Obama Announces National Security Team; Appoints Hillary, Gates, Napolitano

December 1, 2008 11:59 a.m. EST

Chicago, IL (AHN) - President-elect Barack Obama named members of his national security team on Monday, nominating Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) to become the third woman secretary of State and keeping Defense Sec. Robert Gates in his current post.

In a press conference with Vice President-elect Joe Biden at the Hilton Chicago, Obama heaped praise for his former rival, calling Clinton "a friend, a colleague, a source of counsel."

"She possesses an extraordinary intelligence and toughness, and a remarkable work ethic... She is an American of tremendous stature who will have my complete confidence; who knows many of the world's leaders; who will command respect in every capitol; and who will clearly have the ability to advance our interests around the world," the president-elect said.

"Hillary's appointment is a sign to friend and foe of the seriousness of my commitment to renew American diplomacy and restore our alliances... 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," he added.

Obama said Gates will remain in the Pentagon but that his campaign pledge to end the Iraq war "through a successful transition to Iraqi control" also remains one of the top goals of his administration. Saying his team will ensure a strategy to defeat al Qaeda and the Taliban, Obama quoted Gates as having said that "Afghanistan is where the war on terror began, and it is where it must end."

Gates will stay on as Defense secretary because, Obama said, he "restored accountability, won the confidence of military commanders, and the trust of our brave men and women in uniform... He earned the respect of members of Congress on both sides of the aisle for his pragmatism and competence. He knows that we need a sustainable national security strategy - and that includes a bipartisan consensus at home."

The president-elect also named Eric Holder, one of three members of his vice presidential search committee and the former Obama campaign legal adviser, as attorney general.

Holder, who was deputy attorney general during the Clinton administration, was nominated by Ronald Reagan in 1988 as associate judge of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. He also served briefly as acting attorney general under President George W. Bush during the confirmation of the nomination of former Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Obama appointed Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. "Janet assumes this critical role having learned the lessons - some of them painful - of the last several years, from 9/11 to Katrina... 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," he said.

Napolitano, the chief executive of the home state of Obama's Republican rival, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), is a member of the advisory board of the president-elect's transition team. She was also chair of the Democratic Party's 2008 Platform Drafting Committee.

Former campaign adviser Susan Rice will serve as Ambassador to the United Nations. Obama said Rice shares his belief that "the UN is an indispensable - and imperfect - forum" and will "carry the message that our commitment to multilateral action must be coupled with a commitment to reform."

Gen. James Jones, former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) and former Commander of the United States European Command (COMUSEUCOM), was also appointed national security adviser.

"In their past service and plans for the future, these men and women represent all of those elements of American power, and the very best of the American example," Obama said. "We move forward with respect for America's tradition of a bipartisan national security policy, and a commitment to national unity.When it comes to keeping our nation and our people safe, we are not Republicans and we are not Democrats: we are Americans... Together, we will meet the challenges of the 21st century not with fear, but with hope."