Secretary of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano

The newest cabinet position was introduced after 9/11 and this popular Governor of Arizona becomes the first woman to hold it. Right-wing commentator Dick Morris worries that the appointment leaves America vulnerable: "Obama could have selected a Rudy Giuliani or a Louis Free or a Ray Kelly ­ anyone with real life experience in battling terrorists." Rather, Napolitano's expertise is in Mexican border control and immigration.
The 50-year-old's responsibilities as head of her department, ­ labelled a "sprawling bureaucracy" by the Washington Independent, ­ include the secret service (responsible for President Obama's safety), America's 12m illegal immigrants and the battered reputation (after Katrina) of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FIRST POSTED JANUARY 6, 2009