Pres. Clinton spent the Thanksgiving holiday with "a binder of recommendations and a weekend at Camp David to focus on his next term" (Anklam, USA TODAY, 11/29). Clinton "will deal with his foreign-affairs team first, announcing nominations in the first half of December" (Fournier, AP/W. TIMES, 11/29).
STATE: The contest to replace Sec/State Warren Christopher is "even more muddled" than before Clinton left for his Pacific rim tour. Before leaving, Clinton "had narrowed" the list to four: Ex-Sen. Maj. Leader George Mitchell, ex-Asst. Sec/State Richard Holbrooke, UN Amb. Madeleine Albright and retiring Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA). But Holbrooke's standing "steadily declined" and "aides now say" ex-Russia Amb. Thomas Pickering "is under serious consideration." Officials "also say Nunn's chances have been publicly underrated and Mitchell's have been somewhat overrated" (Fournier, AP/W. TIMES, 11/29). ROLL CALL's Kondracke calls Mitchell "almost certain" to be named (12/2).
DEFENSE: Retiring Sen. Bill Cohen (R-ME) is still considered the "front-runner" to replace William Perry at Defense (USA TODAY, 11/29). Cohen's "candidacy cooled somewhat during" Clinton's trip to Asia, but "aides said Mr. Cohen was still ... the front runner." Other candidates: CIA Dir. John Deutch ("whose stock has fallen"), Nunn, Dep. Defense Sec. John White, Dep. AG Jamie Gorelick and Loral Corp. chair Bernard Schwartz (Fournier, AP/TIMES, 11/29). ROLL CALL's Kondracke calls Cohen "likely" and lists Lockheed-Martin CEO Norm Augustine, a GOPer, as a possible (12/2).
NEXT STORY: Pruning the Bureaucracy