Obama's National Security Team

The New York Times, in previewing President-elect Obama's national security team, reports that several key members have more "hawkish" records than he does but that he selected them because they agreed with Obama about the need for a "rebalancing of America's national security portfolio":

When President-elect Barack Obama introduces his national security team on Monday, it will include two veteran cold warriors and a political rival whose records are all more hawkish than that of the new president who will face them in the White House Situation Room.

Yet all three of his choices -- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as the rival turned secretary of state; Gen. James L. Jones, the former NATO commander, as national security adviser, and Robert M. Gates, the current and future defense secretary -- were selected in large part because they have embraced a sweeping shift of resources in the national security arena.

The shift, which would come partly out of the military's huge budget, would create a greatly expanded corps of diplomats and aid workers that, in the vision of the incoming Obama administration, would be engaged in projects around the world aimed at preventing conflicts and rebuilding failed states.

Whether they can make the change -- one that Mr. Obama started talking about in the summer of 2007, when his candidacy was a long shot at best -- "will be the great foreign policy experiment of the Obama presidency," one of his senior advisers said recently.

Click through a slideshow of Obama's national security team, set to be announced on Monday morning:

• • • • • • Secretary Of Defense: Robert Gates

The Associated Press reported that Obama planned to name six "experienced hands" to fill top posts in the administration at a news conference in Chicago on Monday morning:

His selections include longtime advisers and political foes alike, most notably Democratic primary rival Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state and President Bush's defense secretary, Robert Gates, staying in his current post. The two were among six who Obama planned to announce at a news conference in Chicago, Democratic officials said.

The officials said Obama also planned to name Washington lawyer Eric Holder as attorney general and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary. He also planned to announce 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.

And the Wall Street Journal reports that Obama has already named more than a third of his cabinet but that he is taking longer to fill top intelligence posts:

Mr. Obama appears to be having a harder time filling his top intelligence posts, a harbinger of the tough choices facing the president-elect as he considers whether to retain the Bush administration's controversial interrogation and surveillance policies.

Several officials close to the transition process said retired Navy Adm. Dennis Blair was the front-runner to be the director of national intelligence, though they cautioned that the decision hadn't been finalized and probably wouldn't be announced Monday. The officials said that Mr. Obama was impressed by Adm. Blair's reputation as a strong manager.

The officials said the Obama team is still evaluating candidates to run the Central Intelligence Agency. The campaign had planned to tap 25-year CIA veteran John Brennan to run the agency, but he took himself out of the running late last week after liberal elements of the Democratic Party revolted.

Comments

[Jejapail]

I'm a deeply disappointed by all these appointments. Seems like Obama hasn't realized yet that he won the election. So far it all looks like a Bill Clinton's 3rd term.

C'est franchement très décevant tout ca!

[islanbatman]

Keep being disappointed. Its called a peoples government. Not a liberal or conservative one. Deal with it.

[canucklivinginUSA]

Et moi je commence a etre ecoeure par tous les pleurnicheurs comme toi. Et oui, je n'ai pas mis d'accent parce que mon clavier est anglophone

[vegasobserver]

Yes, like a lot of other liberal bloggers here I would like to see Kucinich at State and Noam Chomsky at Defense too, but it just ain't gonna happen.

[canucklivinginUSA]

Noam Chomsky would run at the first mention of nuclear

[adv666]

Yes he has

[pthesmith]

The starting point of your time line misrepresents the data. 9/11 happened while Bush was in office. So, according to your logic, Bush is to blame for 9/11. Hint: Bush is not to blame for 9/11, neither should he be credited that there has not been another attack.

"National security" is an illusion. It is impossible to secure an area so large; literally impossible.
Should we do what we can to secure intelligence about, and neutralize, possible threats? Sure. Should we send our military all over the world to wage war on terrorists? Absolutely not.

Bush has acutally weakend our military by over-stretching them. His failure to understand the complex political/religious structures of the middle east (and our contributions to the complexities) led him to have unrealistic expectations about what our military CAN do, and/or SHOULD do. Our military personnel are under-equipped and are serving 3 and 4 tours in a row. Their families are overburdened and an increasing number of soldiers are suffering from PTSD.

