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| ====Right-wing extremism memo controversy==== | ====Right-wing extremism memo controversy==== | ||
| Napolitano was the subject of much criticism after a Department of Homeland Security threat assessment report initiated during the administration of ], entitled "''Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment'',"<ref name=CNN></ref> was made public in April 2009. The report |
Napolitano was the subject of much criticism after a Department of Homeland Security threat assessment report initiated during the administration of ], entitled "''Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment'',"<ref name=CNN></ref> was made public in April 2009. The report alleged and speculated on several factors, including the election of the first ] or ] President in the person of Barack Obama, perceived future ] measures, illegal immigration, the economic downturn beginning in 2008, and disgruntled military veterans' possible vulnerability to recruitment efforts by ] groups as risk factors for rightwing extremism.<ref>.</ref><ref>http://www.gordonunleashed.com/HSA%20-%20Rightwing%20Extremism%20-%2009%2004%2007.pdf</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | On April 16, 2009, the ], a ] public interest law firm based in ], filed suit against DHS on behalf of radio talk show host and political commentator ], executive director of the ] Gregg Cunningham, and ] Marine veteran Kevin Murray.<ref>The Thomas More Law Center - Napolitano is Lying to Americans About Her Department’s Rightwing Extremism Report; TMLC Files Suit http://www.thomasmore.org/qry/page.taf?id=19</ref><ref></ref> | ||
| ⚫ | Savage stated that the document "encourages law enforcement officers throughout the nation to target and report citizens to federal officials as suspicious rightwing extremists and potential terrorists because of their political beliefs."<ref>Michael Savage Lawsuit http://michaelsavage.wnd.com/files/filesSavage/Complaint_Against_Department_of_Homeland_Security.pdf</ref> |
||
| Napolitano made multiple apologies for any offense veterans groups had taken at the reference to veterans in the assessment, and promised to meet with those groups to discuss the issue.<ref name=CNN/> The Department of Homeland Security admitted a "breakdown in an internal process" by ignoring objections by the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to an unnamed portion of the document.<ref>http://www.newsday.com/news/local/politics/ny-usking1812666218apr17,0,3416042.story</ref><ref>http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jZZHEwYiYIf0cDyF0s0Fjmf54R-gD97JQFAG0</ref> | Napolitano made multiple apologies for any offense veterans groups had taken at the reference to veterans in the assessment, and promised to meet with those groups to discuss the issue.<ref name=CNN/> The Department of Homeland Security admitted a "breakdown in an internal process" by ignoring objections by the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to an unnamed portion of the document.<ref>http://www.newsday.com/news/local/politics/ny-usking1812666218apr17,0,3416042.story</ref><ref>http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jZZHEwYiYIf0cDyF0s0Fjmf54R-gD97JQFAG0</ref> | ||
| While the American Legion reportedly criticized the assessment, Glen M. Gardner Jr., the national commander of the 2.2 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars, defended it generally, saying it "should have been worded differently" but served a vital purpose. "A government that does not assess internal and external security threats would be negligent of a critical public responsibility," he said in a statement.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/16/napolitano.apology/?iref=mpstoryview</ref> | While the American Legion reportedly criticized the assessment, Glen M. Gardner Jr., the national commander of the 2.2 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars, defended it generally, saying it "should have been worded differently" but served a vital purpose. "A government that does not assess internal and external security threats would be negligent of a critical public responsibility," he said in a statement.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/16/napolitano.apology/?iref=mpstoryview</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | On April 16, 2009, the ], a ] public interest law firm based in ], filed suit against DHS on behalf of radio talk show host and political commentator ], executive director of the ] Gregg Cunningham, and ] Marine veteran Kevin Murray.<ref>The Thomas More Law Center - Napolitano is Lying to Americans About Her Department’s Rightwing Extremism Report; TMLC Files Suit http://www.thomasmore.org/qry/page.taf?id=19</ref><ref></ref> | ||
| ⚫ | Savage stated that the document "encourages law enforcement officers throughout the nation to target and report citizens to federal officials as suspicious rightwing extremists and potential terrorists because of their political beliefs."<ref>Michael Savage Lawsuit http://michaelsavage.wnd.com/files/filesSavage/Complaint_Against_Department_of_Homeland_Security.pdf</ref> | ||
| ==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
