Unraveling The Mystery Of Clinton's Secret Chicago Trip

On Wednesday, the call came in from Chicago: President-elect Obama wanted to meet with Sen. Clinton, in private, the next day.

According to Democratic sources, Clinton disclosed the information to only three people and swore them to secrecy.

Clinton's team went to extreme lengths to keep the trip a secret.  When Clinton arrived at La Guardia airport in New York for the Delta flight, she was the last person to board the plane. In Chicago, she was the first person to disembark.

The subterfuge did not work -- Clinton was spotted as she boarded the plane in New York. It wasn't until later that day, when a pool reporter noticed a second motorcade of black SUVs leaving the underground garage of the Chicago federal building where Obama is holding court, that journalists began to ask whether Clinton had just taken a private meeting with Obama.

Initial confirmation seemed to come from an unnamed Clinton spokesperson who allegedly told NBC's Andrea Mitchell that Clinton was in Chicago for "private business."  Mitchell later clarified that she heard the words from a Clinton "adviser," not from Clinton's Senate office. (The New York Times, in a correction today, attributes "media reports" for the misinformation.)

Neither Clinton nor Obama spokespeople have formally acknowledged that the two had a meeting, although Obama confirmed it on 60 Minutes.

So -- what's responsible for the radio silence between Thursday and today?

A few things:

Sources close to the process have said that Obama and Clinton discussed a variety of possible roles she could play in a new administration, including Secretary of State.

If Clinton is offered a cabinet spot and decides to accept it, it's not unreasonable to expect her to want to think about her options and spend time discussing the offer with her close friends and advisers.

As it happens, three of her top advisers -- former campaign manager Maggie Williams, chief legal adviser Cheryl Mills, and President Clinton -- were out of the country late last week.

Mills, who was Abu Dhabi, has always played a central role on any matters related to the Clinton's joint finances or the presidents' foundation work.  Any vet of Clinton's finances would run through Mills.

Bill and Hillary would be called upon to make decisions about transparency together, and since the former president was in Europe and Kuwait through Sunday, it's not unreasonable to expect Hillary Clinton to want to cogitate with her husband in person.

People close to the Obama transition say they understand all this -- they understood all this last week --- and that there's been no delaying, there's been no acrimony, and that Clinton and her team have acted professionally and appropriately.