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December 1st, 2008 at 11:51 am

Video & Photos: Barack Obama Hillary Clinton Secretary of State, National Security Team Press Conference 12-1-08

Barack Obama at National Security Team press conference, December 1, 2008

President-elect Barack Obama held a press conference on December 1, 2008, announcing his national security team, notable for the much touted appointment of former Presidential campaign rival Senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State and for its bipartisan members including Bush administration Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who retains his cabinet position in the Obama administration.

Also announced at the press conference: Gen. James L. Jones, the former NATO commander, will be national security adviser, Eric H. Holder Jr. as Attorney General, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security and and Susan Rice, ambassador to the United Nations.

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton announced as Secretary of State at National Security Team press conference, December 1, 2008

In his introductory remarks, Obama stressed that this team holds his same vision and commitment: “They share my pragmatism about the use of power, and my sense of purpose about America’s role as a leader in the world.”

Yet all three of his choices — Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as the rival turned secretary of state; Gen. James L. Jones, the former NATO commander, as national security adviser, and Robert M. Gates, the current and future defense secretary — have embraced a sweeping shift of priorities and resources in the national security arena.

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Marine General James Jones at National Security Team press conference, December 1, 2008

President-elect Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Clinton, Marine General James Jones at National Security Team press conference, December 1, 2008

The shift would create a greatly expanded corps of diplomats and aid workers that, in the vision of the incoming Obama administration, would be engaged in projects around the world aimed at preventing conflicts and rebuilding failed states. However, it is unclear whether the financing would be shifted from the Pentagon; Mr. Obama has also committed to increasing the number of American combat troops. Whether they can make the change — one that Mr. Obama started talking about in the summer of 2007, when his candidacy was a long shot at best — “will be the great foreign policy experiment of the Obama presidency,” one of his senior advisers said recently.

Source: Obama Unveils His National Security Team

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton announced as Secretary of State at National Security Team press conference, December 1, 2008

Senator Hillary Clinton

During the press conference, Obama fielded questions that focused on the team’s bipartisan nature in general and, on how and why Senator Hillary Clinton was chosen for Secretary of State. Obama reiterated that campaign differences had been put aside and he praised Clinton’s experience and qualifications, saying that he did not have a “juicy story” for the press. (For more background on the Clinton appointment, see: Evolution of the Obama-Clinton connection.)

Barack Obama National Security Team press conference, December 1, 2008

He continued to stress that he wanted people on his team with strong opinions and that he wanted to avoid “group think.” He said, “I will be setting policy as president. The buck will stop with me.”

Photo credit: Reuters, New York Times, Getty Images North America

Barack Obama, Eric Holder at National Security Team press conference, December 1, 2008