WASHINGTON — Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, after delivering a speech to the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, said he is not scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama or his staff this weekend to discuss the Health and Human Services secretary vacancy.

“I’m honored to be on someone’s short list, (but) I think I’m an unlikely choice,” Gov. Bredesen told reporters.

He referred all questions on whether he has been vetted for the secretary post to the White House. A message left with the White House media office this afternoon was not returned.

Gov. Bredesen, who is in Washington for the National Governors Association conference this weekend, said he would approve of the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sibelius, who some media outlets have reported is the frontrunner for the secretary post.

During his speech, Gov. Bredesen outlined his vision for universal health care and said the Obama presidency is the transformative opportunity of a lifetime to reform the health care system.

“It’ll be a legacy issue for Obama,” he said.

For complete details, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.