The Obama administration will likely name a White House cybersecurity coordinator within the next few weeks, sources say, after more than five months of delay.

Two people are reportedly in the running. One is Frank Kramer, a former assistant secretary of Defense during the Clinton administration. The other is Howard Schmidt, the president of the International Security Forum and an Air Force veteran. A final announcement is expected later this month.

"They've asked someone and hope to announce it when Congress goes out for Thanksgiving, so it may be in the next week or so," said one source familiar with the candidates. "They want it to be quiet, to avoid the embarrassment of explaining why it took five months."

The White House declined to comment on the possible identity of the "cyber czar," saying only that choosing someone is a "major priority" for President Barack Obama.

"The president is personally committed to finding the right person for this job, [and] a rigorous selection process is well underway," said Nick Shapiro, a White House spokesman.

Obama announced the new White House position during a May speech on cybersecurity. His announcement followed the recommendation of Melissa Hathaway, a senior adviser in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), who chaired a 60-day cybersecurity policy review early in the administration. Hathaway found a lack of leadership on cybersecurity, and recommended a centralized office in the White House to coordinate across agencies.

Several possible candidates reportedly rejected the job this summer because they thought the coordinator would lack resources and authority to do the job.

Those frustrations have driven several high-ranking cybersecurity officials to quit in recent months. Rod Beckstrom, the former director of the National Cybersecurity Center, resigned in March; Mischel Kwon, formerly in charge of the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, stepped down in August; and Hathaway left a temporary post at the White House in August to return to the ODNI.

One former cybersecurity official said the White House coordinator will likely find himself hampered by the same problems.

"It will be a repeat ... the position has no direct authority over operations and no budget authority," said the official. "[And] it is dual-hatted between two White House power players who may have divergent interests."

The coordinator would report to both the National Security Council and the National Economic Council. That could cause tension: The NSC might support shutting down private infrastructure to stop an attack, for example, while the NEC might oppose such a move because of its impact on the economy.

The notion of a cyber czar is also becoming controversial on Capitol Hill. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said last month that he believes the coordinator's position should be Senate-confirmed.

"This would be a Senate-confirmed official, accountable to Congress," Lieberman said during an Oct. 31 speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "This individual would develop a true national cybersecurity strategy and ensure that each agency's operational activities are in line with that vision."

And Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the ranking member on the committee, said last week that she opposes having a cyber czar.

"Truly securing our information technology infrastructure will require more than just high-level strategy and coordination," Collins said in a Nov. 2 speech at George Washington University. "Effectively managing government cybersecurity is going to require more than a few staff crammed into a cubicle in the depths of the White House."

Collins instead supports creating a new cybersecurity center within the Homeland Security Department. The center's director would report to both the president and the DHS secretary.

A spokesman for Lieberman said he still supports a White House coordinator, despite Collins' opposition.

"[He] feels strongly that a White House cybersecurity coordinator is necessary so that all executive branch departments … are on the same page," said Leslie Phillips, Lieberman's communications director. "[His] legislation will contain a provision calling for [a cybersecurity coordinator] because he thinks it is the right thing to do."

Phillips said Lieberman still expects a bipartisan-supported bill to come out of the committee.

The White House said the nature of the position — an advisory role, accountable to the president — requires the coordinator to work out of the White House.

"The importance of this position places it in the White House, and the fact is, this position is that of a ‘coordinator' between agencies on cross-cutting issues," Shapiro said. "This position does not have independent authority ... the responsibility of this person is to coordinate, not unilaterally direct the activities of the federal government."