Team Obama Woos Ex-Hillary Aide

Former president 'neither looking for nor closed to' a role

(NEWSER) - Bill Clinton would be willing to serve in the Obama administration, CNN reports, but the former prez will remain in the background unless Obama “asks me to do something specific, which I'm neither looking for nor closed to." Clinton said in an interview that he would not unduly influence his wife in her position as secretary of State, but would be there to lend an ear. More»

30K resumes? Clintons? Veteran juggles it all for Obama

(NEWSER) - The man in charge of Barack Obama’s transition doesn’t just know where the levers of power are—he practically lives in the engine room. John Podesta is managing his immense task—juggling 30,000 resumes for 8,000 jobs, not to mention some big egos—with surprising calm, despite his reputation for a snappish temper. “Let’s just say my in-box is filled,” he tells the Washington Post. More»

Speculation about Commerce gig surrounds Richardson

(NEWSER) - The Obama transition team has settled on a treasury secretary nominee, NBC reports: Timothy Geithner, the president of the New York Fed. The announcement is expected to come Monday, when the president-elect will announce his entire economic team in an attempt to quell the unrest surrounding the financial markets. Geithner beat out his former boss Larry Summers, who may yet figure into the new administration's plans, perhaps as Fed chairman, Reuters reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Hillary Clinton will accept Barack Obama's offer to become secretary of state, the Guardian reports. The president-elect's team does not anticipate problems arising from an ongoing examination of the records of Bill Clinton's foundation, clearing the way for Obama's fiercest primary rival to embody his stated ambition to assemble a bipartisan administration. More»

Obama gives detailed interview about the terrorist leader's demise

(NEWSER) - It's the first anniversary of the US raid that killed Osama bin Laden, and MSNBC today released a series of interviews Brian Williams conducted with President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and other top-ranking officials detailing their preparation for and reaction to the raid. "Ultimately, it was a 50/50 proposition as to whether this was actually bin Laden," Obama reveals. Speaking of the night he made the decision, he said, "There's no doubt that you don't sleep as much that evening." More»