Hillary Clinton hasn’t made up her mind yet whether to take the job, but 28% of U.S. voters say she would make the best secretary of State for incoming President Barack Obama.

The New York senator and former first lady came in second to former Secretary of State Colin Powell though on a list of possible candidates for the job in a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Thirty-three percent (33%) like Powell best.

Clinton is the top vote-getter among women, with 34% support versus 28% for Powell. But 38% of men like Powell best, compared to 21% for Clinton.

Forty-five percent (45%) of Democrats think Clinton would make the best secretary of State, while 26% prefer Powell. Among Republicans, 40% like Powell, but just eight percent (8%) back Clinton. Powell and Clinton are the top choices for unaffiliated voters, but they prefer the former by seven points.

Obama is reportedly interested in Clinton taking the job, pending a satisfactory background investigation of her and her husband, but she is conflicted about giving up her Senate seat. Powell, who was President George W. Bush’s first secretary of State, endorsed Obama just before the election but is not considered a contender for the job this time out.

But for voters, none of the other possible candidates comes even close, although largely due to heavy Republican support, 17% think John McCain, Obama’s GOP opponent in the presidential race, would make a good secretary of State in Obama’s Cabinet.

Former Vice President Al Gore, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, was next with six percent (6%) support, followed by two longtime members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Indiana Republican Richard Lugar (5%) and Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry (4%). All three have been mentioned in news reports as possible candidates for the job. Seven percent (7%) are undecided.

A majority of Americans in mid-September told Rasmussen Reports it’s a good idea for a president to have members of the opposing political party in his Cabinet, but 52% said Obama should not put McCain in his Cabinet.

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When asked to rate Cabinet positions in terms of how important they are right now, a plurality (45%) said secretary of State is the most critical, followed by secretary of Defense (18%). Despite the nation’s current economic woes, only 16% say secretary of the Treasury is the most critical post these days.

Six percent (6%) say attorney general is the most critical Cabinet slot, then secretary of Homeland Security (5%) and secretary of Energy (1%). Ten percent (10%) of voters are undecided.

Interestingly, investors, like non-investors, rate secretary of State as the most critical Cabinet position, but 17% say both secretary of Defense and secretary of the Treasury are the most important. Among non-investors, 20% say Defense secretary is the most critical right now, compared to 11% for Treasury secretary.

Forty-five percent (45%) of whites and 39% of African-Americans agree that secretary of State is the most critical Cabinet job, but 27% of blacks rate Treasury secretary most important, compared to 14% of whites. For 19% of whites, Defense secretary is most important, but only 13% of blacks agree.

Despite the support for Clinton to be secretary of state, 70% of voters think Obama should reach out and appoint new people for his Cabinet rather than including more people who served in the Clinton administration. Just 16% prefer that the new president name more people from the previous administration, and 15% are not sure.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Democrats say Obama should reach out to new people, as do 84% of Republicans and 65% of unaffiliated voters. Twenty-three percent (23%) of Democrats think he should name more people who worked for the last Democratic president, but just 14% of unaffiliateds and nine percent (9%) of GOP voters agree.

Seventy-four percent (74%) of male voters and 66% of female voters say Obama should tap new people for his Cabinet.

Seventy-eight percent (78%) of voters say a president’s Cabinet choices are Very Important to the success of his administration. Only one percent (1%) say they are not at all important.

Two weeks before the election, 53% of voters said presidential candidates should announce at least some of their Cabinet choices before Election Day to help voters make a more informed decision.

Forty-eight percent (48%) say they follow the Cabinet appointments made by a president Very closely, while another 35% say they track them at least somewhat closely. Just two percent (2%) say they don’t follow the appointments at all.

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