Revision as of 14:53, 30 April 2009
| Janet Napolitano | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rd United States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 21, 2009 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Michael Chertoff |
| 21st Governor of Arizona | |
| In office January 6, 2003 – January 21, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Jane Dee Hull |
| Succeeded by | Jan Brewer |
| Chairman of the National Governors Association | |
| In office 2006–2007 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Huckabee |
| Succeeded by | Tim Pawlenty |
| 23rd Arizona Attorney General | |
| In office 1999–2002 | |
| Governor | Jane Dee Hull |
| Preceded by | Grant Woods |
| Succeeded by | Terry Goddard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1957-11-29) November 29, 1957 (age 67) New York City, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia School of Law (JD) Santa Clara University (BA) |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Template:FixBunching Janet Ann Napolitano (born November 29, 1957) is the third United States Secretary of Homeland Security. She assumed the job on January 21, 2009, and is the first woman to serve in that office. An American politician from the Democratic Party, Napolitano was serving as governor of the state of Arizona when designated by then-President-elect Barack Obama to be his Secretary of Homeland Security. She was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in one day after Obama's inauguration. She was chair of two state Governors' associations and was named by Time as one of the top five governors in 2005. Prior to the governorship, she served as Arizona Attorney General from 1999 to 2002.
Napolitano was first elected governor in 2002, and was re-elected in 2006. She was Arizona's third female governor, and the first woman to win re-election. Napolitano was succeded by Arizona's Secretary of State, Jan Brewer, who became Arizona's fourth female governor and third consecutive female governor.
Early life
Janet Ann Napolitano was born on November 29, 1957 in New York City, the daughter of Jane Marie (née Winer) and Leonard Michael Napolitano, who was the Dean of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. She has two siblings, younger brother, Leonard Michael Jr. and Nancy Angela Haunstein. She is of Italian heritage and is a Methodist. She was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she graduated from Sandia High School in Albuquerque in 1975 and was voted Most Likely to Succeed. She graduated from Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, where she won a Truman Scholarship, and was valedictorian. She then received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Virginia School of Law. Napolitano is a member of the Democratic Party. After law school she served as a law clerk for Judge Mary M. Schroeder of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and then joined Schroeder's former firm, the Phoenix law firm Lewis and Roca.
Political career
In 1991, while a partner with the private Phoenix law firm Lewis and Roca LLP, Napolitano served as an attorney for Anita Hill. Anita Hill testified in the U.S. Senate that then U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her ten years earlier when she was his subordinate at the federal EEOC.
In 1993, Napolitano was appointed by President Bill Clinton as United States Attorney for the District of Arizona. As U.S. Attorney, she was involved in the investigation of Michael Fortier of Kingman, Arizona, in connection to the Oklahoma City bombing. She ran for and won the position of Arizona Attorney General in 1998. Her tenure focused on consumer protection issues and improving general law enforcement.
While still serving as attorney general, she spoke at the 2000 Democratic National Convention just three weeks after having a mastectomy. Napolitano remembers the pain being so bad she could hardly stand up, but persevered. "Work and family helped me focus on other things while I battled the cancer," says Napolitano. "I am very grateful for all the support I had from family, friends and Arizonans."
Governor
She won the Arizona gubernatorial election of 2002 with 46 percent of the vote, succeeding Republican Jane Dee Hull and defeating her Republican opponent, former congressman Matt Salmon, who received 45 percent of the vote. She is Arizona's third female governor and the first woman in the United States to be elected a governor to succeed another elected female governor.She spoke at the 2004 Democratic Convention after some initially considered her to be a possible running mate for presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 U.S. presidential election but Kerry selected Sen. John Edwards instead. In November 2005, Time magazine named her one of the five best governors in the U.S.
In November 2006, Napolitano won the gubernatorial election of 2006, defeating the Republican challenger, Len Munsil, by a nearly 2–1 ratio and becoming the first woman to be re-elected to that office. Arizona's constitution provides a two-consecutive-term term limit for its governors, meaning Napolitano would have been barred from seeking a third term in office in 2010.