In fact, our security is further threated by our weakened economic condition. Feel free to attribute the recession to Bush and his cronies. But, security? I think not.

[SPQR1052]

Looks like "A-Team" "O" style.

[adv666]

Why are we "rebalancing our National Security Portfolio"??? It seems to me that national security is one thing George Bush got right after the attacks of 9/11. The best thing Obama could do is learn and continue the military tactics put in place by the current administration. What in Gods name leads Obama to believe we are not running our military efficiently? And where does he get the audacity to suggest that through his limited dearth of international experience and military knowledge he will be able to better our "National Security Portfolio"? Have some humility and admit that our current administration has succeed in improving the safety of our nation...

[Simone]

You haven't been paying attention. There are many who disagree with your opinion that George Bush got National Security right or that the Bush administration has improved our safety.

Humility was never in the dictionary used by George Bush and the neo-cons.

[marye13]

Oh, please. Even conservatives know better. Hopefully it won't get worse before January 20.

[PrescottPatriot]

wake up adv666, where in the he!! have you been for the last eight years. W has so totally screwed this country's rep in the world, it will take a generation to fix it. W has ruined the military with overextensions (stop loss is the "nice" way to say conscription). Our entire national security policy in in shambles. I am a Republican and I think this administration has done more to damage our national security than any president in my memory.

I'd say you better go back and read a few newspapers. W has been an abject failure at national security, Obama (or anyone) could do better by taking a four year nap.

I cheer these appointments, even tho I don't necessarily agree with all of them.

[jmk65]

um. with all due respect i'm am a little shocked by your post.

my question would to you would be -- how could you think that george w. did anything right on the national security front. he started a war without provocation (iraq had nothing to do with 9/11) and he has ruined the reputation of this nation across the world. we are less safe than we were in 2001 not more safe.

i would ask politely how you feel our nation is more safe. because i can't even argue against it since it doesn't even compute in my brain that that could remotely be fact. the world looks at us as if we are unilateral war-mongering cowboys.

you really don't see that??

i think barack obama is actually putting thought to our crisis vs. acting emotionally to revenge his daddy's war (george w. for george h.w.). he assembled an incredibly smart an able team to try and thoughtfully work through our nation's obstacles. and i can only hope that he is successful

we should all want our president to succeed no matter who we voted for. divisive tactics should end.

we are one nation. let's succeed. let's have peace and a thriving economy.

i can't believe that any true republican would waste their time walking party lines with what gearge w. has done. we are in this together for the betterment of our nation.

i hope you join us.

[canucklivinginUSA]

LOL, you make me laugh, especially considering that fact that BOOSH admitted that Iraq was a mistake

[adv666]

I think if there is one thing you cannot argue it is that George Bush has built a strong and maintained a strong military. There have been no terrorist attacks on the United States since 9/11 and none on a European ally since 2005. Progress is being made in Iraq, and our military has been training and building the militaries of our emerging allies (see India)... Bush may have done plenty that people do not agree with but building a strong military that assures our national security is not one of them. So why does Obama insists on "rebalancing America's national security portfolio?" I'll answer that for you; he ran on a platform calling for a complete withdrawal of troops in Iraq and now he is forced to change his stance based upon our military's recent success, but he can't completely turn away from his original platform. So to appease all of his hippy, peace be with you and the world voters, Obama is going to rebalance (cut down on) our national security portfolio.­..

[BlueStateMan]

No he hasn't.

[adv666]

yes he has

[adv666]

how could you possibly argue that he hasn't???

[jmk65]

finally hillary can be as left as she really is and can blame it on someone else instead of worrying about her NY constituents.

she has worried too much about polls in the past and not truly been herself.

that wellsley girl is way lliberal and now she can proceed without fear of retribution becusae the buck stops with her boss.

i'm looking forward to it!!!

[myangeldog1]

It is always so refreshing to hear our new President Elect speak. I am so very proud of him !

[BlueStateMan]

Kind of refreshing to hear the Leader of our Nation with a grasp of his native tongue, yes?

[abby4ever]

Did you just flee to this thread to escape Mindy the Spammer?

You'll hurt her feelings!

