Job Bank

By Ann Blackman/Washington

When President Clinton chose MADELEINE ALBRIGHT over GEORGE MITCHELL and RICHARD HOLBROOKE to be Secretary of State, both men took the disappointment graciously and then devoted themselves to thorny problems--Mitchell in Northern Ireland, Holbrooke in Bosnia, Kosovo and Cyprus. Now, with U.N. Ambassador BILL RICHARDSON expected to move to the Energy Department, friends of Holbrooke are lobbying Clinton to appoint him to the post. Clinton admires Holbrooke's negotiating skills and his ability to "rattle the china," as a top White House official put it. Also, Holbrooke is close to AL GORE. But Mitchell is also being mentioned, though officials are not sure he wants the job. "If he wants it, it would be hard to say no to him," says an insider. Albright, for her part, is torn. She recognizes Holbrooke's talent but feels he sometimes acts as if he, not Clinton, is President. "He sucks up a room," says an insider at State. "He's smart as hell, but sometimes you want to wring his neck." Albright's dilemma: Does she want a successful team player or a brilliant guy who has the ear of the Prez and the Veep--and might make an end run?

--By Ann Blackman/Washington