Morning Update: Cabinet Announcements Expected
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is expected to formally introduce his secretaries of state and defense today, rounding out his cabinet. The Washington Post reports Obama will name his primary election rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) to serve as his top diplomat as secretary of state. The Post reports Obama will also ask current U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to continue in his role. Taken alongside Obama’s other cabinet selections, the Post article says Gates and Clinton represent a “daring gamble on an eclectic group of personalities to confront a turbulent world.”
The New York Times reports Clinton’s selection to head the U.S. State Department could come along with a shift in attitude toward the role of that department. The Times says Obama’s vision for tackling major foreign policy issues includes expanding the corps of U.S. diplomats and aid workers in a broadened effort to prevent conflict and rebuild failed states around the world.
The Wall Street Journal also examines Obama’s national security strategy. The article says Obama is moving slowly as he works to select officials to head U.S. intelligence agencies, focusing his search on experienced intelligence leaders who aren’t associated with President Bush’s controversial policies on interrogation methods.
CFR.org’s profile of Sen. Clinton outlines her statements on an array of foreign policy issues.
