ABC reporting James Jones as top candidate for National Security Adviser

[TeamJordan23]

Obama considers Jones for top security job: report

CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is leaning toward selecting retired Gen. James Jones as White House national security adviser, ABC News reported on Thursday.

Jones is among several candidates under consideration for the job, which coordinates foreign policy throughout the administration.

James Steinberg, who was deputy national security adviser in Bill Clinton's administration, is also a candidate for the job.

The ABC report said Jones had emerged as the leading candidate for Obama, who is said to value his advice and likes the idea of hiring someone for the job with more than four decades of active military experience.

ABC also said that retired Adm. Dennis Blair was the top candidate to be the director of national intelligence.

Neither man had been officially offered the job or accepted, according to the ABC report.

Jones is an ex-commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps and former top operational commander of NATO. He is widely respected by both Democrats and Republicans but has avoided aligning himself with either party.

Jones is known to have been a strong critic of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war.

In Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward's 2006 book "State of Denial," Jones is quoted as describing the Iraq war as a "debacle."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081121/pl_nm/us_usa_obama_security

[NewJeffCT]

1. Interesting - I thought Susan Rice might get it

I guess I was wrong.

[camera obscura]

7. Same, but I remember Jones's name coming up during the VP process

[Thrill]

2. More throwing shit against the wall. In hopes that it sticks

[FrenchieCat]

3. Sources are ABC news?

From ABC - Jake Taper of course. :eyes:

"Democratic sources tell ABC News that President-elect Obama appears to be turning to two retired four-stars for his National Security Adviser and his Director of National Intelligence."


side note from ABC article -
On a more personal level, Jones was, like the president-elect, raised abroad, having spent early years in France. And for the president-elect, who once said he'd replace the White House bowling alley with a basketball court, it cannot hurt that the 6'4" Jones is a former Georgetown Hoya basketball player.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/11/retired-four-st.html

[babylonsister]

4. Hmmm. I'll wait and see. Interesting anyway.

They 'MUST' be connected to the Clintons somehow, right? :D

[FrenchieCat]

5. here's some more anonymous Democratic source information......

Obama is said to value Jones' advice and appreciates the signal it sends to put someone with more than 40 years of active military experience in such a senior position. Jones earned a reputation as someone who vocally expressed concern that the Pentagon had become too politicized during the reign of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, another quality Obama is said to admire. Jones also brings with him expertise in two very sensitive international problems that Obama will be faced with immediately upon taking office, having served as chairman of the Congressional Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq, and as special envoy for Middle East Security.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/11/retired-four-st.html

[babylonsister]

6. Whoa! And he plays basketball?!

Thanks for that; the guy sounds stellar! I will still wait to hear this from the horse's mouth, so to speak. ;)

[mmonk]

8. To me, a good choice.

We'll see what happens.