Re: Obama considers retired general (James Jones) for security adviser

On Nov 21, 6:02 am, Jack Linthicum <jacklinthi...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Obama considers retired general for security adviser

REUTERS
Reuters North American News Service

Nov 20, 2008 22:24 EST

By Caren Bohan and Jeff Mason

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Retired Marine Gen.JamesJonesemerged as a
leading contender for White House national security adviser as
President-elect Barack Obama worked Thursday to assemble his foreign
policy team.

Democratic sources saidJones, the former top operational commander of
NATO, was in the running for the job along withJamesSteinberg, who
was deputy national security adviser in President Bill Clinton's
administration.

An ABC News report saidJoneswas Obama's preferred candidate and the
president-elect valued in particular his more-than four decades of
military experience.

Jonesis widely respected by both Democrats and Republicans but has
avoided aligning himself with either party.

He is known to have been a strong critic of the Bush administration's
handling of the Iraq war.Jonesis quoted as describing the Iraq war
as a "debacle," in Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward's 2006 book
"State of Denial."

While refusing to confirm it publicly,Joneshas not disputed the
quote, published while he was still serving at NATO.

Woodward also reported thatJonesbelieved former Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld had "systematically emasculated" the U.S. military's
Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Jonesgrew up largely in Paris, France, and graduated from Georgetown
University's School of Foreign Service.

The ABC News report said that Obama, who spent part of his childhood
in Indonesia, feels a kinship withJonesbecause of his upbringing
overseas.

NARROWING CHOICES

The national security job coordinates among the various foreign policy
players in the administration, including the secretary of defense and
the director of national intelligence. The person in that role would
be Obama's closest adviser on foreign policy on a day-to-day basis.

<snip>

Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano was seen by many Democrats as
a strong contender to head the Homeland Security Department, created
to protect Americans after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

Napolitano, 50, is a former U.S. attorney for Arizona and state
attorney general, giving her substantial law enforcement experience.
As governor of a state that borders Mexico, she is closely involved in
immigration issues, which also come under the department's
jurisdiction.

Two Democratic sources said Napolitano was the leading candidate for
the job.

ABC News also reported that retired Adm. Dennis Blair was the top
candidate to be the director of national intelligence.

None of those mentioned has been officially offered the job or
accepted, according to the ABC report.

He is known for being low-key but blunt: Journalist Bob Woodward wrote
that Jones told then-Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace that he "should
not be the parrot on the secretary's shoulder," referring to Donald H.
Rumsfeld.
.

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