Blog.WBRU

Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton
President-elect Obama describes her as a woman with “extraordinary intelligence and toughness” who will “command respect” in capitals around the world.

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s nomination as secretary of state marks another milestone for a former first lady who was the first to win elective office, the first to run for president herself and now the first to be chosen for a Cabinet position.

At the Chicago news conference where Obama introduced her and the rest of his national security team, Clinton thanked Obama and said she was “proud” to join his team.

She said by electing Obama, the American people are demanding an effort to “renew America’s standing in the world as a force for positive change.” Ticking off a list of challenges facing the
world, including global warming and the threat of terrorism, she said the U.S. would not be able to solve any of them without the rest of the world, and that the world cannot solve them without America.

Photo courtesy Obama campaign flickr account, licensed under Creative Commons.

Secretary of Defense: Robert Gates
Robert Gates says it’s “a profound sense of personal responsibility” to American troops and their families that persuaded him to agree to stay on as defense secretary.

Once he takes office, Obama says he will be giving the military a new mission: “responsibly ending the war in Iraq through a successful transition to Iraqi control.”

Gates is expected to provide a steady leadership as the country goes through its first wartime presidential transition since Vietnam. He’s considered a pragmatist who has worked on national
security issues for Presidents Carter, Reagan and both Bushes.

Speaking of the troops overseas, Gates said “I must do my duty as they do theirs,” adding “How could I do otherwise?”

Secretary of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano
If confirmed, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano will become only the third secretary of Homeland Security. And President-elect Barack Obama say she will bring “the experience and executive skills” the job requires.

As a border state governor, she has fought to curb illegal immigration and supported measures to enhance the security of state driver’s licenses - issues that would fall under her purview at the Homeland Security Department.

Obama says Napolitano “understands as well as anyone the danger of an unsecure border.”

Wildfires and severe flooding in Arizona have also given her experience with another agency she’ll oversee: the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Napolitano vowed that the Obama team “will plan carefully” and thoroughly so that the federal response to such disasters, as well as preventing terrorist attacks, is done in a way that’s “fast, sound, levelheaded and effective.”

Attorney General: Eric Holder
President-elect Barack Obama says his pick for the nation’s top prosecutor will not only protect the America people, but also “uphold the public trust, and adhere to” the Constitution.

If confirmed, Eric Holder would become the nation’s first black attorney general. He would also inherit a Justice Department that’s struggled with low morale in recent years. The tenure of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, which ended months ago, left behind an image of a overpoliticized department that was too close to the White House and its political goals.

Obama says Holder will bring a needed “combination of toughness and independence.”

For his part, Holder says he looks forward to working with Congress to craft policies that are “both protective and consistent with who we are as a nation.” He expressed confidence that the Obama team would keep the nation “safe, strong, and respected” around the world.

Holder is expected to face tough questioning in the Senate about his role in the pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich at the end of the Clinton presidency.

(AP)