Obama's Cabinet taking shape

Hello, I'm Kristin Volk and this is a UPI white house weekly.

President-elect Barack Obama has added a former governor and a senator to his Cabinet. This week, Obama announced Colorado Senator Ken Salazar as his choice for Secretary of the Interior. He picked former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack for Agriculture Secretary. Salazar is a first-term Senator who has focused on public land and energy resource issues. He also made a name for himself in immigration reform. Vilsack briefly sought the Democratic Presidential nomination, and then became a high-profile supporter of Senator Hillary Clinton during the primaries. As governor, he spearheaded the development of ethanol. Obama also announced Mary Schapiro as his choice to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. Schapiro is CEO of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which is the largest nongovernment regulator for all securities firms doing business with the U.S. public. She is also a former SEC commissioner.

Prominent liberal groups and gay rights proponents are criticizing Obama for choosing evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the inauguration next month. Warren is one of the most influential religious leaders in the nation who has advocated for an end to global poverty, human rights abuses and the AIDS epidemic. But he has also taken socially conservative stances, opposing gay marriage and abortion rights. A spokeswoman for Obama defended the president-elect's choice saying he disagrees with Warren on gay marriage issues and adding that the inauguration will be the most inclusive, open and accessible in history.

On a farewell trip to Iraq this week, President Bush dodged shoes thrown at him by an angry Iraqi journalist. It happened during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. That incident prompted demonstrations in Washington, D.C. with protesters throwing shoes at a Bush impersonator and stomping on photos of the President. Bush, who wasn't hurt, laughed off the episode saying it was just a bizarre moment in his presidency. The journalist was arrested and appeared before a judge this week. He could face up to two years in prison.

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