(Adds quotes, details) By Henry J. Pulizzi Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- President-elect Barack Obama pressed lawmakers to quickly confirm his national security team, warning the security challenges facing the U.S. are "just as grave" as the economic crisis.
At a news conference in Chicago Monday, Obama confirmed he will nominate New York Sen. Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State and Robert Gates to remain at the Pentagon as Defense Secretary. He dismissed worries that populating the team with bold figures - and in the case of Clinton, a former rival - could spark discord.
"I assembled this team because I'm a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions. I think that's how the best decisions are made," Obama said. But he gave assurances that the final decisions will be his, referring to President Harry Truman: "The buck will stop with me."
The president-elect also confirmed he will nominate Eric Holder as Attorney General, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Susan Rice as Ambassador to the United Nations. He said he has selected General Jim Jones, USMC (Ret.) as National Security Adviser.
"I am confident that this is the team that we need to make a new beginning for American national security," Obama said.
Obama, who now has named more than one-third of his cabinet, said the security group is working to hit the ground running Jan. 20, the day he takes office, and met earlier Monday to discuss the terror attacks in Mumbai. Those attacks, he said, are a reminder of the broader challenges facing the U.S. and the need for the Senate to move the confirmation process quickly.
"Given the range of threats that we face - and the vulnerability that can be a part of every presidential transition - I hope that we can proceed swiftly for those national security officials who demand confirmation," Obama said.
Asked about the situation in Mumbai, Obama declined to say whether he believed India would be justified in using force inside Pakistan, something he said during the presidential campaign that the U.S. could do if it had actionable evidence that terrorists were based in the country.
"Sovereign nations obviously have a right to protect themselves," he said. But he added that the current administration is engaged in "some very delicate diplomacy" and it would be inappropriate to comment on relations between India and Pakistan.
"What I can say unequivocally is that both myself and the team that stands beside me are absolutely committed to eliminating the threat of terrorism, and that is true wherever it is found," Obama said. "We're going to have to bring the full force of our power - not only military, but also diplomatic, economic and political - to deal with those threats, not only to keep America safe, but also to ensure that peace and prosperity can exist around the world."
Unlike last week, when Obama introduced his economic team, each member of the national security group was given a chance to address the press.
Clinton, Obama's one-time rival for the White House, said she is ready to serve in the administration.
"If confirmed, I will give this assignment, your administration and the country, my all," Clinton said.
The New York Senator's nomination, however, surprised many when it was leaked weeks ago. Clinton and Obama clashed fiercely on the campaign trail, including a number of conflicts on foreign policy.
Clinton criticized Obama for saying he would sit down with the leaders of unfriendly regimes, while Obama suggested Clinton had oversold her foreign-policy credentials. Obama shrugged off that friction, saying that he and Clinton agree on the big picture.
"I think this is fun for the press, to try to stir up whatever quotes were generated during the course of the campaign," Obama said Monday. "But look, I think if you look at the statements that Hillary Clinton and I have made outside of the heat of a campaign, we share a view that America has to be safe and secure and in order to do that we have to combine military power with strengthened diplomacy. And we have to build and forge stronger alliances around the world, so that we're not carrying the burdens and these challenges by ourselves." At the Pentagon, Obama is asking Gates to stay aboard to end the war in Iraq and refocus the military effort on al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The president-elect said the U.S. is now on a "glide path" to cut its combat forces in Iraq, as evidenced by the Status of Forces Agreement passed by the Iraqi legislature.
He said he still believes that 16 months is "the right time frame" to withdraw U.S. combat forces, but said he will listen to the recommendations of his commanders.
Gates said he was honored that Obama asked him to stay on at the Pentagon, which he has led for the past two years.
"Mindful that we are engaged in two wars and face other serious challenges at home and around the world, and with a profound sense of personal responsibility to and for our men and women in uniform and their families, I must do my duty as they do theirs," Gates said. "How could I do otherwise?"
-By Henry J. Pulizzi, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9256; henry.pulizzi@dowjones.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 01, 2008 12:53 ET (17:53 GMT)

Publié le 01 Décembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones