Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano, Susan Rice, Jim Jones, and Joe Biden

“ Today, Vice President-elect Biden and I are pleased to announce our national security team.
The national security challenges we face are just as grave and just as urgent as our economic crisis. We are fighting two wars. Our old conflicts remain unresolved, and newly assertive powers have put strains on the international system. The spread of nuclear weapons raises the peril that the world's deadliest technologies could fall into dangerous hands. Our dependence on foreign oil empowers authoritarian governments and endangers our planet.
America must also be strong at home to be strong abroad. ”

“ I have known Hillary Clinton as a friend, a colleague, a source of counsel and a tough campaign opponent. She possesses an extraordinary intelligence and a remarkable work ethic. I am proud that she will be our next Secretary of State. She is an American of tremendous stature who will have my complete confidence, who knows many of the world's leaders, who will command respect in every capital, and who will clearly have the ability to advance our interests around the world. ”

“ President-elect Obama, I am honored by your confidence in me and your support. Your message of change has resonated with the American people, as has the clarity and confidence of your vision of a United States that is safe, secure and effective in the world and at home.
The team you have assembled faces the challenge of protecting our homeland through constant vigilance and relentless work to prevent terrorist attacks. It also will plan carefully and thoroughly so that our domestic response to all hazards is fast, sound, level-headed and effective. Americans deserve no less. ”

“ Thank you, President-elect Obama, for the honor that you have bestowed upon me. I look forward to working with you and the members of this national security team assembled here.
The Department of Justice plays a unique role on this team. It is incumbent upon those of us who lead the department to ensure not only that the nation is safe, but also that our laws and traditions are respected. There is not a tension between those two. We can and we must ensure that the American people remain secure and that the great constitutional guarantees that define us as a nation are truly valued. ”

“ We need to provide education and opportunity to all our citizens, so every American can compete with anyone, anywhere. And our economic power must sustain our military strength, our diplomatic leverage, and our global leadership.
The common thread linking these challenges is the fundamental reality that in the 21st Century our destiny is shared with the world's. From our markets to our security, from our public health to our climate, we must act with that understanding that, now more than ever, we have a stake in what happens across the globe. ”

“ But look, I think if you look at the statements that Hillary Clinton and I have made outside of the – the heat of a campaign, we share a view that America has to be safe and secure and in order to do that we have to combine military power with strengthened diplomacy. And we have to build and forge stronger alliances around the world, so that we're not carrying the burdens and these challenges by ourselves.
I believe that there's no more effective advocate than Hillary Clinton for that well-rounded view of how we advance American interests. ”

“ National security concerns are not defined only by the challenges created by terrorists abroad but also by criminals in our midst, whether they be criminals located on the street or in a boardroom. We must forge new ties and reestablish old bonds with our state and local partners.
There is much that needs to be done in this new century. I am confident that, working with our president-elect, the people on this stage and the departments that they represent, those of both parties who I know and respect on Capitol Hill, we can keep our nation safe, strong and respected. ”

“ We face extraordinary challenges. But I am, as the president- elect is, optimistic – absolutely optimistic – that this team, with the president-elect at our helm, will see to it that America leads not only by the example of our power but by the power of our example. ”

“ In bringing together Senator Clinton, Secretary Gates, Eric Holder, Governor Napolitano, Susan Rice and General Jones, the president-elect has assembled a national security team that is poised, in my view, to recapture the totality of America's strength.
Each member of this team shares the goals and the principles that the president-elect and I have attempted to advance. Each member shares our conviction that strength and wisdom must go hand-in-hand. Each member believes, as we do, that America's security is not a partisan issue – witness the team. ”

“ President-elect, the American people have signaled to the world that our nation is on the path to change. Now we must fulfill that promise by joining with others to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of the 21st century – to prevent conflict, to promote peace, combat terrorism, prevent the spread and use of nuclear weapons, tackle climate change, end genocide, fight poverty and disease. ”

“ We must pursue vigorous diplomacy using all the tools we can muster to build a future with more partners and fewer adversaries, more opportunities and fewer dangers, for all who seek freedom, peace and prosperity.
America is a place founded on the idea that everyone should have the right to live up to his or her God-given potential, and it is that same ideal that must guide America's purpose in the world today. And while we are determined to defend our freedoms and liberties at all costs, we also reach out to the world again, seeking common cause and higher ground. ”

“ 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 and to seize the opportunities embedded in those challenges. We will strengthen our capacity to defeat our enemies and support our friends. ”

