Thread: McCain, Kyl back Napolitano for Cabinet

McCain, Kyl back Napolitano for Cabinet

They call her a good fit for Homeland Security

1 commentby Dan Nowicki - Nov. 28, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Partisan differences aside, the state's two Republican U.S. senators are cheering the prospect of Gov. Janet Napolitano and possibly one other Arizona Democrat ascending to President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet.

Politically, it may seem incongruous. But from the perspective of Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, Arizonans in top administration roles could make their jobs of representing the state's interests easier.

With Democrats firmly in control of the Senate, they can use all the help they can get. And with Democrats now outnumbering Republicans 5-3 in Arizona's House delegation, GOP officials will need to build bipartisan relationships.
Napolitano, two years into her second term, has emerged as the clear front-runner to become Obama's Homeland Security secretary, a job that has major implications for Arizona in terms of border security. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., also has popped up as a possible nominee for Interior secretary, a post with influence over a variety of water, land, conservation, wildlife and Indian issues that could affect the state.

Kyl said he doesn't expect Napolitano to start "bringing home the bacon" in her new role but said Arizona stands to benefit from a Homeland Security secretary well-versed in the state's concerns.

"She knows border issues. She knows the problems of a state like Arizona, which has to put up with a lot of illegal immigration," said Kyl, who is ranking Republican on the Senate's anti-terrorism subcommittee. "And while that's only a piece of her job as Homeland Security secretary, we're not going to have to explain it to her."

Kyl has spoken to Napolitano and said he is drafting a memo about some issues for her. He said they are already collaborating on ways to accelerate the completion of border-infrastructure improvements at U.S.-Mexican ports of entry. As governor, Napolitano is on the record as decrying the outdated, 1970s-era border-entry points.

"The pressure on our ports is just immense with all of the increased security requirements and then the additional pressures on the amount of traffic back and forth, primarily trade traffic," Kyl said. "They're just totally overstressed."

McCain, who underscored the threat of international terrorism during his unsuccessful race against Obama for the presidency, has been effusive in his praise of Napolitano as a possible successor to current Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

"I think she's highly qualified, and we as citizens of Arizona are very proud to have a border-state governor and someone with her knowledge and expertise serving in this very, very important and vital position," McCain said Tuesday during a news conference in Phoenix.

"I think we all know that we face challenges from Islamic extremism throughout the world, and I believe she will do an outstanding job," he added.

One national political expert said the anticipated appointment of Napolitano would herald "shifting priorities" at the Department of Homeland Security, which was set up after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Generally speaking, a new Southwestern orientation probably would be a boon for Arizona.

"(President Bush's first Homeland Security Secretary Tom) Ridge and Chertoff were about the East Coast, 9/11. This is asserting that the border issue is as important as anything else that (the department) is doing," said Jeremy Mayer, an associate professor at George Mason University's School of Public Policy near Washington, D.C.

Obama's installation of an Arizonan at the Interior Department conceivably could benefit the state even more, Mayer said.

If selected, Grijalva, a liberal congressman who this year won a fourth term representing a southern Arizona district, would become the third Arizonan to lead Interior, after former Rep. Stewart Udall, D-Ariz., and former Democratic Gov. Bruce Babbitt. For the past 50 years or so, presidents have tended to fill the post with Westerners.

Udall, who was Interior secretary from 1961 to 1969 under Presidents Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, particularly was considered helpful to his home state's priorities. Udall was instrumental in the 1968 creation of the Central Arizona Project, the huge 20th-century Colorado River water-distribution system.

Babbitt served from 1993 to 2001 under President Clinton. He was selected for the Interior post, in part, to help address mounting complaints from Arizona and other public-land-heavy Western states that "the distant landlord of the federal government has treated us badly," Mayer said.

"I worked very closely with Secretary Babbitt. I'm a great admirer and, I believe, a good friend," said McCain, who was in the Senate throughout Babbitt's tenure at Interior.

www.azcentral.com

"The pressure on our ports is just immense with all of the increased security requirements and then the additional pressures on the amount of traffic back and forth, primarily trade traffic," Kyl said. "They're just totally overstressed."

Sounds like the plan is a reversal of security at established ports and checkpoints.