President-elect Barack Obama brings to his Cabinet a career military officer who clashed with the Bush administration over the Iraq war strategy - retired Gen. Eric Shinseki, nominated as the head the Department of Veterans Affairs. The announcement by Obama was made in a television interview taped on Saturday that is to be aired in full on Sunday.

Obama said Shinseki agreed to join his administration because “both he and I share a reverence for those who serve.” Shinseki, who would need Senate confirmation to the position, will appear with Obama in Chicago at a news conference on Sunday, commemorating the 67th anniversary of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor.

Shinseki, 66, a four-star general and 38-year veteran who retired in 2003, was the Army chief of staff at the same time when Gen. James L. Jones – Obama’s pick for national security adviser - commanded the Marines. Both questioned the presumptions of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul D. Wolfowitz, about the Iraq war. They argued that the Pentagon was being too optimistic in its planning and should prepare thoroughly for worst-case scenarios.

Obama’s selection of Shinseki, who was twice awarded a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Vietnam, has been hailed by military leaders and veterans’ advocates. He is described as a soft-spoken, dynamic leader, respected by rank-and-file service members past and present.

Retired Army Gen. Colin L. Powell, who was secretary of state at the time of the Iraq invasion, called Shinseki “a superb choice. . . . He is a wounded hero who survived and worked his way to the top. He knows soldiers and knows what it takes to keep faith with the men and women who went forth to serve the nation.”