01 December 2008
National Security Team Announced by Obama
Clinton picked for secretary of state, Gates to stay on at Pentagon
Washington — President-elect Obama has announced choices for his national security team, calling for “a new dawn of American leadership.”
Speaking in Chicago on December 1 with Vice President-elect Biden, Obama named Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as his choice for secretary of state, asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to stay on and chose former Marine General James Jones as his national security adviser.
Obama also announced Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as his choice for secretary of homeland security, Eric Holder as attorney general, and Susan Rice as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Obama said the destiny of the United States is shared with the rest of the world. “From our markets to our security, from our public health to our climate, we must act with the understanding that, now more than ever, we have a stake in what happens across the globe,” he said.
“We will renew old alliances and forge new and enduring partnerships. We will show the world once more that America is relentless in defense of our people, steady in advancing our interests, and committed to the ideals that shine as a beacon to the world: democracy and justice, opportunity and unyielding hope — because American values are America’s greatest export to the world.”
New York Senator Clinton was Obama’s principal rival for the Democratic presidential nomination but campaigned on his behalf after he became the party’s nominee. She was first lady of the United States between 1993 and 2001.
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Clinton would be Obama’s chief foreign policy adviser as well as the top diplomat representing the United States on the world stage. Clinton would manage the 260 embassies, consulates and other U.S. posts in 188 countries as well as oversee U.S. international assistance programs.
“Hillary’s appointment is a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy and restore our alliances,” Obama said. “There is much to do — from preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to Iran and North Korea, to seeking a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, to strengthening international institutions.”
Gates, the current secretary of defense, has served in that position since December 2006. Previously, he was the president of Texas A&M University and had a long career in the Central Intelligence Agency, including serving as director of central intelligence from 1991 to 1993.
Gates provides civilian oversight and management of all branches of the U.S. military as they engage in military operations, provide humanitarian aid and peacekeeping, supply disaster relief and secure the homeland.
Obama repeated his goal of withdrawing U.S. combat forces from Iraq within the first 16 months of his presidency, saying Gates and the U.S. military will be asked to responsibly end the war “through a successful transition to Iraqi control,” and to “ensure that we have the strategy — and resources — to succeed against al-Qaida and the Taliban.”
National Security Adviser-designate Jones “will bring to the job the dual experience of serving in uniform and as a diplomat,” Obama said. Jones, from 2007 to 2008, was special envoy for Middle East security, working with Israel and the Palestinians on security issues, including building the Palestinian Authority’s security forces. As a general, he was the supreme allied commander of Europe between 2003 and 2006 and the commandant of the Marine Corps between 1999 and 2003.
As national security adviser, Jones will serve on the National Security Council. Jones and his staff will support the president and the NSC through research and briefings.
“He will advise me and work effectively to integrate our efforts across the government, so that we are effectively using all elements of American power to defeat unconventional threats and promote our values,” Obama said.
Napolitano first was elected governor of Arizona in 2002. She was appointed as the U.S. attorney for Arizona in 1993 and she won election as the state’s attorney general in 1998.
If confirmed by the Senate as secretary of homeland security, Napolitano would hold the newest Cabinet position, created in 2003 in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Along with protecting the United States from terrorism, she would also oversee emergency disaster response, border control and customs. The Department of Homeland Security includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Napolitano “knows firsthand the need to have a partner in Washington that works well with state and local governments. She understands as well as anyone the danger of an unsecure border, and she will be a leader who can reform a sprawling department while safeguarding our homeland,” Obama said.
Susan Rice, a former Rhodes scholar, has been a senior foreign policy adviser to Obama and is a member of the Obama-Biden transition advisory board. She was assistant secretary of state for African affairs between 1997 and 2001 and served on the National Security Council between 1993 and 1997. Obama said he plans to restore the U.N ambassador post to Cabinet-level status.
“Susan knows that the global challenges we face demand global institutions that work,” Obama said. “She shares my belief that the U.N. is an indispensable — and imperfect — forum. She will carry the message that our commitment to multilateral action must be coupled with a commitment to reform. We need the United Nations to be more effective as a venue for collective action — against terror and proliferation, climate change and genocide, poverty and disease.”
Obama’s choice as the top U.S. law enforcement official is Eric Holder. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Holder will be the first African-American attorney general. His father immigrated to the United States from Barbados, and he grew up in New York City.
Holder would head the U.S. Department of Justice, which enforces federal law and fights crime and other threats. Along with prosecuting cases on behalf of the U.S. government, the department oversees the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
All of the president-elect’s choices share “our conviction that strength and wisdom must go hand-in-hand” and understand that U.S. military and economic strength “must be married to the power of our ideas and our ideals if we are to deal effectively with … the forces of change,” Vice President-elect Joe Biden said at the event.
