Napolitano Eyed For Homeland Security Role

(CBS/AP)  Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano is "under consideration" by President-elect Barack Obama's administration for the relatively new role of Secretary of Homeland Security, CBS News has learned.

Napolitano was an early Barack Obama supporter from the southwestern part of the country.

Democratic officials also told the Associated Press on Thursday that she is the likely choice for the job. These officials caution that no final decision has been made on the position, which involves directing the massive department created by the Congress in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

The officials agreed to discuss the situation only on grounds of anonymity because of the private nature of the screening process for Mr. Obama's Cabinet. Napolitano, who once was Arizona's attorney general, was among the first of the Democratic governors to commit to him.

Several news organizations reported Thursday that Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, who was Obama's national campaign finance chairman, was his leading choice to become secretary of commerce. However, Pritzker issued a statement Thursday saying she is not a contender for the post.

Officials say Laura D'Andrea Tyson, the former chair of White House Council of Economic Advisers under President Clinton, is in the running for the Commerce job.

Among the names being bandied about as the Obama transition team sets up the new government are several people with long careers as Washington insiders, notwithstanding Mr. Obama's clarion call in his campaign for change in the nation's capital.

Mr. Obama, for example, is enlisting former Senate leader Tom Daschle as his health secretary. Hillary Rodham Clinton seems more likely than ever to be his secretary of state. Clinton is deciding whether to take that post as America's top diplomat, her associates said Wednesday.

And Mr. Obama is ready to announce that his attorney general will be Eric Holder, the Justice Department's No. 2 when Clinton's husband was president. Rahm Emanuel, Mr. Obama's chief of staff, is another veteran of the Clinton White House.

As a border governor, Napolitano has fought to curb illegal immigration, but has been skeptical that building a fence along the border will solve the problem. She once said, "You build a 50-foot wall, somebody will find a 51-foot ladder."

Last year, her state passed a law that requires all Arizona businesses to use the federal online database, E-Verify, to confirm that new hires have valid Social Security numbers and are eligible for employment. This has been one of the cornerstones of the Bush administration's immigration policy.

As governor she has also overseen wildfires and severe flooding and had to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is currently part of the Homeland Security Department.

After the news broke, Sen. John McCain, Mr. Obama's Republican opponent in the election, praised the selection of his fellow Arizonan.

"Governor Napolitano's experience as the former U.S. Attorney for Arizona, Arizona's attorney general, and as governor warrants her rapid confirmation by the Senate and I hope she is quickly confirmed," he said in a statement.

Daschle's selection to head the Health and Human Services Department - confirmed Wednesday but not yet announced - isn't at the same level of Cabinet prestige as the top spots at the State and Justice departments. But the health post could be more important in an Obama administration than in some others, making Daschle a key player in helping steer the president-elect's promised health care reforms.

Daschle could push Mr. Obama for quick action on health care reform next year, if he follows his own advice.

Daschle said efforts during the Clinton administration, led by Mrs. Clinton, took too long and went into too much detail, giving every interest group an opportunity to find something they didn't like about the plan.

"The next president should act immediately to capitalize on the goodwill that greets any incoming administration. If that means attaching a health-care plan to the federal budget, so be it," Daschle wrote in a book he released this year, "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis." "This issue is too important to be stalled by Senate protocol."

The former South Dakota senator's return to the government will be a vindication of sorts. He was the Senate Democratic leader when he was defeated in 2004 by Republican John Thune, who convinced voters back home that Daschle was more concerned with Washington than with them.

In fact, Daschle stayed in the capital city after his defeat, becoming a public policy adviser and member of the legislative and public policy group at the law and lobbying firm Alston & Bird. Daschle isn't registered as a lobbyist. He advises clients on issues including health care, financial services, taxes and trade, according to the firm's Web site.

Health care interests, including CVS Caremark, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, Abbott Laboratories and HealthSouth, are among the firm's lobbying clients.

Daschle's appointment was not formally announced, but Democratic officials said the job was his barring an unforeseen problem as Obama's team reviews his background. One area of review will include the lobbying connections of his wife, Linda Hall Daschle, who has worked mostly on behalf of airline-related companies over the years. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Republicans sniped at what they saw as an unwelcome trend. Alex Conant, spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said, "Barack Obama is filling his administration with longtime Washington insiders."

[rsamps1]

I was expecting President Obama to disband the dept. of Homeland security- after all, it''s simply a part of the Bush/Cheney terror propaganda- all panic, all the time. It''s far from needed, it''s absolutely worthless..

[kansas1946]

Thank you President Bush for your wonderful service to this great nation! You will surely go down in history as one of the best this countrys ever seen. We salute you Mr. President!



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Posted by TheMasses10 at 03:25 PM : Nov 20, 2008
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LMAO. That was a joke, right?

[kansas1946]

Change we can use....change we need....change Washington needs....yadayadayada.....

However had he said he was going to regurgitate the Clinton Administration he would probably have been elected just the same so one has to wonder why Obama didn''''t come clean before the election.


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Posted by likeitis5050 at 03:49 PM : Nov 20, 2008
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Rush is just so brilliant, NOT. The change people want, the change people are getting, is change from the last eight years. We want change from BUSH''s failed policies. Now THAT is change that we can live with.

[tincup356]

The department of Homeland Security,Is a prime example of government waste,how many billions are funneled to the George Bush created lie? They have done nothing more than become a giant ineffective money sucking monster that has spent its time and effort to become secret police with secret rules designed to give the white house the power to declare martial law for any reason they desire to call.Our government has spun out of control and now they are eliminating the middle class as fast as they can while stealing the worlds wealth.

[nolalou]

If Napoletano is so bad, as some of you claim, why did she win a landslide re-election as Governor in a state where illegal immigration is such a big problem. She''s right, building fences is NOT the answer!

How about we actuality let Obama and his team take office first, and see what they can do, before trashing his appointments, some of which are based on rumors, and may not even be true, since he hasn''t announced them! I guess that would be asking too much of you MORONS!

[solarrays247-2009]

....I would suggest doing some research first, before posting with little or no knowledge about this subject...that''''s sooo Palinesque.

Posted by ysmart1 at 12:31 PM : Nov 20, 2008

Perhaps we can forgive them due to the fact that they have probably been dumbed down for Palin''s 10-seconds worth of nonsensical sound-bites?

By the way, I''d like to commend you, ysmart1, for an in-depth and intelligent analysis of why Obama may be considering Gov. Janet Napolitano for this post. This will assist me with my own research, thank you.

[likeitis5050]

Change we can use....change we need....change Washington needs....yadayadayada.....

However had he said he was going to regurgitate the Clinton Administration he would probably have been elected just the same so one has to wonder why Obama didn''t come clean before the election.

[oldguy4truth]

She once said, "You build a 50-foot wall, somebody will find a 51-foot ladder."

Then you push over the Ladder

[oldguy4truth]

Napolitano?

That''s an odd choice. I do not get that one Obama.

[jjorcutt]

You people don''t know what your talking about. Illegal Immigration in Arizona has dropped significantly since Napolitano has been in office thanks to efforts to punish those who really are responsible for the illegals in the first place, the businesses who hire them. She understands what works and what doesn''t regarding border security and has always held the position that the Federal government needs to do more to secure our borders.