Mitchell Leading State Contenders

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Oct. 13) -- Former Senate Democratic Leader George Mitchell has emerged as the frontrunner in President Bill Clinton's search for a new secretary of state.

White House officials requesting anonymity indicated Mitchell was a top choice, though not the only one. Retired General Colin Powell has been considered a contender, but now seems to be a long shot.

Since Warren Christopher's resignation from the post last week, other marquee names on the White House's short list include U.N. Ambassador Madeleine Albright, National Security Adviser Anthony Lake and retiring Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.).

White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry would not confirm that the president was leaning toward any one candidate. "He's got a number of people in mind, some of which have appeared in print, some of whom have not," McCurry said.

McCurry said it was "probable" that a new secretary of state would be named before the president leaves Washington Friday. "The president hopes to make a decision soon, but he doesn't want to rush the decision on some artificial timeline," McCurry said.

Picking his cabinet has been one of Clinton's top priorities since winning the presidential election. Already half a dozen seats have been vacated, including the departments of defense, labor and commerce.

A Clinton Cabinet Guessing Game -- Nov. 11, 1996

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Mitchell Leading State Contenders

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