Former First Lady and New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has reservations about accepting an appointment as Secretary of State in the administration of the President-elect Barack Obama, the New York Times reported citing an adviser familiar with Clinton.

According to the New York times article, the adviser described Hillary Clinton as flattered by Obama's interest but said she was agonizing over the decision since she liked being her own boss and was reluctant to give up the independence that comes with such position.

The author of the article comments that it "was unclear if Clinton's stated hesitation was part of a bargaining tactic as the Obama team weighs whether to appoint her secretary of state, a genuine moment of indecision or, perhaps, a signal that she was preparing to withdraw from consideration."

The Clinton camp rebuted reports that former President Bill Clinton's finances and other interests could block Hillary Clinton's path to an appointment in the Obama administration.

Obama's aides have been, reportedly reviewing Bill Clinton's business dealings, focusing on his post-presidential activities, some details of which have not been made public.

Clinton's advisers further stated that they do not believe that joining the Obama cabinet would preclude Hillary Clinton from running for president again, although she has played down the possibility of another run for the White House.

One of the obstacles faced by Clinton should she decide to become Secretary of State is the mountain of campaign debt accumulated during her presidential run, estimated at USD 7,6 M, which do not include personal loans.

The Hatch Act, which established the rules for the political activities of federal employees prohibits the solicitation and receipt of political contributions aimed at eliminating campaign debt incurred before his or her federal employment.

On the other hand, the Act allows the former candidate's attendence of fund-raising events, their recognition and brief statement of appreciation to all whose efforts have contributed to the retirement of their campaign debt, while any participation beyond "this passive role" would be a violation of the law.

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