WASHINGTON Barack Obama is likable to choose Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano for the job of secretary of homeland security, top Obama advisers and several Democrats related Thursday as the shape of the president-elect’s Cabinet begins to emerge.

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The Obama advisers cautioned that not one final resolution has been made adhering putting Napolitano in charge of the Homeland Security department, the heavy agency created by means of Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But the advisers said she was by far the top contender.

Thus far, Obama has informally selected Washington advocate Eric Holder taken in the character of attorney general and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle as health and human services secretary. The plans could have existence sidetracked by sudden glitches in the final vetting process, officials note.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton seems more well-suited than ever to have existence Obama’sitting secretary of state. Clinton is deciding whether to understand that post since America’s top diplomat, her associates said.

Among other Cabinet posts: senior Democrats say in that place is a mighty possibility that Defense Secretary Robert Gates would stay temporarily and later give way to former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig. Even so, Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island also are said to be under consideration.

Democrats also say that several clan remain in the running for the Treasury Secretary position, including Timothy Geithner, president of Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Lawrence Summers, constructer treasury secretary and one-time Harvard University president; and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

Several news organizations reported Thursday that Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, who was Obama’s national campaign finance chairman, is his leading choice to become secretary of commerce. But the Obama advisers strongly disputed the reports, and officials say Laura D’Andrea Tyson, the former chair of White House Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton, remained in the running.

The Obama advisers and Democrats discussed the Cabinet positions only in succession grounds of anonymity because of the private nature of the screening mode of operation.

Obama appears to be assembling a team that includes a be blended of longtime aides, Washington insiders and a affusion of Democratic governors. Besides Napolitano, strong contenders for Cabinet posts comprise New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Sebelius and Napolitano, who once was Arizona’s attorney general, were among the first governors to commit to Obama’s candidacy. Richardson endorsed Obama in imitation of ending his possess presidential request, angering Clinton and her husband, preceding president Bill Clinton.

As governor, Napolitano has fought to curb unlawful immigration, but she has been skeptical that building a fence along the border will solve the problem. She once said, “You build a 50-foot wall, somebody will get a 51-foot ladder.”

Last year, her state passed a code that requires all Arizona businesses to use the federal online database, E-Verify, to confirm that new hires have valid Social Security numbers and are eligible for employment. This has been a cornerstone of the Bush administration’s immigration policy.

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