Obama’s choices placate locals

LYNN – Isaac Bantu recently returned to Lynn from an overseas trip that included conversations with people who hope Barack Obama will match his vision of global security with a strong economic policy.”America’s image abroad is tarnished and needs to be repaired,” said the former British Broadcast Corporation correspondent and Liberian native.Bantu thinks Obama’s selection of former rival Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state will sit well with the world, including leaders who respect Clinton.Obama announced the Clinton choice Monday morning and followed it up by naming members of his national security team and completing the nominations for one-third of his Cabinet as he moves quickly to assemble the country’s new leadership in times of war and a troubled economy.His selections include some of his most loyal campaign advisers and notably some who were not, including Democratic primary rival Clinton and Republican President George W. Bush’s defense secretary, Robert Gates, who is to stay in his current post.Obama also named Washington lawyer Eric Holder as attorney general and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary, according to Democratic officials. He also announced two senior foreign policy positions outside the 15-member Cabinet: campaign foreign policy adviser Susan Rice as U.N. ambassador and retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones as national security adviser.Last week, he named key members of his economic team, including Timothy Geithner, president of Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as treasury secretary. Obama is not yet ready to name his intelligence advisers, one Democratic official said.The Clinton choice and Obama’s rapid decisions on his economic team impressed Alex Ayala and Andrea Rastellini. They are both working entry-level jobs because better paying positions in, respectively, the automotive technician industry and archive work, are not available.Bantu said Obama’s family roots in Kenya provide an opportunity to strengthen U.S. ties to Africa and its resource rich but politically-troubled nations.(Associated Press material was used in this report.)