President Barack Obama announces that he will nominate Leon Panetta as Secretary of Defense, General David Petraeus to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Marine Lt. General John Allen to succeed Petraeus, and Ryan Crocker to serve as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan. Obama begins his remarks by discussing the storms and tornadoes that swept across several southern states the previous evening killing almost 300 people. Obama praises the records of outgoing Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, as well as Panetta, Petraeus, Allen and Crocker. All five men speak briefly.
Read
