Hillary’s in at State? New York out?

UPDATE: This announcement just came from Clinton’s office:

“We’re still in discussions, which are very much on track. Any reports beyond that are premature.”

– Philippe Reines, Senior Advisor, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

Some speculation today suggests that Hillary Clinton will be offered the Secretary of State post after Thanksgiving.

But the New York Times says it’s already a done deal.

Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to give up her Senate seat and accept the nomination for secretary of state after further talks with President-elect Barack Obama about her role, two confidants said Friday.

A loss for New York? For the North Country? Clinton spent a lot of time up here and had relatively deep connections in the region.

If Clinton’s out, will the region’s influence diminish even further? Depends on her replacement pick, obviously.

Most speculation focuses on distinctly downstate figures: Andrew Cuomo tops the likely list.

What do you think?