Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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December 3, 2008

Obama to Announce Nominee for Commerce Secretary
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=:A6F02AD83191E16008EFA030B0F86188F47489ACC27D21EE&
 
US President-elect Barack Obama expected to tap New Mexico Governor Bill
Richardson for key trade position 
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is set to name another governor to his
Cabinet Wednesday. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson (file photo)Mr.
Obama has scheduled a news conference in the central city of Chicago to
announce the nomination of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for
commerce secretary. Richardson is a former Democratic presidential
candidate who was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and energy
secretary in the Clinton administration. As commerce secretary,
Richardson would play a key role in promoting international trade and
helping to strengthen the U.S. economy. Another governor, Janet
Napolitano of Arizona, was nominated Monday to head the Department of
Homeland Security. Also Wednesday, members of Mr. Obama's transition
team are meeting with about a dozen retired generals and admirals. The
former high-ranking military officials are urging the future Obama
administration to ban the use of harsh interrogation techniques by the
Central Intelligence Agency. President George Bush authorized the use of
such techniques as part of U.S. efforts to get information from
terrorism suspects. Harsh interrogation techniques have included
waterboarding, which simulates drowning and that, in the past, had been
classified as torture by the United States. Also, Vice President-elect
Joe Biden is being briefed in Washington by a congressional commission
on the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Biden will be joined by
Obama's pick for homeland security chief, Governor Napolitano.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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