In January 2006, she won the Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service. She was a member of the Democratic Governors Association Executive Committee. Furthermore, she has also served previously as Chair of the Western Governors Association, and the National Governors Association. She served as NGA Chair from 2006 to 2007, and was the first female governor and first governor of Arizona ever to serve in that position.
Secretary of Homeland Security
In February 2006, Napolitano was named by The White House Project as one of "8 in '08", a group of eight female politicians who could possibly run for president in 2008. On January 11, 2008, Napolitano endorsed then Illinois Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee for president. On November 5th, 2008, Napolitano was named to the advisory board of the Obama-Biden Transition Project. On December 1, 2008, Barack Obama introduced Napolitano as his nominee for United States Secretary of Homeland Security. On January 20, 2009, Napolitano was confirmed, becoming the first woman appointed Secretary in the relatively new department. Secretary of State Jan Brewer became the governor of Arizona, as the state does not have a lieutenant governor.
In March 2009, Napolitano told the German news site Spiegel Online that while she presumes there is always a threat from terrorism: "I referred to "man-caused" disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur." In April 2009 Napolitano, trying to defend her plans to thicken US-Canadian border security, claimed incorrectly that September 11 attack perpetrators entered the United States from Canada, causing an angry response from the Canadian ambassador.
Right-wing extremism memo controversy
Napolitano was the subject of much criticism after a Department of Homeland Security threat assessment report initiated during the administration of George W. Bush, entitled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," was made public in April 2009. The report alleged and speculated on several factors, including the election of the first black or mixed race President in the person of Barack Obama, perceived future gun control measures, illegal immigration, the economic downturn beginning in 2008, and disgruntled military veterans' possible vulnerability to recruitment efforts by extremist groups as risk factors for rightwing extremism.
Napolitano made multiple apologies for any offense veterans groups had taken at the reference to veterans in the assessment, and promised to meet with those groups to discuss the issue. The Department of Homeland Security admitted a "breakdown in an internal process" by ignoring objections by the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to an unnamed portion of the document.
While the American Legion reportedly criticized the assessment, Glen M. Gardner Jr., the national commander of the 2.2 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars, defended it generally, saying it "should have been worded differently" but served a vital purpose. "A government that does not assess internal and external security threats would be negligent of a critical public responsibility," he said in a statement.
On April 16, 2009, the Thomas More Law Center, a conservative Christian public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, filed suit against DHS on behalf of radio talk show host and political commentator Michael Savage, executive director of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform Gregg Cunningham, and Iraqi War Marine veteran Kevin Murray. Savage stated that the document "encourages law enforcement officers throughout the nation to target and report citizens to federal officials as suspicious rightwing extremists and potential terrorists because of their political beliefs."
Personal life
Napolitano has never married. She is an avid basketball fan and regularly plays tennis. Whitewater rafting and hiking are some of Napolitano's hobbies. She has hiked in Arizona's Superstition mountains and New Mexico's Sandia mountains and has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and the Himalayas. Napolitano survived breast cancer that was discovered in 1998.
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Janet Napolitano | 499,284 | 46.2 | +0.9 | |
| Republican | Matt Salmon | 478,935 | 45.3 | ||
| Independent | Richard Mahoney | 84,947 | 6.9 | ||
| Libertarian | Barry Hess | 20,356 | 1.7 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Janet Napolitano (Incumbent) | 959,830 | 62.6 | +16.4 | |
| Republican | Len Munsil | 543,528 | 35.4 | ||
| Libertarian | Barry Hess | 30,268 | 2.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
See also
- Arizona gubernatorial election, 2006
- AHCCCS: Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (state Medicaid program)
- AIMS: Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (state standardized test for high school students)
- Protect Arizona Now: Proposition 200
- Arizona-Mexico Commission
References
- Reitwiesner, William Addams. "Ancestry of Janet Napolitano". WARGS.com.
- Radzischewski, Andre F. (December. 7, 2008). "Napolitano's Heritage, Border Strategies Fascinate Italy". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Elections: Janet Napolitano (Dem)". Washington Times. August 26, 2007. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
- ^ Goldstein, Dana (July 7, 2008). "Janet Napolitano and the New Third Way". The American Prospect.
