President Barack Obama is reported to be focusing on Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who vetoed a bill requiring information on late-term abortions, as his top choice for secretary of health and human services.The Mercury News reports that should she be nominated, Sebelius would bring eight years of experience as her state's insurance commissioner as well as six years as a governor running a state Medicaid program.
But with Obama about to begin a drive to expand health coverage, an issue on which the two parties have deep ideological divisions, her strongest asset in the view of the White House may be her record of navigating partisan politics as a Democrat in one of the country's most Republican states.
Sebelius resolved a state budget crisis Tuesday and plans to be in Washington from Saturday through Tuesday for a meeting of the National Governors' Association.
Obama's first pick for the job, former Sen. Tom Daschle, withdrew over his failure to pay $128,000 in taxes until nominated.
It remained unclear whether the White House would finish vetting Sebelius in time to finalize her nomination by next week.
Advisers described her as "the leading candidate," although they said other names were still in discussion and emphasized that no final decision had been made.
Sebelius became an early supporter of Obama by endorsing him in January 2007 and was mentioned as a possible vice presidential nominee.
After the election, her name was floated for a variety of possible jobs, including secretary of labor, agriculture or education.
If she becomes health secretary, she will be the fourth woman in the 15-member Cabinet, overseeing 65,000 employees and a $700 billion budget.
One issue that could draw attention is her stance on abortion.
A Catholic who says abortion is wrong, she vetoed a bill requiring clinics to report information on why a late-term abortion was performed, drawing the condemnation of the archbishop Kansas City, Kan.
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(Source: CTHUS)