A retired Marine general and former Nato commander is emerging as a leading contender to become Barack Obama’s national security adviser, the most important foreign policy post in the White House.

James Jones, a decorated Vietnam veteran and former Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, is admired by Republicans and Democrats - he is a close friend of John McCain – and would bring particular expertise on Iraq and Afghanistan, two of Mr Obama’s overseas priorities when he takes office on January 20.

No final decision has been made on the post, but the serious consideration being given to General Jones reflects the President-elect’s determination to put together a bipartisan team of strong characters and former rivals. General Jones is also close to Hillary Clinton, and yet enjoys such cross-party appeal that in 2006 he was twice asked by Condoleezza Rice, President Bush’s Secretary of State, to be her deputy. He declined.

Aides to Mr Obama indicated that Hillary Clinton was now “on track” to become secretary of state as they sought to end a week of leaks, rumours and anonymous briefings from both camps that had begun turning internal discussions about her appointment into a very public and unedifying melodrama.

Mr Obama’s lawyers, advisers said, were satisfied with the unprecedented disclosure made by Bill Clinton of foreign donors to his charitable foundation and presidential library. If Mrs Clinton accepts the job, officials said that a formal announcement would probably be made after Thanksgiving, which falls at the end of next week.

General Jones, 64, who grew up in Paris and headed the US Marine Corps until his retirement last year, has been a critic of Mr Bush’s foreign policy and decried what he described as Donald Rumsfeld’s “systematic emasculation” of the US military’s top brass. Last year he conducted an investigation on behalf of Congress on the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Make no mistake, Nato is not winning in Afghanistan,” he said. He also said that the war in Iraq had caused the US to “take its eye off the ball” in Afghanistan, and gave warning that the consequences of failure there were just as serious as defeat in Iraq – views publicly expressed by Mr Obama.

Before Mr Obama travelled to Afghanistan during the presidential campaign he was briefed by General Jones, who in 2007 was appointed by Dr Rice as a special envoy for Middle East Security.

One other, less weighty matter that might be in General Jones’s favour is that he is a former university basketball star – a passion of the President-elect.

There are other contenders for the post, one of the President’s closest advisers, who must co-ordinate the agendas of the Pentagon, the US intelligence community and the State Department. They include Susan Rice, a former Clinton White House adviser who sided with Mr Obama early in his campaign; Jim Steinberg, a former deputy national security adviser to Mr Clinton; and Richard Danzig, a former Secretary of the Navy.

Obama’s team

Confirmed in their positions

Chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel (C) Counsel Greg Craig (C, O) Senior adviser David Axelrod (O) Senior adviser Valerie Jarrett (O) White House press secretary Robert Gibbs (O) Vice-President’s chief of staff Ron Klain (C) (All White House positions)

Confirmed by sources pending vetting and formal announcement

Secretary of state Senator Hillary Clinton (C) Attorney-General Eric Holder (C,O) Secretary of health and human services Former Senator Tom Daschle (O) Secretary of homeland security Governor Janet Napolitano (C,O)

Candidates for other top posts

Treasury secretary Larry Summers (C) Tim Geithner Governor Jon Corzine Defence secretary Incumbent Robert Gates (R) Richard Danzig (C,O) Senator Chuck Hagel (R)

(C) Worked in the Clinton Administration (O) Early Obama supporter (R) Republican / Independent

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