- David Brock, "The Real Anita Hill"
- "Opening Statement: Sexual Harassment Hearings Concerning Judge Clarence Thomas", Women's Speeches from Around the World
- Danielle D'Adamo, "Janet Napolitano: Getting to Know AZ's Governor"
- Tom Squitieri, "Democrat attorney general finally wins in 'ugliest race'", USA Today, November 11, 2002.
- Janet Napolitano CBS News, July 23, 2004
- Ripley, Amanda (2005-11-13). "America's 5 Best Governors". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|coauthor=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - "Term limits on executive department and state officers; term lengths; election; residence and office at seat of government; duties". Arizona State Legislature. 1992. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
- National Governors Association
- "8 for '08 : The White House Project and Parade Announce Eight Female Candidates for 2008 Presidency" (Press release). The White House Project. 2006-02-16. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
- Davenport, Paul (2008-01-11). "Napolitano endorses Obama". Tucson Citizen. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - Sweet, Lynn Jarrett, Podesta, Rouse to lead Obama transition; Bill Daley co-chair Chicago Sun-Times, November 5, 2008
- change.gov (1 December 2008). "Key members of Obama-Biden national security team announced" (Press release). Newsroom. Office of the President-elect. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
{{cite web}}: External link in|author= - "Obama names Napolitano to Cabinet post". Tucson Citizen. 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
- Meyer, Cordula (2009-03-16). "Away From the Politics of Fear". Spiegel Online.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Alberts, Sheldon (2009-04-21). "Homeland Security boss rebuked by Canada for erroneous 9/11 statement". Canada.com.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Homeland security chief apologizes to veterans groups"
- Huffington Post - Homeland Security Report Warns Of Rising Right-Wing Extremism.
- http://www.gordonunleashed.com/HSA%20-%20Rightwing%20Extremism%20-%2009%2004%2007.pdf
- http://www.newsday.com/news/local/politics/ny-usking1812666218apr17,0,3416042.story
- http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jZZHEwYiYIf0cDyF0s0Fjmf54R-gD97JQFAG0
- http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/16/napolitano.apology/?iref=mpstoryview
- The Thomas More Law Center - Napolitano is Lying to Americans About Her Department’s Rightwing Extremism Report; TMLC Files Suit http://www.thomasmore.org/qry/page.taf?id=19
- Thomas More Law Center law suit
- Michael Savage Lawsuit http://michaelsavage.wnd.com/files/filesSavage/Complaint_Against_Department_of_Homeland_Security.pdf
- "Ariz. governor picked for Homeland Security post" The Guardian. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
- "10 Things You Didn't Know About Janet Napolitano". US News and World Report. Retrieved December 4, 2008.
External links
- Secretary Janet Napolitano Official website
- Follow the Money - Janet Napolitano
- NPR's Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me guest on 'Not My Job' segment
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byGrant Woods | Attorney General of Arizona 1999 – 2003 |
Succeeded byTerry Goddard |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded byJane Dee Hull | Governor of Arizona 2003 – 2009 |
Succeeded byJan Brewer |
| Preceded byMike Huckabee Arkansas |
Chairman of National Governors Association 2006 – 2007 |
Succeeded byTim Pawlenty Minnesota |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byEric Shinseki Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
United States order of precedence Secretary of Homeland Security |
Succeeded byRahm Emanuel White House Chief of Staff |
| Preceded byEric Shinseki Secretary of Veterans Affairs |
United States presidential line of succession 18th |
Succeeded byLast |
| United States secretaries of homeland security | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Governors of Arizona | ||
|---|---|---|
| Territorial (1863–1912) |  | |
| State (since 1912) | ||
| Members of the Cabinet of the United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet members |  | |
| Cabinet-level members | ||
| acting Cabinet of Joe Biden | ||
| Interior ministers of the Group of Seven | |
|---|---|
| Chairs of the National Governors Association | |
|---|---|
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{{subst:#if:Napolitano, Janet|}} [[Category:{{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:1957}}
|| UNKNOWN | MISSING = Year of birth missing {{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:LIVING}}||LIVING=(living people)}}
| #default = 1957 births
}}]] {{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:LIVING}}
|| LIVING = | MISSING = | UNKNOWN = | #default =
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Categories:- Living people
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