Hillary Clinton has emerged as a candidate to be US Secretary of State for president-elect Barack Obama, months after he defeated her in an intense contest for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Putting the New York Senator, and wife of former President Bill Clinton, in the position could help heal whatever lingering divisions remain in the Democratic Party after Mrs Clinton’s bitter battle with Mr Obama.

Mr Obama passed over Mrs Clinton as his vice-presidential running mate in favour of Senator Joe Biden, a decision that angered her ardent supporters and widened a rift in the party that Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton later worked hard to heal.

Her selection as top US diplomat could also mean a more hawkish foreign policy than that advocated by Mr Obama during his presidential campaign. On the campaign trail, Mrs Clinton was more reluctant than Mr Obama to commit to a firm timetable for withdrawing US troops from Iraq.

'Change has come' - Obama wins in landslide

Sweeping victory for America's first black president is greeted by tumultuous scenes Watch our video

• Analysis: Barack Obama's victory is head-spinning stuff

• Full video and text: Barack Obama's victory speech

• Early US Election exit polls give hope to Barack Obama

Michelle Obama: a new type of First Lady

For Carla Bruni the game is finally up. In Michelle Obama she has truly met her match - a First Lady like none before

BACKGROUND

• Bush - 'We should all be proud of Obama'

• The challenge that greets Obama

• Full video and text: Obama's victory speech

• Voters honour Martin Luther King's dream

Multimedia

• Team Obama - who are they?

• Bonjour 'Barack'

Related Links

• Palin trumps rivals in post-poll appearances

• Obama jobseekers face interrogation

• Obama had better not disappoint Clinton now

But both Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton were adamant about improving the image of the US abroad and correcting what they considered the "failed policies" of the outgoing Bush administration.

Mrs Clinton flew to Mr Obama’s home town of Chicago yesterday. According to her office she was travelling on personal business.

Neither her aides nor aides to the President-elect would say whether she was interviewed for the job by Mr Obama, who spent a great part of the day behind closed doors in transition meetings at his Chicago office.

"Any speculation about cabinet or other administration appointments is really for President-elect Obama's transition team to address," said Mrs Clinton's senior adviser, Philippe Reines.

NBC and The Washington Post reported that Mrs Clinton was under consideration for the top US diplomatic position.

This would mean Mr Obama was expanding his search beyond other candidates mentioned for the job, such as Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, a Democrat who lost the 2004 presidential election to President Bush, and Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican who backed Mr Obama over Republican John McCain this year.

CNN reported that on Monday night, while walking into an awards ceremony in New York, Mrs Clinton was asked if she would consider taking a post in the Obama administration. It did not sound like she had ruled it out.

"I am happy being a senator from New York, I love this state and this city. I am looking at the long list of things I have to catch up on and do. But I want to be a good partner and I want to do everything I can to make sure his agenda is going to be successful," Mrs Clinton said.

The former First Lady had argued during the Democratic primary campaign that Mr Obama was too inexperienced to be president. But they mended fences and, during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, she declared that "Barack Obama is my candidate and he must be our president."

As the US First Lady, Mrs Clinton devoted a great deal of time to the rights of women around the world, often travelling the globe with her daughter, Chelsea.

As a presidential candidate, she argued for putting greater US emphasis on defeating the Taleban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and in ensuring nuclear weapons do not spread.

Times Recommends

• Thousands of Tamils dying in 'welfare camp'
• Jackson 'rebuilt his nose before he died'
• Renewed Iran protests crushed by militia