters outside Obama's office.
In the coming weeks, Obama and Clinton had several conversations about her taking the job — one Clinton associate described it as the five or six "dates" required before they could form a union. Meanwhile, lawyers representing both sides met to work out details including financial disclosure issues involving former President Bill Clinton's finances.
There was a concern that the former president's international dealings could create a conflict of interest if his wife was representing the U.S. government around the world. The former first couple had refused to disclose the donors to his library and the Clinton Global Initiative during the presidential campaign, saying some contributors had been promised anonymity.
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.
After two days of negotiations at the law office where incoming White House counsel Greg Craig works, both sides had made their concessions. Bill Clinton offered to release the names of all his donors, as well as other steps that include submitting his speeches for State Department review.
Clinton's request to choose her own staff means that she will have even more influence over State Department policy. She has a group of fiercely loyal allies who have long been working to protect her, and career diplomats are already grumbling about her bringing in her people.
Dan Bartlett, who was President George W. Bush's communications director, said high-level Cabinet positions often involve some give-and-take, although the extent of negotiations with the Clintons was clearly more intense because of the complexities surrounding the former president. He said Hillary Clinton was smart to negotiate the right to name her own staff.
"It's always a request, but that one is rarely given," Bartlett said. But he said almost any request can be worked out. "Most of the time, if a president really wants somebody you'll always find a way to get a yes."
Obama said it wasn't a "light bulb moment" that led to the very unconventional idea of putting his one-time foe as his top diplomat. He said he always admired her and wanted to find a way to collaborate with her, with the secretary of state idea emerging after the election. But one senior adviser said Obama had been thinking about it long before that time, believing she would bring instant stature and credibility to U.S. diplomatic relations.
Clinton confidants said she struggled with the thought of giving up the Senate seat that is the only office she ever won in her own right to serve at Obama's pleasure. Clinton herself looked pained as she spoke Monday about the difficulty of stepping down from the office, but she ultimately decided that being secretary of state is the best way to serve her country during a defining moment where Americans are demanding change.
___
On the Net:
Obama transition: http:/www.change.gov
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