The Missing Someone

CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) — President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday will announce Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack as his choice for agriculture secretary and Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar as his choice for secretary of the interior, an aide on Obama’s transition team and a separate Democratic source said.

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack is expected to be named Barack Obama’s choice for agriculture secretary Wednesday.

Vilsack was a high-profile supporter of Sen. Hillary Clinton during the presidential primaries after he briefly sought the Democratic presidential nomination.

Obama on Tuesday nominated Arne Duncan, the head of the Chicago public schools, to serve as his administration’s secretary of education.

"When it comes to school reform, Arne is the most hands-on of hands-on practitioners," Obama said at a news conference at Chicago’s Dodge Renaissance Academy, a school that Duncan helped to overhaul.

"For Arne, school reform isn’t just a theory in a book — it’s the cause of his life. When faced with tough decisions, Arne doesn’t blink. He’s not beholden to any one ideology — and he doesn’t hesitate for one minute to do what needs to be done."

Duncan has headed the Chicago public school system — the third-largest in the nation — since 2001. Like Obama, he is a graduate of Harvard University.

Duncan also worked for six years with the Ariel Education Initiative, which tried to create educational opportunities for inner-city students on Chicago’s South Side.

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"Whether it’s fighting poverty, strengthening the economy or promoting opportunity, education is the common thread," Duncan said in brief remarks after Obama’s announcement. "While there are no simple answers, I know from experience that when you focus on basics like reading and math, when you embrace innovative new approaches to learning, and when you create a professional climate that attracts great teachers — you can make a difference for children."

The president-elect said it’s time for some real change in the country’s education system.

"(We are) stuck in the same tired debates that have stymied our progress and left schools and parents to fend for themselves: Democrat versus Republican; vouchers versus the status quo; more money versus more reform — all along failing to acknowledge that both sides have good ideas and good intentions," Obama argued. "We cannot continue on like this."

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