Clintons chosen to drop New Year's ball

NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The mayor of New York said former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will push the button to drop the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the former president and his wife, who has been named secretary of state in the administration of President-elect Barack Obama, will press the button that signals the ball to begin lowering at 11:59 Thursday night, WCBS-TV, New York, reported Tuesday.

"I can't think of anyone I would rather stand at the crossroads of the world at the beginning of this new year than Bill and Hillary Clinton," Bloomberg said. "Both together and as individuals, Senator and President Clinton have brought hope and opportunity to New York, to the nation and to the world."

The nearly 12,000-pound ball is twice the size of previous balls, measuring 12 feet in diameter. The ball, which is covered in 2,668 Waterford Crystals, is also 20 percent more energy efficient than last year's ball, officials said.