Washington Post, December 1st, 2008

CHICAGO, Dec. 1 — President-elect Barack Obama Monday formally announced a national security team that is led by his onetime chief Democratic rival and includes a top member of President Bush’s Cabinet — a bipartisan group that he said shares his pragmatism and his commitment to strengthen America’s standing in the world.

In a news conference in Chicago, Obama introduced Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) as secretary of state, bringing on board the candidate who battled him for the Democratic presidential nomination during a long primary season. As America’s top diplomat, Clinton will be the face of Obama’s efforts to remake the country’s foreign policy.

Obama also announced that Bush’s defense secretary, Robert M. Gates, has agreed to remain in the job in the new administration, providing continuity while taking on what the president-elect said would be a new mission: “responsibly ending the war in Iraq through a successful transition to Iraqi control.”

As he introduced Clinton, Gates and other members of his team, Obama stressed that “in the 21st century, our destiny is shared with the world’s” and that the United States has a stake in global events regarding such matters as financial markets, public health, climate change and security from terrorism.

“And so, in this uncertain world, the time has come for a new beginning — a new dawn of American leadership to overcome the challenges of the 21st century,” Obama said. “We will strengthen our capacity to defeat our enemies and support our friends. We will renew old alliances and forge new and enduring partnerships. We will show the world once more that America is relentless in defense of our people, steady in advancing our interests, and committed to the ideals that shine as a beacon to the world: democracy and justice; opportunity and unyielding hope — because American values are America’s greatest export to the world.” More…

Posted on Monday, December 1st, 2008 at 10:05 am in National News.