:]

[jmk65]

isn't amazing?? he can complete a sentence!!! and uses BIG words. like NOO-CLEE-ER

[ocdemo2]

Obama is already the most sustainable president ever. He is a true believer in recycling.

[BlueStateMan]

D+ maybe a C- for spelling..­.. except that "President" should be capitalized.

[AdamAnt12]

Another good one!!

[canucklivinginUSA]

Awwww.... someone needs a hug

[Alien110]

Another perfect pick. She may not be a dual Israeli - US citizen, but she may as well be. Who do you think the next New York treasury secretary will be affiliated with? Here's a hint... Shalom!

[BlueStateMan]

Isn't it time for you to get your armband out of the Maytag?

[ema]

I don't have any serious problems with the members of the foreign policy team because at the end of the day, it's about policy and not personalities.

However, I am concerned that while we have been "sleeping" and the media is talking about the color of Hillary's pantsuit and how well it goes with Barack's tie, the "wa r on ter ror" is being brought full force into Pakistan. It has long been Obama's contention that we must hunt down AQ in the mountains of Pakistan and capture or k!ll BL. So now we have begun limited unilateral military operations in the these regions. And everyone seems either pleased or indifferent because this is what Obama said needs to be done. Stand with the president. Sound familiar?

The violence in Mumbai had everything to do with increasing anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. It's time not to dismantle AQ, but to dismantle the "war on terr or." It has been a ruse and an utter failure.

[AdamAnt12]

So i guess that means you will not be "standing" with the POTUS, come Jan. 20, 2009?

[Jazzcomedian]

For all you progressive lefties who are worried, President-elect Obama has personally called me and discussed all of his potential cabinet picks, and his rational for each one before making the final decision. So far, I have signed off on every one. He has also promised to continue to consult with me before making any more cabinet picks in the future, and to not hire anyone high-level for his administration without my approval. I'm a former supporter of JFK, Eugene McCarthy, RFK, McGovern, and Jed Bartlett, so you can all rest easy. It's all good.

[BlueStateMan]

Thanks, man.

(((whew)))

[CostaDelBarto]

Yeah the Bartlett Presidency was a real milestone.

[marye13]

The Bartlett Presidency helped get me through this current nightmare. I could imagine what a competent, intelligent President could accomplish as opposed to what we had. Fantasyland, I guess.

[Gamble]

great post

[Coinyer101]

for any barack supporters concerned with his cabinet picks, here is a comforting article:

http://washingtonindependent.com/20365/progressive-circle-forming-around-obama

[AdamAnt12]

Somehow, after reading that link, I do not feel any reassurance. I don't know, maybe the fact that ...I don't know what it is...

[canucklivinginUSA]

Awww someone needs a hug

[denver]

I know people question Hillarys first lady's experience­.Lets not forget she was not a average first lady sje ruffled feathers her whole eight years.The right mostly (some on the left are acting like the right shame on you!!) she had their heads exploding because of the involment she had on a day to day basis.She herself had weekly meetings with Madiline Albright former SOS and other cabinet members had to clear her office before it was dent to the presidents­.This is why some right congressman and women thought her office at the time should be like a cabinet office and she should have to report to the congress because of the heavy hand she played and the influence she weilded in the whit house....S­ome poeple have selected memory it seems.She did not just have tea.

[Kalima]

I think that during this time as First Lady, it was precisely that she had lots of tea with other
wives of heads of state, you must have had your "Macho meter" turned off.

[BlueStateMan]

Yes... but what KIND of tea?

[AdamAnt12]

Do not forget about Hllary's failed "health" plan....sh­e was the architect and the advocate of her health plan, and it failed, miserably.

[BlueStateMan]

It was WAY too convoluted­....

[dykalg]

Plus ca change plus c'est la meme chose ;-)

[CostaDelBarto]

Pas du tout :p

[Coinyer101]

i hat e it when people speak in czechoslovakian. i caint unnerstand a word they say.....

[canucklivinginUSA]

Awww, french got you down? Sweetie, I can teach you

[aware4O]

c'est vraiment marrant.

[hardybear]

triste, mais la verité

[CostaDelBarto]

Vraiment?

Since when are oxymoronic statements the same thing as truth?

[canucklivinginUSA]

Pour moi, c'est de la joie