Obama announces national security team

President-elect Obama officially announced his nominees for important National Security positions.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) will serve as Secretary of State; Defense Secretary Robert Gates will continue to serve in his position; Eric Holder, former Deputy Attorney General, will serve as Attorney General; Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona, will serve as Secretary of Homeland Security; Dr. Susan Rice, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the Clinton administration, will serve as Permanent UN Secretary; and retired General James Jones, Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, will serve as National Security advisor

“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. They have served in uniform and as diplomats; they have worked as legislators, law enforcement officials, and executives. They share my pragmatism about the use of power, and my sense of purpose about America’s role as a leader in the world,” said Obama during a news conference at the Chicago Hilton hotel.

The President-elect responded to concerns over past ideological differences with some of his nominees, including Hillary Clinton, against whom Obama ran a heated campaign during the Democratic primary.

“I think if you look at the statements that Hillary Clinton and I have made outside the heat of the campaign, we share the view that America needs to be safe and secure and in order to do that we need to use military power with strengthened diplomacy.”