Watson Seeks State Dept. Job in Bermuda : Politics: The local Democrat said that if the consul general post is not open, she would prefer a job in Africa. The Administration is noncommittal.

Could it be that state Sen. Diane Watson’s long wait is over?

After being disappointed in the past, the Los Angeles Democrat said she is “fairly confident” that President Clinton soon may make her political dream come true by naming her to an overseas State Department post. Her first choice? Bermuda. Watson said she is a finalist for the job of U.S. consul general there.

Watson said she told White House officials that if Bermuda is not available, she would like a posting to an island nation or a developing Third World country, preferably in Africa.

Her confidence about an appointment stems from a recent visit to Washington, where she met with White House officials about her prospects. “I was told it was on schedule,” said Watson, whose district runs from Playa del Rey north to Venice, inland to Hancock Park, and includes all or some of Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo and Gardena.

However, Administration officials were noncommittal. One top official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no decision has been made concerning Watson, adding that she is among “a large number of people” under review for the remaining diplomatic posts.

Watson has been angling for such a job for more than a decade. “It started with (then-President Jimmy) Carter,” she said. “I talked with him about it.”