WHOLESALE changes are on the way in newly elected President Clinton's cabinet. These could bring former Senator George Mitchell back to Washington from chairing the Northern Ireland multi party talks.
Within hours of being declared the winner of the Presidential election, Mr Clinton was discussing replacements for up to a half dozen members of his cabinet and White House staff who have indicated they are handing in their resignations. The high level changes are expected to be further discussed tomorrow at a Cabinet meeting.
Mr Mitchell is being mentioned frequently as a replacement for the outgoing Secretary of State, Mr Warren Christopher. But other candidates are the ambassador to the United Nations, Ms Madeleine Albright, and former senator, Mr Sam Nunn.
Senator Mitchell said President Clinton had not spoken to him about a role in the new administration. Speaking to RTE yesterday, he said rumours that he was to be appointed Secretary of State were only speculation, and added he remained committed to do all he could to help Northern Ireland.
Mr Clinton is also said to want Gen Colin Powell to take a senior post if he can be persuaded to join a Democratic administration. Gen Powell could yet be a Republican candidate in the next Presidential election in 2000.
Those said to be definitely leaving the Cabinet are the Defence Secretary, Mr William Perry; the Commerce Secretary, Mr Mickey Kantor; and the Energy Secretary, Ms Hazel O'Leary. The Chief of Staff, Mr Leon Panetta, has already indicated he will return to California.
The National Security adviser, Mr Tony Lake, who is a senior White House strategist on Northern Ireland, is reported to be considering a return to academic life. If so, his replacement could be Russian specialist and former Time magazine correspondent, Mr Strobe Talbott, now in the Department of State.
A question mark hangs over the future of the Attorney General, Ms Janet Reno, who suffers from Parkinson's disease.
The defeated Presidential candidate, Mr Bob Dole, has even been mentioned as suitable for a post in the new administration. Republican Senator John McCain has suggested that President Clinton could ask Mr Dole to take on overseas problems. Senator McCain, who is close to Mr Dole, said that the "Clinton administration, if they are smart, would use him in a national security role".
Mr Dole spent a quiet day in Washington visiting his campaign headquarters. Earlier he had said that he would "sit back and watch for a few days and then I'll stand up for what I think is right".
Although President Clinton paid a public tribute to Mr Dole in his victory speech in Little Rock, Arkansas, and both men spoke earlier on the telephone, Clinton aides are still bitter at the personal attacks the Republican candidate made on the President. President Clinton returned to Washington yesterday afternoon from Little Rock and was greeted enthusiastically by over a thousand of his staff and campaign workers on the South Lawn of the White House.
Speaking to the media on Air Force One on the way back to Washington, Mr Clinton emphasised his desire to work closely with the new Republican Congress and pointed to the co operation in new legislation during the closing weeks of the outgoing Congress.
But the Republican leadership warned that there would be more Congressional investigations into the White House. The Senate Republican leader, Mr Trent Lott, said there would soon be a new set of investigative hearings on Capitol Hill looking into the fund raising methods of the Democratic Party and the White House.
The Republicans are also likely to ask the Attorney General for a separate investigation into the millions of dollars raised by Mr John Huang for the Democrats from Indonesian banking contacts.
Senator Chris Dodd, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee said that people were tired of constant headlines about investigations. "I hope these investigations, subpoenas and this stuff will end. I'm telling you, people are sick of it in this country."
As final results continued to come in yesterday, the scale of President Clinton's victory became apparent. Although he did not reach the 50 per cent of the popular vote he wanted badly, he increased his 1992 score of 43 per cent by six points.
But Mr Clinton secured a landslide in the electoral college, where he won 379 of the 538 votes. Mr Dole won 159 and Mr Ross Perot, of the Reform Party, none.