奥巴马提名新政府农业、内政部长人选

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.

美国当选总统奥巴马在１７日电视直播的新闻发布会上宣布提名前艾奥瓦州州长维尔萨克为农业部长人选，并提名科罗拉多州联邦参议员萨拉萨尔为内政部长人选。

奥巴马在芝加哥举行的新闻发布会上说，农业部和内政部分别掌管美国的农业和自然资源，对于确保美国建设以新能源和环保为特色的新型经济十分重要。丰富的农业和自然资源是美国的先天优势，也是建设美好未来的基础之一。他说，维尔萨克和萨拉萨尔从政经验丰富，就任后将负责推行农业和自然资源领域的改革，使之造福于广大民众，而不是少数大公司。

维尔萨克现年５８岁，民主党人。出生于宾夕法尼亚州，先后就读于汉密尔顿学院和阿尔巴尼法学院，获得法学学位。１９８７年从政，当过市长和州参议员。１９９８年至２００６年担任艾奥瓦州州长。

萨拉萨尔现年５３岁，民主党人，是出生于科罗拉多州的墨西哥裔美国人，先后就读于科罗拉多学院和密歇根大学法学院，毕业后从事律师工作。１９９０年，他进入科罗拉多州政府工作，历任州长法律顾问、州自然资源局局长和州总检察长。２００４年当选联邦参议员并任职至今。