WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- President George Bush Thursday named U.S. Ambassador Jim Nicholson to head the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The White House also announced four current Cabinet secretaries were asked to remain in their posts during a second term and accepted, closing the door on transition departures at the senior Cabinet level.
Those staying are Norman Mineta, Department of Transportation; Elaine Chow, Department of Labor; Alphonso Jackson, Housing and Urban Development; and Gale Norton, Department of the Interior. It was previously announced Treasury Secretary John Snow would also remain in the second term Cabinet.
Nicholson, an Army veteran, is currently the U.S. envoy to the Vatican and a former head of the Republican National Committee. If confirmed by the Senate, he would replace Tony Principi, whose resignation from the agency overseeing veterans' benefits was made public Wednesday.
"Jim Nicholson is a patriot, a man of deep conviction, who has answered his country's call many times," Bush said in the Roosevelt Room announcement. "Throughout his career, Jim has shown the same honor, integrity and commitment to service that defined his life as a military officer."
Only two Cabinet slots remain to be filled: Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy.
