Janet Napolitano
Janet Napolitano is present Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. She was named by President Barack Obama on December 1, 2008 as his choice for the position, confirmed on January 20, 2009, and sworn in one day later.
Prior to moving to Washington, Ms. Napolitano was Governor of Arizona, from 2003-2009. Previously, she had served as the United States Attorney for the District of Arizona (1993-1998), and was elected as Arizona's Attorney General in 1998. In all of those offices, Ms. Napolitano was on the front lines of the ongoing immigration debate.
Ms. Napolitano was Chair of the National Governors' Association in 2006-2007, and was often mentioned as an up-and-coming politician. This tag applied in a new way even after she became DHS Secretary. When a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court opened up in 2009, Napolitano was immediately mentioned as one of the possible nominees for the ostensibly-nonpolitical appointment. (Sonia Sotomayor was chosen.)
In April 2010, when Justice John Paul Stevens acknowledged that he planned to retire, Napolitano was again bandied about as one who would be on the new short list.
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Recent "Best Of" "Honors"
In September 2009, the website Politico.com named Secy. Napolitano one of Washington, D.C.'s 20 Most Eligible Singles. http://www.politico.com/click/stories/0909/contrary_to_popular_opinion_d_c_is_not_hollywood_for_ugly_people.html Also in September 2009 (October issue), Esquire Magazine named Secy. Napolitano as one of "The 75 Best People In the World". http://www.esquire.com/features/best-people-1009 In April 2010, the Washington Post Sunday Magazine featured her in their "First Person Singular" column, where she talked about how all of her previous jobs helped prepare her for the role of DHS Secretary. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/09/AR2010040903661.html
Secy Napolitano Press Briefing on Aviation Security
On January 26, 2010, Secy Janet Napolitano conducted a press briefing regarding aviation security. The briefing lasts approximately 6 1/2 minutes.
Napolitano's Post-Christmas-Day-Terrorist-Attempt Comments Create Controversy
In the wake of the attempted terrorist attack on the Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day, Secy. Napolitano's comments created controversy and calls for her firing. Her short answer was that "The system worked...." However, her comments immediately thereafter talked about how the RESPONSE worked the way the system was set up, and she talks about how there will need to be evaluation of how he was able to get on the plane in the first place. Here is the interview in its live entirety, on CNN:
Napolitano Explains Earlier "System Worked" Comments
Secy Napolitano tried to quell the controversy over her initial comments in the wake of the attempted suicide bombing on Christmas Day. She appeared on NBC's Today Show on Monday (12/28) to explain how the remark was taken out of context (see above video for the full initial interview); "the system" that allowed the terrorist on the flight failed while "the system" to respond to an incident worked.
Recent "Best Of" Honors
In September 2009, the website Politico.com named Secy. Napolitano one of Washington, D.C.'s 20 Most Eligible Singles. http://www.politico.com/click/stories/0909/contrary_to_popular_opinion_d_c_is_not_hollywood_for_ugly_people.html Also in September 2009 (October issue), Esquire Magazine named Secy. Napolitano as one of "The 75 Best People In the World". http://www.esquire.com/features/best-people-1009