“ As in previous administrations, the U.N. ambassador will serve as a member of my Cabinet and an integral member of my team. Her background as a scholar, on the National Security Council and assistant secretary of State will serve our nation well at the United Nations. Susan knows the global challenges we face demand global institutions that work. She shares my belief that the U.N. is an indispensable and imperfect forum. She will carry the message that our commitment to multilateral action must be coupled with a commitment to reform. ”

“ I have always admired Senator Clinton. We have worked together extensively in the Senate. I have always believed that she is tough and smart and disciplined, and that she shares my core values and the core values of the American people. And so I was always interested, after the primary was over, in finding ways in which we could collaborate.
After the election was over and I began to think about my team, it occurred to me that she could potentially be an outstanding secretary of state. ”

“ Given the range of threats that we face, and the vulnerability that can be a part of every presidential transition, I hope that we can proceed swiftly for those national security officials who demand confirmation.
We move forward with the humility that comes with knowing that there are brave men and women protecting us on our front lines – diplomats and intelligence officers in dangerous corners of the world ”

“ We need the United Nations to be more effective as a venue for collective action against terror and proliferation, climate change and genocide, poverty and disease.
Finally, I am convinced that General James Jones is uniquely suited to be a strong and skilled national security adviser. Generations of Joneses have served heroically on the battlefield, from the beaches of Tarawa in World War II to Foxtrot Ridge in Viet Nam. Jim's Silver Star is a proud part of that legacy. He will bring to the job the dual experience of serving in uniform and as a diplomat. ”

“ We will show the world once more that America is relentless in the defense of our people, steady in advancing our interests and committed to the ideals that shine as a beacon to the world – democracy and – [audio break] – because American values are America's greatest export to the world. ”

“ Each member understands that America's military might and economic strength must be married to the power of our ideas and our ideals if we are to deal effectively with dealing with the forces of change, some of which I've mentioned, and if we're going to keep this country we love so dearly prosperous and free. ”

“ In the world we seek, there is no place for those who kill innocent civilians to advance hateful extremism. This weekend, I told Prime Minister Singh of India that Americans stand with the people of India in this dark time. ”

“ But it's also critical that we recognize that the situation in Afghanistan has been worsening, the situation in South Asia as a whole and the safe havens for terrorists that have been established there represent the single most important threat against the American people, and that we're going to have to mobilize our resources and focus our attention on defeating al Qaeda, bin Laden and any other extremist groups that intend to target American citizens. ”

“ And I hope and believe that the American people will come to feel, as I do, that we've brought together one of the most talented national security teams ever assembled, a team prepared to meet the serious challenges we face today and the emerging threats that will confront us tomorrow. ”

“ This president-elect and the team you see before you are prepared to meet the challenges that we will confront. But from my experience at the Department of Justice, I know that we cannot be successful if we act alone. ”

“ We must never forget that, in many ways, those in state and local law enforcement are our first line of detection and protection against those from foreign shores who would do us harm. We will need to interact with our state and local partners in new, innovative ways to help them solve the other issues that they confront on a daily basis. ”

“ That's just a short list of the forces that are shaping the 21st century. And as has been implied by all of the comments thus far, no one country can control these forces; but more than any other country in the world, we have the ability to affect them, if we use the totality of our strength. ”

“ And while they're all committed to having a successful United States, what private assurances have they given you that they will be able to carry out your vision, even when they strongly disagree with that vision, as some of them have been able to do in the past? ”

“ He won the confidence of military commanders, and the trust of our brave men and women in uniform, as well as their families. He earned the respect of members of Congress on both sides of the aisle for his pragmatism and competence. He knows that we need a sustainable national security strategy, and that includes a bipartisan consensus at home.
As I said throughout the campaign, I will be giving Secretary Gates and our military a new mission as soon as I take office: responsibly ending the war in Iraq through a successful transition to Iraqi control. ”

“ President-elect. You've selected a number of high-profile people for your national security team. How can you ensure that the staff that you are assembling is going to be a smoothly functioning – a smoothly functioning team of rivals, and not a clash of rivals? ”

“ Well, I think you heard Joe mention the fact that many of the people who are standing beside me are people who have worked together before, who have the utmost respect for each other. These are outstanding public servants and outstanding in their various fields of endeavor. ”

“ For example, working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress, should I be confirmed, we look forward to actually structuring policies that are both protective and consistent with who we are as a nation. ”