Daschle, Napolitano; Obama's new pick

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Barack Obama picked former Senate leader Tom Daschle to end the US healthcare crisis and stocked his White House staff with loyal campaign aides, as new contenders emerged Thursday for key cabinet posts.
The president-elect, who will take office in January, spent Wednesday in his Chicago transition office, but a Democratic official said he had asked ex-South Dakota senator Daschle to be health and human services secretary.
Obama was also reported to have candidates in mind to head the key departments of Homeland Security and Commerce.
US media reported he was likely to name Democratic Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, 50, to run the Department of Homeland Security, which was created following the 9/11 terrors attacks. The popular two-term governor was an early Obama supporter and has been frequently mentioned as a possible cabinet member.
On Thursday the Washington Post cited Democratic sources as saying Napolitano was Obama’s choice to head the sprawling federal agency responsible for immigration policy and protecting US territory from terrorist attacks.
On Wednesday she downplayed the prospects of joining the administration, saying she was “not campaigning nor seeking a job,� CBS News reported. Chicago billionaire businesswoman Penny Pritzker, 49, is the leading candidate to be commerce secretary, CNN reported citing multiple sources.
Pritzker, an heir of the Chicago family that founded the Hyatt chain of hotels, raised record amounts of money as Obama’s national finance chair for his campaign.
Daschle, 60, will be tasked with shepherding healthcare reform legislation through Congress in line with Obama’s campaign vow to revamp the US medical system to help 45 million Americans who have no health insurance. The last major healthcare reform attempt by a Democratic president, piloted by Hillary Clinton during her husband Bill Clinton’s administration, ended in a notorious failure.
More than a decade on, there was no firm indication Wednesday on whether the former first lady would accept Obama’s overtures concerning the key post of secretary of state â€" but reports suggested the two were inching towards a deal.