THE NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM: A CLOSER LOOK

HILLARY CLINTON, secretary of state

The woman who wanted to be president stepped up to a podium too tall, turned the microphones down and began by addressing the man who defeated her: “Mr. President-elect.”

With her words on Monday, Clinton, who in the Senate emerged from the long shadow of her husband, stepped into a supporting role for another man, this one her former rival.

And while it’s hard to see the position of secretary of state as anything but the highest honor, Clinton appeared somber as Obama introduced her and the rest of his foreign policy team.

Some insiders have questioned whether Clinton is too independent and ambitious to serve Obama as secretary of state. But she said Monday that her Senate seat had prepared her for the task: “After all, New Yorkers aren’t afraid to speak their minds and do so in every language.”

At Monday’s news conference, Obama expressed his confidence in his selection of Clinton.

“I think she is going to be an outstanding secretary of state. And if I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have offered her the job. And if she didn’t believe that I was equipped to lead this nation in such a difficult time, she would not have accepted,” he said.

ROBERT GATES, defense secretary

With two years of experience already on the job, Gates is expected to provide a steady hand for the first wartime presidential changeover since Vietnam.

The 65-year-old Pentagon chief is considered a pragmatist, has worked on security issues for a long succession of American presidents and is associated with the improved fortunes in the Iraq campaign during his tenure.

Gates will serve as a bridge not only between the outgoing and incoming administrations, but also could lend stability for a military that has come under unprecedented stress from fighting in two conflicts at once.

Gates said he felt it was his duty to continue in his role and said he was “honored to serve President-elect Obama.”

The appointment of Gates, a close friend of the Bush family, fulfilled Obama’s campaign promise to name a Republican to his cabinet.

SUSAN RICE, U.N. ambassador

Rice, the first African-American woman named as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, brings to the job a lifetime’s work on international issues, an insider’s knowledge of the White House and State Department, and close ties to Obama.

When Obama announced the appointment of his “close and trusted” senior foreign policy adviser to the U.N. post on Monday, he said Rice would be a member of his Cabinet like some of her U.N. predecessors “and an integral member of my team.”

That could give Rice —- a Clinton administration foreign policy veteran who has prepared for her new role since she was a Rhodes scholar studying international relations in the late 1980s —- a top spot in shaping U.S. foreign policy.

Rice has roots at Stanford University, where she received her bachelor’s degree, just like another famous African-American female foreign policy expert —- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is no relation.

If confirmed, she will follow three African-American men who have served as U.S. ambassadors to the U.N.: Andrew Young from 1977-79; Donald McHenry from 1979-81; and Edward Perkins from 1992-93.

JANET NAPOLITANO, secretary of homeland security

Napolitano, the governor of Arizona, would be the third secretary of the Homeland Security Department.

A former federal prosecutor and state attorney general, she brings a well-rounded skill set to the task.

As governor, she fought to curb illegal immigration and supported measures to enhance the security of state driver’s licenses —- issues that would fall under her purview at the Homeland Security Department. She has also overseen efforts to combat wildfires and severe flooding, and she worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which she would have in her homeland security portfolio as well.

ERIC HOLDER, attorney general

Washington lawyer and Justice Department veteran Eric Holder would become the nation’s first black attorney general.

If confirmed, he will inherit a department that has been beset by controversy and low morale. In introducing Holder on Monday, Obama sought a break from the long shadow of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who was criticized for politicizing hiring decisions and acting too closely in concert with the White House.

“Let me be clear,” Obama said at a Chicago news conference. “The attorney general serves the American people. And I have every expectation that Eric will protect our people, uphold the public trust and adhere to our Constitution.”

Though widely respected by lawyers in and out of government, Holder is expected to face tough questioning in the Senate about his role in the 2001 pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich. On the last day of Clinton’s term, Holder, the deputy attorney general, told the White House he was “neutral, leaning toward favorable” regarding a presidential pardon for Rich, who had spent years running from tax charges.

The pardon provoked protests and a congressional investigation. Holder later publicly apologized for what he called a snap decision and said he would have advised against it had he paid more attention to the case.

GEN. JAMES L. JONES, national security adviser

President-elect Barack Obama’s pick to be national security adviser is a Vietnam war veteran who rose to become a Marine four-star general and NATO commander, but is at least as well known for his diplomatic skills.

Jones advised both Obama and Republican presidential candidate John McCain during the campaign on national security issues. Last year he led a commission that advised Congress on progress in training Iraqi security forces.

“Jones works friendly until friendly doesn’t get it done anymore,” said retired Army Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, who first met him during a 1991 humanitarian relief operation in northern Iraq. “And then you’re dealing with a great big guy you really don’t want to be on the opposite side of.”