Former Clinton official to be named deputy secretary of State

[The Straight Story]

Former Clinton official to be named deputy secretary of State
By Matthew Lee, Associated Press December 23, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) - A former top aide to ex-President Bill Clinton will be tapped as Hillary Rodham Clinton's No. 2 at the State Department this week, The Associated Press has learned.

James Steinberg, a deputy national security adviser in the Clinton administration, will be nominated for deputy secretary of state as early as Tuesday, people familiar with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the appointment is not yet public.

In an e-mail sent late Monday to staff at the University of Texas at Austin, where he serves as dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, Steinberg said he welcomed the job. Steinberg previously had been mentioned as a choice for Obama's national security adviser before the president-elect selected retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones for the post.

"Tomorrow I anticipate that President-elect Obama will announce his intention to nominate me for the position of deputy secretary of state, an honor for which I am deeply appreciative," Steinberg said in his message to faculty and students.

"If confirmed it will be a great privilege to serve with President Obama, Secretary of State-designate Clinton and the entire national security team at this time of great challenge but also of great opportunity for the United States and the world," he said.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41684&dcn=todaysnews

[Muttocracy]

1. with so much work to do, the deputies will be important. nt