Hillary Clinton watchers interpreted the former first lady's vigorous campaigning on behalf of Barack Obama as a smart insurance policy: were Mr Obama to have lost the election she would have been well positioned to run again in 2012. But sometimes insurance policies pay out in unexpected ways.

Democratic officials confirmed yesterday that Mrs Clinton flew to Chicago on Thursday at Mr Obama's request to discuss an unspecified role in the Obama administration - probably as secretary of state, but Pentagon chief was also cited as a possibility.