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President-elect Obama named Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on Monday morning in Chicago.
The announcement was made during a news conference scheduled to announce a number of cabinet-level positions which deal primarily with national security.
ABC15's Steve Irvin is in Chicago. Read Steve's blog
"She has spent her career, protecting people," Obama said of Napolitano. "She insists on competence and accountability. She understands as well as anyone the consequence of having an un-secure border."
Napolitano apparently moved to the top of the list for her work on border issues as well for her experience in law enforcement having worked in both the U.S. Attorney's office and as the Arizona Attorney General.
"I have a deep feeling that when one is asked to serve by the President-Elect, one is called to serve," said Napolitano. "Particularly in this department that has such a direct connection with Arizona."
She endorsed Obama early on and has drawn praise from Democrats and Republicans alike for her knowledge of border issues and law enforcement experience.
On Friday, Napolitano conceded she would remain in the governor's office until at least January if she were nominated to a position in the Obama administration.
Napolitano does plan to deliver the State of the State address and submit the 2010 budget before leaving for Washington.
Napolitano also vowed to make the transition of power to Secretary of State Jan Brewer as smooth as possible.
"I have confidence in the leadership that will follow me," said Napolitano. "I have confidence in Arizona. Arizona is a resilient and strong state."
Napolitano's appointment to Homeland Security Chief still depends on confirmation in the Senate, but the prospect of her appointment has already drawn praise from Arizona Republican Senators Jon Kyl and John McCain.
Many observers believe she will breeze through the confirmation process.
If confirmed, Napolitano would be the first woman to serve as DHS Secretary.
"This is a call for public service," said Napolitano. "I will always have Arizona in my heart and mind but the President-Elect has called."
Should she resign as governor, the Brewer, a Republican, would succeed her.
"The Governor and I have not had an opportunity to sit down and go through policies," said Brewer. "We have a lot to catch up with."
Napolitano's second term is scheduled to end in 2010.
Napolitano would be departing after six years as Arizona governor and midway through her second four-year term.
The 64-year-old Brewer is a veteran public officeholder, with more than two decades as a legislator, a Maricopa County supervisor and secretary of state. She is a Republican.
Under Arizona's constitution, the Secretary of State assumes the Governor's office if that office becomes vacant.
Obama also named other members of his national security team which includes:
-Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, as Secretary of State;
-Attorney Eric Holder as U.S. Attorney General, who also helped run Obama’s vice-presidential search;
-Retired Marine General Jim Jones as National Security Adviser;
-Dr. Susan Rice as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations;
-Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who will stay in the role for at least a year.
The group includes some who've criticized Obama's lack of foreign policy experience and his stance on ending the war in Iraq. The president-elect said he expects members of his cabinet to disagree with him.
I'm a believer in strong personalities and opinions," Obama said. Quoting former President Harry Truman, "The buck will stop with me."
Last week, Obama named key members of his economic team, including Timothy Geithner, president of Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as treasury secretary. Obama is not yet ready to name his intelligence advisers, one Democratic official said.
Clinton's nomination is the latest chapter in what began as a bitter rivalry for the Democratic presidential nomination. After Obama defeated her, Clinton backed his general election campaign against Republican Sen. John McCain, and she now has agreed to give up her Senate seat to be his top diplomat.
To make it possible for his wife to become secretary of state, party officials said, former President Clinton agreed:
--to disclose the names of every contributor to his foundation since its inception in 1997 and all contributors going forward.
--to refuse donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Global Initiative, his annual charitable conference.
--to cease holding CGI meetings overseas.
--to volunteer to step away from day-to-day management of the foundation while his wife is secretary of state.
--to submit his speaking schedule to review by the State Department and White House counsel.
--to submit any new sources of income to a similar ethical review.
Bill Clinton's business deals and global charitable endeavors had been expected to create problems for the former first lady's nomination. But in negotiations with the Obama transition team, the former president agreed to several measures designed to bring transparency to those activities.
"It's a big step," said Sen. Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who said he plans to vote to confirm Clinton.
Lugar said there would still be "legitimate questions" raised about the former president's extensive international involvement. "I don't know how, given all of our ethics standards now, anyone quite measures up to this who has such cosmic ties, but ... hopefully, this team of rivals will work," Lugar said.
Obama and Clinton clashed repeatedly on foreign affairs during the primary. Obama criticized Clinton for her vote to authorize the Iraq war. Clinton said Obama lacked the experience to be president and she chided him for saying he would meet with leaders of nations such as Iran and Cuba without conditions.
Advisers said Obama had for several months envisioned Clinton as his top diplomat, and he invited her to Chicago to discuss the job just a week after the Nov. 4 election. The two met privately Nov. 13 in Obama's transition office in downtown Chicago.
Clinton was said to be interested and then to waver, concerned about relinquishing her Senate seat and the political independence it conferred. Those concerns were largely resolved after Obama assured her she would be able to choose a staff and have direct access to him, advisers said.
Remaining in the Senate also may not have been an attractive choice for Clinton. Despite her political celebrity, she is a relatively junior senator without prospects for a leadership position or committee chairmanship anytime soon.
Clinton "is known throughout the world, very smart, a little harder line than Senator Obama took during the campaign," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close McCain friend and adviser who is on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, said the Clintons will have to tread carefully to avoid the appearance of conflicts.
"The presumption will be that both Secretary of State Clinton and former President Clinton will be very judicious in what they take on because there's a new dimension here," Reed said. "I think they've put up a good framework. This disclosure, this transparency is the right way to go."
Lugar and Reed both spoke on ABC's "This Week." Graham was on "Fox News Sunday."
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