WASHINGTON: As president-elect, Barack Obama is trying to keep his life as "normal" as possible. Still residing in Chicago, the trappings of his life are increasing presidential.

He starts his day having breakfast with is daughters, aides say, and whenever possible, drives them to their school. For his daily workout, he uses the gymnasium in an apartment building where a close friend lives, and then heads to his transition offices and receives daily intelligence briefings, a place where he also considers choices for his Cabinet candidates.

Leaked reports this week say that Obama is considering naming Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as his secretary of state. Several other names also have been mentioned by US media as possible Obama secretaries of state, including another former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry; New Mexico Gov. and former UN Ambassador Bill Richardson; former Georgia Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn; and moderate Republican Sen. Richard Lugar.

The Obama Transition Team, noted for being close-lipped, made no official comment on the reports and has insisted no announcements would be made this week. This fueled speculation that the Clinton team may have sprung the leak.

Yesterday, a Democratic official anonymously told reporters the two former presidential rivals met Thursday afternoon in Obama's downtown office.

Sen. Clinton was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election. After Obama became the party's presumptive nominee in June 2008, Clinton endorsed him, and urged her supporters to vote for him.

Obama's choice of secretary of state will be one of his most important Cabinet choices.

The US lost overseas support after it invaded Iraq in 2003, and has suffered serious image-injury from the revelations of abuse at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons. It also has been criticized due to security measures that have made it difficult for foreigners to visit here.

There are some signs, meanwhile, that some foreign governments already are moving to alter the playing field even before Obama takes office Jan. 20.

On Wednesday, North Korea said it would not allow international inspectors to take soil and nuclear waste samples from its nuclear complex; Iran said it successfully tested a new long-range missile that it claimed was capable of reaching southeastern Europe; and Russia rejected an American proposal meant to ease Russian fears about the planned missile defence system in Poland and Czech Republic.

Generally Obama has been buoyed by a groundswell of global good will after his election. Current and former US diplomats say they see a new chance to advance American interests if the incoming president keeps his promises to devote more resources to the diplomatic corps and foreign aid.

Having said that, this week the president faced his first Middle East diplomatic snafu.

Congressman Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, called Mary Rose Oakar, president of the Washington-based American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, to apologize for comments his father made to an Israeli newspaper that offended Arabs both at home and abroad.

In his remarks, Benjamin Emanuel discussed the potential impact of his son's new White House position on American-Israeli relations.

"Obviously he'll influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn't he?" the elder Emanuel told the Israeli daily, Ma'ariv. "What is he, an Arab? He's not going to be mopping floors at the White House."

Calling the comment an "unacceptable smear," the ADC called on Rep. Emanuel to "disavow and repudiate these remarks publicly," which led to Emanuel's apology.

On a more positive note, former US President Jimmy Carter said Obama pledged to waste no time getting involved in Middle East peace talks.

"He promised to me personally" that he would "not wait even a month after he was president to start working on the Middle East peace process," Carter told CNN. Carter added that he was "thrilled" that Obama would bring a "new approach" to the peace process.

Finally, for those who receive CBS on their satellite dish, their show ඄ Minutes" has landed the first post-election interview of Obama and his wife, Michelle, for this Sunday.