Nunn advising Obama on defense

President-elect Barack Obama's office confirmed this morning that former Senator Sam Nunn will help the transition at the Pentagon, but disputed a report that former Secretary of State Warren Christopher would play a similar role at Foggy Bottom.

Nunn, a Georgia Democrat and former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is a dean of the party on defense issues and was, again, reportedly in the mix for vice president.

Christopher, who served in the Clinton administration, is more controversial, criticized for what some regard as dovish views. He gave Obama some advice on the transition in a Los Angeles Times op-ed piece last week.

"Senator Sam Nunn will play an informal senior advisor role throughout the defense transition process," Obama transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said in a statement. " His expertise and the respect he has earned will be invaluable to ensure a smooth transition. Secretary Christopher is deeply respected in the United States and throughout the international community. However, he is not playing a role in the transition process.

"There's a lot of disinformation out there," she added. "We're working hard to put the agency review teams together and expect they'll be announced this week and inside the agencies by the end of the week."