Senator Hillary Clinton is likely to be nominated for secretary of state after the Nov. 27 U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, according to an aide to President-elect Barack Obama.

Potential hurdles related to the financial disclosures of Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, have been worked out, said the aide, who asked not to be named. Clinton herself has indicated some hesitancy in accepting the position, according to news reports.

She has been wrestling with whether to abandon her independence to become the nation's top diplomat or remain in the Senate where a lack of seniority limits her influence, the New York Times reported yesterday.

The appointment, should the New York Democrat accept the post, would make her Obama's highest-ranking Cabinet official. Backers say the popularity of both Hillary and Bill Clinton overseas would be a boon to the U.S.'s global reputation.

"I think she should do it,'' said lobbyist Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic strategist who supported Clinton, 61, during the primaries. "She can have enormous impact in the world.''

A spokesman for Clinton didn't immediately respond to a telephone and e-mail request for comment made after working hours.

Third Woman

Clinton, who would become the third woman to hold the secretary of state post, frequently sparred with Obama on the campaign trail about foreign policy. She ran a television advertisement dubbed "3 a.m.,'' in which she questioned whether Obama, formerly a first-term senator from Illinois, was experienced enough to handle a national crisis.

Clinton traveled to Chicago last week to meet with Obama about the Cabinet position. The process had been complicated by concerns that Bill Clinton's private business interests with foreign governments and companies could create conflicts for his wife if she were nominated.

Bill Clinton sent Obama's transition team a list of more than 200,000 donors to his foundation, according to a Democrat familiar with the process.

"I'll do whatever they want,'' the former president told reporters in New York earlier this week.

The 200,000 or so names comprise the universe of donors to Clinton's presidential library and foundation. This is separate from the Clinton Global Initiative, which operates under the aegis of the foundation but does not directly take money from the donors.