Obama Security Team unveiled

In recognition that the first year of his presidency will be dominated by trying to stabilize the domestic economy, Barack Obama has assembled a heavy-hitting and highly experienced national security team – including his former rival for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton.

The president-elect was expected to hold a press conference in Chicago early today to unveil his national security team.

The decision to appoint Senator Clinton to the top foreign affairs job, to continue with Robert Gates as defence secretary and to place General James Jones, the former head of NATO forces in Europe, shows that Mr Obama has put experience and strong opinions ahead of rewarding those who were seen as part of his inner circle.

While there have been some qualms from liberal commentators, who fear this line-up of seasoned advisers will dissuade Mr Obama from a swift end to the war in Iraq, the much stronger sentiment is for support.

Bob Woodward, author and journalist, who has chronicled the Bush Administration’s handling of the Iraq war, described the team as “amazing” and likened it to Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

“You’ve got too cool – or at least appropriately cool – General Jones; Gates is kind of just right, in the middle; and Hillary Clinton, hot,”

The line-up will ensure that Mr Obama is freed from having to keep an eye on detailed implementation, although he will need to ensure that he sets a clear tone for his administration, particularly when it comes to issues on which he campaigned: withdrawal from Iraq, attitudes to torture and incarceration of war prisoners and using international negotiation rather than unilateral approaches, which characterized the first term of the Bush Administration.

Mr Obama says he wants to lead an administration in which strong-willed senior officials are ready to debate forcefully for differing points of view.

Some American supporters of Israel have been buzzing over the potential for conflict between Senator Clinton and General Jones on the Arab-Israeli issues.

General Jones was appointed as a Bush administration envoy charged with trying to improve the often dysfunctional Palestinian security forces.

As part of that assignment, he drafted a report that caused a stir in Israel by criticizing the Israel Defence Forces’ activities in the Palestinian territories.

The only appointment that is truly from his inner circle is Dr Susan Rice, who was one of his senior foreign affairs advisers from the outset of the campaign. She is expected to be made ambassador to the UN.

The appointments face a nomination process before the Senate, which in Senator Clinton’s case could be testing.

While Bill Clinton has agreed to restrictions on his foreign work so his wife can become the nation’s highest diplomat, there are “probably legitimate questions” that remain, Senator Richard Lugar said.

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