Fil-Ams hail Hillary Clinton appointment as state secretary

CHICAGO, Illinois — Some Filipino-Americans described on Monday the nomination of Sen. Hillary Clinton as US Secretary of State as President-elect Barrack Obama’s “consistent appreciation of her public service record" and “is more than a match for Condy Rice and Collin Powell," her two predecessors.

Greg Macabenta, chair of the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations, said, “I think Obama made a good choice of her as Secretary of State."

Macabenta, the San Francisco, California-based leader of the biggest Filipino-American organization, described the New York senator as having a “unique - very unique - combination of having been the first lady of a president who maintained excellent relations with America's allies and trading partners, and of being senator of a state which has had the most active involvement in foreign affairs and international trade. She certainly is more than a match for Condy Rice and Collin Powell."

Another Filipino-American community leader, Jerry B. Clarito, an elected commissioner of Chicago’s suburban Skokie, Illinois, said, “The appointment of Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of state is consistent with Obama's appreciation of Hillary's public service record. He never missed mentioning Hillary's concern for the welfare of American people."

An Obama supporter, Clarito added, “I think this is the common ground that Obama would like to highlight in including Hillary in his National Security team. Moreover, the appointment is a testament to Obama's respect of Hillary's intelligence and skills.

“Hillary is not only an independent thinker but she is also a team builder who can influence the bipartisan team to pursue Obama's vision of America - a United States of America respected by nations all over the world because of its democratic principles and moral leadership."

Mrs. Clinton, Obama’s rival during the primary, was one of the key members of the national security team whose nomination was announced jointly by President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a news conference here Monday.

The other nominees were Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was asked to remain as secretary of defense; Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder as attorney general; Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; Dr. Susan Rice as ambassador to the United Nations; and selecting General Jim Jones, USMC (Ret) as national security adviser.

"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. To succeed, we must pursue a new strategy that skillfully uses, balances, and integrates all elements of American power: our military and diplomacy; our intelligence and law enforcement; our economy and the power of our moral example. The team that we have assembled here today is uniquely suited to do just that. They share my pragmatism about the use of power, and my sense of purpose about America’s role as a leader in the world," said President-elect Obama.

"It is an honor to be a part of this team, led by the President-elect – a team that will see to it that America can lead the world not only by the example of our power, but also by the power of our example. I believe we have assembled a national security team that is poised to recapture the totality of America’s strength," said Vice President-elect Biden. - GMANews.TV

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