奧巴馬提名新政府農(nóng)業(yè)、內(nèi)政部長人選

Obama names next interior, agriculture secretaries

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama named another two cabinet members -- interior and agriculture secretaries on Wednesday as his administrative team takes shape.

At a press conference in Chicago, Obama announced his nominations of former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack as the agriculture secretary and Colorado Senator Ken Salazar as the secretary of interior.

"Together they will serve as guardians of the American landscape on which the health of our economy and the wellbeing of our families so heavily depends," Obama told reporters.

"Ken will bring to the Department of the Interior an abiding commitment to this land we love," Obama said of his Interior Secretary choice. "His family has farmed and ranched the same land in Colorado for five generations. As a Senator from the great state of Colorado, he has been a champion for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities."

Born on March 2 to a rancher family in Colorado, Salazar graduated from the University of Michigan with a law degree.

He was elected as the Colorado Attorney General in 1998 and won the reelection four years later, "where he worked on a number of land, water, and environmental issues." In 2005, he took office in the Senate.

Salazar told the press conference that as the nominee to be secretary of the interior, he would do all to help reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, build clean energy economy, protect national lands and work to confront water supply challenges.

Vilsack was an adopted orphan from Puttsburgh, Pennsylvania and graduate from Albany Law School. After marrying his wife, Ann Christine Bell, he moved to her hometown in Iowa.

Vilsack was elected mayor of Mount Pleasant in 1987 and won a seat in the state Senate five years later. In 1998, he won the governorship, making it the first time in 30 years that a Democrat was elected the state governor.

"As our next Secretary of Agriculture, Tom will help ensure that rural America has a true partner in implementing the Farm Bill and pursuing agricultural research," said Obama.

He becomes the fourth former Democratic challenger for the 2008presidential nomination to join Obama's administration following Joe Biden, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Richardson.

Vilsack quickly dropped out of the Democratic race because he had trouble raising money. He endorsed Clinton and campaigned for her.

"I look forward to working with congressional leaders who share the president-elect's vision of bringing hope to rural America, of being good stewards of our natural resources, are providing American leadership on climate change and making America a nation truly dedicated to health and nutrition," he told reporters.

To fill his cabinet, Obama is expected to name secretaries of Labor and Transportation departments. He will also choose leaders for the intelligence agencies and a trade representative.

美國當選總統(tǒng)奧巴馬在１７日電視直播的新聞發(fā)布會上宣布提名前艾奧瓦州州長維爾薩克為農(nóng)業(yè)部長人選，并提名科羅拉多州聯(lián)邦參議員薩拉薩爾為內(nèi)政部長人選。

奧巴馬在芝加哥舉行的新聞發(fā)布會上說，農(nóng)業(yè)部和內(nèi)政部分別掌管美國的農(nóng)業(yè)和自然資源，對于確保美國建設以新能源和環(huán)保為特色的新型經(jīng)濟十分重要。豐富的農(nóng)業(yè)和自然資源是美國的先天優(yōu)勢，也是建設美好未來的基礎之一。他說，維爾薩克和薩拉薩爾從政經(jīng)驗豐富，就任后將負責推行農(nóng)業(yè)和自然資源領(lǐng)域的改革，使之造福于廣大民眾，而不是少數(shù)大公司。

維爾薩克現(xiàn)年５８歲，民主黨人。出生于賓夕法尼亞州，先后就讀于漢密爾頓學院和阿爾巴尼法學院，獲得法學學位。１９８７年從政，當過市長和州參議員。１９９８年至２００６年擔任艾奧瓦州州長。

薩拉薩爾現(xiàn)年５３歲，民主黨人，是出生于科羅拉多州的墨西哥裔美國人，先后就讀于科羅拉多學院和密歇根大學法學院，畢業(yè)后從事律師工作。１９９０年，他進入科羅拉多州政府工作，歷任州長法律顧問、州自然資源局局長和州總檢察長。２００４年當選聯(lián)邦參議員并任職至今。