Nominees that are Being Confirmed by Senate

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State

Senator Hillary Clinton co-sponsored and voted for measures supporting increased U.S. sanctions (Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act) against the Government of Sudan, engagement with China to resolve the crisis, and leadership to secure helicopters for the UNAMID peacekeeping mission in Darfur. In addition, Senator Clinton urged President Bush to appoint a Special Envoy for Sudan and pressed the Department of Defense to investigate the feasibility of a U.S.-enforced no-fly zone.

As a candidate for President, Senator Hillary Clinton joined Senators Obama and McCain in issuing the following statement: “If peace and security for the people of Sudan are not in place when one of us is inaugurated as President on January 20, 2009, we pledge that the next Administration will pursue these goals with unstinting resolve.”

Susan Rice, UN Ambassador

Susan Rice is President Obama's nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Dr. Rice is a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. She must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in order to assume her new position.

Dr. Rice has been outspoken about the crisis in Darfur and America's responsibility to lead the international community to end it. To this end, she has co-authored op-eds, given radio and television interviews, and testified before congress regarding the situation in Darfur.

In July, Dr Rice told National Journal Magazine that "the Bush administration has remonstrated for five years about the genocide in Darfur. Yet we have imposed only the mildest of sanctions, and we have given only lip service to standing up a [joint] African Union-United Nations force. The imperative has to be to pressure the regime to stop the killing, and to allow the A.U.-U.N. force to deploy effectively. The second part of the challenge is to help the U.N.-African Union with the resources it needs to be an effective force. Right now, it doesn't have [enough] troops, it doesn't have helicopters, night vision...That's not to say the U.S. needs to make a military contribution. There's much we can do to support the deployment of effective forces from other countries. [But in general] what we've been lacking is a willingness to recognize that in addition to our substantial humanitarian and moral interest in Africa, we have serious security and strategic interests."

In a September 2001 Atlantic Monthly article, Susan Rice talks about her experience of being in government during the Rwanda genocide: "I swore to myself that if I ever faced such a crisis again, I would come down on the side of dramatic action, going down in flames if that was required."

James Jones, National Security Advisor

General James Jones, Jr. is President-elect Obama's selection for National Security Advisor. He is the former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and the Commander of the United States European Command. General Jones retired from the United States Marine Corps in February 2007. The position of National Security Advisor does not require Senate confirmation.

On September 28, 2005 General Jones testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (which included both President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden) regarding the international response to the situation in Darfur.

In response to a question about what more the international community could to support the African Union troops in Darfur, he said, "the capacity of what the African Union can contribute in terms of troops is limited somewhat by the experience factor -- although they can get a lot of men; they just can't get a lot of trained men -- and secondly, the ability to sustain those forces over a period of time. And that's a big problem. So if, in fact, the alliance wanted to do more, it would be in the area, I think, of training, of providing capacity, of developing combat service support and the logistics for support of these battalions that are operating at huge distances...So I would say, if NATO wished and if the E.U. wished -- or other nations -- keep supporting the African Union. Stay with it to teach them the values of how militaries operate in democracy. Make sure that human rights are part of the whole thing. And do the nuts and bolts work that has to be done to develop these competent forces. I don't think there's an overnight solution."

Leon Panetta, Director of the CIA

Leon Panetta, President Obama’s nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, has served as a member of Congress, head of the Office of Management and Budget, and White House Chief of Staff. Panetta was selected as CIA Director for his skills as an administrator, his political and foreign policy knowledge and his personal integrity. Political pundits speculate that his main job will be to manage the administrative side of the CIA, while the major directives for intelligence work will come from the Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair. Many sources note that Panetta and Blair will work as a team on major initiatives.

As an outspoken opponent of torture practices, Panetta is also expected to help rid the CIA of controversial intelligence-gathering practices, a priority for Obama. Panetta is expected to be very loyal to Obama in his CIA post. He will work to undo the tense, adversarial relationship that has existed between the CIA and the White House in the previous administration. Panetta has not announced concrete plans for his new position, and no one seems to be clear on what exactly he will do. Panetta lacks an intelligence record, making it difficult to make predictions about his future as CIA director.

Regarding Darfur and genocide prevention, Panetta has demonstrated a commitment to human and civil rights that is not likely to disappear. He fought to have the Armenian genocide officially recognized by Congress. And, like many Clinton administrators, the legacy of inaction in the face of the Rwandan genocide weighs on Panetta , suggesting that he would do something different given the opportunity. This makes Panetta the most likely CIA official to prioritize human rights abuses in the context of the intelligence relationship with the Sudanese government.