The non-Clintons on Obama’s national security team

President-elect Barack Obama's Monday morning press conference finally delivered the news that weeks of reporting and speculation had promised: Sen. Hillary Clinton is the nominee for secretary of state.  

While a lot of us may have watched the presser wondering how Obama plans on controlling Bill once Hillary takes the helm at the State Department, we might want to take a look at some of the others flanking the president-elect, as they'll be joining the national security team too.

The other big name in the line-up was Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He's keeping his current gig, a job he got almost two years ago when Don Rumsfeld vacated the Pentagon.

Even before his appointment to the current Bush administration, Gates had a lengthy DC history, including serving for George H.W. Bush as director of the CIA. But Gates also served under a democrat, when he worked for President Jimmy Carter as part of the National Security Council. Quite the bipartisan Boy Scout, you might think. An apt description, it turns out, since Gates' bio at Defense says he has also been president of the National Eagle Scout Association.

Washington sage Chuck Todd, the political director at NBC, argues that the news of the day should be more focused on Obama's choice for national security advisor. In that role, Gen. Jim Jones will have the ear of the president on a daily basis, Todd says. Jones' office will be in the West Wing, while the secretary of state claims an office down in Foggy Bottom. It's an interesting note, considering the relationships Gen. Jones has in DC. Todd says that Jones is close to Sen. John McCain, and it's been reported that part of getting Gates to stay on was bringing Jones on board (and vice versa).

Jones' resume is practically as tall as he is. The 6'5'' retired Marine spent 40 years in service; he served in Vietnam, was the 32nd commandant of the Marine Corps, and ultimately became supreme allied commander for NATO.

Jones was soft spoken behind the podium on Monday, but the AP quotes Army Lt. Gen. Jay Garner as saying, "Jones works friendly until friendly doesn't get it done anymore....And then you're dealing with a great big guy you really don't want to be on the opposite side of."

Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano, and Susan Rice round out the rest of the day's nominees. They're up for attorney general, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and ambassador to the United Nations, respectively.

Holder served as deputy attorney general during the Clinton years and may be facing a confirmation struggle due to his involvement in the controversial Marc Rich pardon. 

Napolitano is currently governor of Arizona.  Her nomination has to come as a welcome event for John McCain; she was rumored to be eyeing his Senate seat.

Rice most recently was a foreign policy advisor to the Obama campaign, on leave from the Brookings Institution.