"He is a former president," said Donald Fowler, a Democratic National Committee chairman during the Clinton administration. "I just don't know how you'd expect someone that smart, with that many thoughts on that many subjects, to hold his peace."
Fowler added that Sen. Clinton is "a brilliant woman, and she'd make a great secretary of State. It's just a thicket, it seems to me."
Friends said the job was an irresistible one for Clinton, whereas the Senate may have lost some of its allure for her. Elected relatively recently -- in 2000 -- she is stuck in a system that prizes seniority, forcing her to wait for coveted committee chairmanships.
At the State Department, one of her projects is expected to be women's rights, a topic she discussed throughout the presidential campaign.
In an appearance in Beijing in 1995, she gave a speech in which she famously declared that "women's rights are human rights."
Jill Iscol, a longtime Clinton friend and fundraiser, said: "Hillary has traveled throughout the world and is known by world leaders. Women activists worship her."
The selection of Clinton for the State Department prompted Latino groups to ask Obama to consider the ethnic makeup of his Cabinet.
Richardson, who is Latino, had hoped for the State job, a Democrat close to him said. He is now a top choice for Commerce secretary, a member of Obama's circle said.
Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) surfaced Friday as a possible candidate for secretary of the Interior.
"Everybody's hope in the Latino community was to see Gov. Richardson as secretary of State," said Janet Murguia, president and chief executive of the National Council of La Raza, the country's largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization.
"Obviously, we felt like he was eminently qualified."
Though Clinton would be an "excellent" secretary of State, Murguia said, Latino activists want to see Richardson installed in an important Cabinet position, and want to see several Latino candidates -- Grijalva and others -- considered for other positions.
"We've got qualified Hispanic candidates who could fill any Cabinet role," she said. "Giving them due consideration is only right."
A Democrat close to Richardson brushed aside talk of the Commerce slot, at the same time acknowledging Richardson's interest in a Cabinet position: "Richardson's interested in being secretary of State. Until that's resolved, he doesn't want to think or talk about anything else."
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peter.nicholas@latimes.com
cparsons@tribune.com
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Times staff writer Mark Z. Barabak in San Francisco contributed to this report.
