CHICAGO – President-elect Barack Obama is filling his Cabinet at record speed, choosing loyal friends and one-time foes to guide his wartime foreign policy decisions.
Obama on Monday announced Democratic primary rival Hillary Rodham Clinton as his secretary of state and said that President George W. Bush’s defense secretary, Robert Gates, is staying on.
Obama also named Washington lawyer Eric Holder as attorney general and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary. He also announced two senior foreign policy positions outside the Cabinet: campaign foreign policy adviser Susan Rice as U.N. ambassador and retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones as national security adviser.
The announcements rounded out the top tier of the team that will advise the incoming chief executive on foreign and national security issues in an era marked by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and terrorism around the globe.
“The time has come for a new beginning, a new dawn of American leadership to overcome the challenges of the 21st century,” Obama said as his Cabinet picks stood behind him on a flag-draped stage.
“We will strengthen our capacity to defeat our enemies and support our friends. We will renew old alliances and forge new and enduring partnerships.”
Obama said his appointees “share my pragmatism about the use of power, and my sense of purpose about America’s role as a leader in the world.”
Obama also has settled on former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle to be his secretary of Health and Human Services and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to be Commerce secretary. Last week, he named key members of his economic team, including Timothy Geithner, president of Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as Treasury secretary.
The decisions mean Obama has half of the 15-member Cabinet assembled less than a month after the election, including the most prominent positions at State, Justice, Treasury and Defense. With the world grappling with war, recession and terrorist threats that erupted this week during coordinated attacks in India, Obama was moving swiftly to try to bring reassurance and continuity in the federal government when he takes over in less than two months.
Concessions by former President Clinton
Clinton’s nomination is the latest chapter in what began as a bitter rivalry for the Democratic presidential nomination.
To make it possible for his wife to become secretary of state, party officials said, former President Bill Clinton agreed to:
- Disclose the names of every contributor to his foundation since its inception in 1997 and all contributors going forward.
- Refuse donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Global Initiative, his annual charitable conference.
- Cease holding CGI meetings overseas.
- Volunteer to step away from day-to-day management of the foundation while his wife is secretary of state.
- Submit his speaking schedule to review by the State Department and White House counsel.
- Submit any new sources of income to a similar ethical review.
Speaking at the news conference Monday, Clinton pointed to recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai and elsewhere, saying, “America cannot solve these crises without the world and the world cannot solve them without America.”
Gesture of goodwill?
Obama’s choice of Hillary Clinton was an extraordinary gesture of good will after a year in which the two rivals competed for the Democratic nomination in a long, bitter primary battle.
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Hillary Unleashed 
Well, I guess to a degree she has a point. Edge and I understand each other perfectly. As well as I understand Hillary’s point of view, looking at the bigger picture where she acted accordingly.. Believe me if there was a choice between Hillary or Kerry as SOS… I know she made the right decision.
During the primary campaign, it was obvious to me Hillary always had our best interests at heart and the reason she was my candidate from the get-go. The crowds Hillary played to while campaigning for Obama were not Hillary supporters, they were anything but.
Hillary did her best to level the playing field during the nomination process with the help of thousands of Pumas… and you know how that turned out. My confidence in Hillary is unwaivering. She has 100% of my support.
Actually, Allesandro has given me an idea where he is concerned about Huffpo and the media sabotaging Hillary’s
duties as SOS. We need another page added to this blog devoted to the vultures, the wolverines, the scavengers…
Right off, I can think of an appropriate page title for it… taking suggestions…if you or anyone have ideas..
ellurian,
I imagine edge meant that if Hillary’s been *un* leashed, that
means she was once leashed…it’s not the best image to evoke.
[…] Dec 1st. Obama names Clinton to top role in his team. « Hillary … To make it possible for his wife to become secretary of state, party officials said, former President Bill Clinton agreed to:. Disclose the names of every contributor to his foundation since its inception in 1997 and all contributors … […]
[…] Dec 1st. Obama names Clinton to top role in his team. « Hillary … Disclose the names of every contributor to his foundation since its inception in 1997 and all contributors going forward. Refuse donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Global Initiative, his annual charitable conference. … […]
Thanks, Alessandro-
Yes, just reading msnbc and they are staking out the parameters of Hillary’s position like jackals stalking their prey.
It is to be the subject of my next post.
They may never change; but I have.
Congrats on your new blog site, I just added it to http://www.DailyPUMA.com
MSNBC and Huffington Post are the fronts for what I believe to be fraudulent and pre-ordained news coverage. Hillary has helped exposed the fraud by running against it, that will never change.
“I know Hillary will work her heart and soul out to do a good job. And she will not sit back. She will have her say.
Obama was smart to pick her—He needs her more than she needs him.
Best wishes Hillary.
still a puma.”
yes, morninmist, I can always count on you letting fate have her way with us because fate always presents opportunity… the same choices we are presented with everyday.
If you don’t answer the knock on the door you’ll never know the opportunity you have missed. Or missed knowing what your mission on earth really is…I think we have reached a point of agreement. We all play a role, those who care about mankind, on the legacy we choose to leave to our children.
I see all good people here… the sky is the limit!
edge, please elaborate… you think just the opposite, she’s been leashed?
Well, I agree with you to a point, JB.. One thing you’ll have to admit is true, we’ve never had a women in the highest cabinet postion in the WH with the Super Stardom Status of Hillary Clinton.
Hillary emits an incredible aura of trust with foreign leaders because she represents the Clinton years… and Clinton think.. I couldn’t in good conscience put Rice in that category.
I think she will need protection from the media as they scrutinize and comment on every move she makes. As a matter of fact, I would have made it part of taking the position of SOS silencing the media making it an issue of National Security. LOL!
Hey, if the Bushes can do it!
Now appoint Bill and Holbrook as Ambassadors at large and assign them as a team to Israel/Palestine to get Taba/Geneva formalized and accepted, Afgan/India/Pakistan – where the three are treated as one with which to get a common agreement, and Iran/US with a trade of a slow down in nuke development in return for economic cooperation and social acceptance.
Hillary can both handle the rest of the world and supervise those two on their 3 missions, while Obama gets PR with his promised trip to Great Britain – and maybe another speech/photo op in Berlin.
That should give her time at the end of Obama’s term to run against him in 2012.
🙂
I know Hillary will work her heart and soul out to do a good job. And she will not sit back. She will have her say.
Obama was smart to pick her—He needs her more than she needs him.
Best wishes Hillary.
still a puma.
Dunno…I find the title of the blog ironical to say the least.
Congratulations on the new blog site, but I’m not entirely sure how or why Hillary being SoS is a good thing:
— for her,
— for women generally (unless she insists on being able to take serious steps to further her early theme of “women’s rights are human rights, etc.” — and even then that would only affect women outside the U.S.), or
— for women candidates (seems to me it’s a step backwards; we’ve had many women appointees at high levels, including 2 of the last 3 secretaries of state — but NO women elected president, V-P, or Senate Majority Leader, and only one joke of a very anti-female woman as House Speaker).
In short, especially with all the concessions from Bill Clinton, this appointment seems like a naked ploy to undermine Hillary and independent women leaders generally, and completely unravel the potential for Bill’s post-presidency legacy (along with grabbing up all his donors and supporters). I understand why BO wants to hamstring both of them, but I don’t understand why either one of them is agreeing to go along.
Sorry for the negativity — I’m just not feeling good about any part of the past month, or the next 3+ years.
PUMA forever!