Following her private meeting Thursday with President-elect Barack Obama in Chicago, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D- N.Y.) returned to New York amid swirling rumors that she may be tapped as the new secretary of state.

Speaking at a conference on mass transit in Albany Friday, Sen. Clinton briefly commented on the recent information leak from Obama?s transition team before turning to energy policy issues.

"I'm not going to speculate or address anything about the president-elect's incoming administration, and I'm going to respect his process," she said.

Sen. Clinton added that she is ?looking forward to working with President-elect Obama to get this economy back on track.?

Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowey, of Harrison, thinks her close friend would be an excellent choice for secretary of state.

"She's got rock star quality," Lowey says. "People in Europe and around the world love her, probably more than they do in America, so it's a great choice."

Many political experts and pundits agree that the junior senator from New York has the qualifications, profound knowledge of foreign policy and political gravitas necessary to head the State Department. However, whether or nor President-elect Obama will offer her the job remains to be seen.

If Sen. Clinton decides to leave the Senate, many local politicians, including Lowey, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, may be interested in being appointed to her seat.