Obama's Women 2

Homeland Security

Gov. Janet Napolitano

President-elect Barack Obama rewarded one of his earliest supporters. She will be the third leader of the department created in 2002. The 51-year-old second term governor of a border state has been known for taking the middle ground on immigration, calling for tougher enforcement of the border but opposing several state proposals that would punish illegal immigrants already living in the state.
Prior to her election as governor of Arizona, she served as the state's attorney general. She also served as a U.S. Attorney during the Clinton administration and spent several years in private practice. Her undergraduate degree is from Santa Clara University and her law degree is from the University of Virginia. She is also a breast cancer survivor.
Interesting commentary by Robert Dekoven in the Gay and Lesbian Times regarding Governor Janet Napolitano. Dekoven’s “Beyond The Briefs” applauds Obama and Napolitano on her nomination to Secretary of Homeland Security.

Obama’s choice of Janet Napolitano as secretary of homeland security is significant for us too.

Napolitano, the current governor of Arizona, is supportive of gay rights and, as secretary of homeland security, can instruct her immigration staff to grant asylum to gay and lesbian refugees who flee persecution in their native countries.

Former Attorney General Janet Reno initiated this concept, but right-wing immigration attorneys in the Bush administration argued to send GLBT people seeking asylum back to their countries of origin, as long as there were remote places where they could hide. (Imagine sending Jews back to Nazi Germany to live in the hills!)

Napolitano will also have the power to remove the homophobic immigration judges DHS hired under Bush, and this will affect other areas of immigration law too. For instance, it will affect whether we can bring our spouses to the U.S., as straights can, without fear they will be sent back.

Labor ?

Hilda Solis ?

A secret hold had been placed on the nomination of Hilda Solis by an anonymous Republican, and Solis had not yet cleared the committee or been scheduled for a full Senate vote. Maybe early February.

U.N. Ambassador

Susan Rice

(picture from http://www.greenfield-sanders.com)

On December 1, 2008, she was nominated by President-elect Obama to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, a position which he also upgraded to cabinet level. Rice is the United States' third woman ambassador to the UN, following Madeleine Albright and Jeane Kirkpatrick. She is also the first black woman to hold the position. Rice was confirmed by the United States Senate by unanimous consent on January 22, 2009. According to Wikipedia, the full title of the U.S. Permanent Representative is

"Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations."

While working on the presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis, an aide encouraged Rice to consider the National Security Council as a future career path. She began her stint with the NSC in peacekeeping and was soon promoted to senior director for African affairs.

When she was named Assistant Secretary of State for Africa by President Bill Clinton at age 32, she became one of the youngest ever to hold that position. Her responsibilities included overseeing the actions of more than 40 nations and 5000 foreign service officials.

Her appointment was regarded with skepticism by some US bureaucrats who cited her youth and inexperience; in Africa, concerns over cultural differences and her ability to deal effectively with traditional African male heads of state were raised. Yet Rice's skill as a charming but firm negotiator and her unflagging determination have aided her in difficult situations. Even critics acknowledge her strengths; one prominent Africa scholar has called her dynamic, a quick study, and good on her feet.