Will she or won’t she?

There are mixed reports out today as to whether Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, will in fact accept the secretary of state job if President-elect Obama offers it to her.

A person familiar with her thinking told The New York Times that Clinton has reservations about accepting the post, although she is flattered by Obama’s reported interest. She’s apparently agonizing over the decision. Clinton likes being her own boss and is reluctant to give up the independence that comes with that, said the adviser.

“If you are secretary of state you work for the president,” the adviser said in an e-mail to the Times. “If you are a senator, you work for yourself and the people that elected you.”

The Clinton camp on Tuesday sought to rebut reports that her hubby Bill’s finances and other interests could block her appointment – such as the donors of his foundation and who’s signing his paychecks.

“Issues around W.J.C. won’t be the stumbling block,” the adviser to Hillary Clinton said in the e-mail message to the Times. “She hasn’t decided whether she wants to leave the Senate.”

The Wall Street Journal says Bill Clinton has offered to submit future charitable and business activities to strict ethics reviews if his wife is nominated. He has also agreed for the first time to disclose many of the previous donors to his efforts.

"This is a big step … to indicate the vetting process is going forward," MSNBC politics guru Chuck Todd said Wednesday morning. "It’s now going to be in Hillary Clinton’s court in accepting this." 

The Huffington Post reports that the former First Lady has engaged three prominent lawyers to help Obama vet her candidacy for the diplomatic post, even though some insiders criticized the pick.

Attorneys Cheryl Mills, David Kendall and Robert Barnett — all three of whom worked with the Clintons on previous legal matters, including that little controversy named “Monica Lewinksy” and the ensuing impeachment proceedings — are working with the Obama transition team to review information about the Clintons’ background and finances, including Bill Clinton’s post-presidential business deals and relationships with foreign governments.

Officials said the vetting has gone smoothly and that both Clintons were cooperating fully.

Democratic sources said Bill Clinton has suggested he would step away from day-to-day responsibility for his charitable foundation while his wife served and would alert the State Department to his speaking schedule and any new sources of income.

Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic reports that the former president would readily agree to disclose whatever he needs to make his wife’s life easier.