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Obama set to nominate Kerry to take over Clinton's post
Source: Agencies |
December 17, 2012, Monday
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US President Barack Obama is expected to nominate Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry to succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, sources familiar with the process said on Saturday.
Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004 and a stalwart Obama supporter, had been widely tipped as the likely candidate for top US diplomat following the withdrawal last week of US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice.
The announcement of Kerry's nomination could come as early as mid-week, according to one source knowledgeable of the situation, although it could also be delayed to avoid the impression of an overly-hasty return to politics following the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school last Friday.
The source said the White House is leaning toward unveiling Kerry's nomination as part of a high-profile package that would include Obama's pick for defense secretary.
Former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel is the top candidate to take over the Pentagon and the White House's vetting process for him is virtually complete, the source said.
Obama met Hagel at the White House on December 3 to discuss the post and has also spoken to Vice President Joe Biden, the source said.
While Obama is said to be generally comfortable with Hagel's foreign policy views, there is some concern within the administration that his record of occasional criticism of Israel could create problems in the confirmation process.
Clinton, consistently rated as the most popular of Obama's cabinet, intends to step down toward the end of January when Obama is sworn in for a second term. The State Department said on Saturday she was recovering from a concussion suffered after she became dehydrated with a stomach virus.
There is widespread speculation that Clinton will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.
Kerry's nomination would close the books on a political firestorm that engulfed Rice, the candidate seen as the early favorite for the top diplomatic job.
A close Obama confidante, Rice withdrew her name from consideration after heavy fire from Republicans for remarks she made in the aftermath of a September 11 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans were killed, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.
Republicans have criticized the Obama administration for its early public explanations of the attack, and trained most of their firepower on Rice, who went on television to say that preliminary information suggested the assault was the result of protests over an anti-Muslim video made in California rather than a premeditated strike.
Rice, defended by Obama and other senior members of the administration, said last Thursday she was withdrawing her name from consideration.
Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004 and a stalwart Obama supporter, had been widely tipped as the likely candidate for top US diplomat following the withdrawal last week of US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice.
The announcement of Kerry's nomination could come as early as mid-week, according to one source knowledgeable of the situation, although it could also be delayed to avoid the impression of an overly-hasty return to politics following the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school last Friday.
The source said the White House is leaning toward unveiling Kerry's nomination as part of a high-profile package that would include Obama's pick for defense secretary.
Former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel is the top candidate to take over the Pentagon and the White House's vetting process for him is virtually complete, the source said.
Obama met Hagel at the White House on December 3 to discuss the post and has also spoken to Vice President Joe Biden, the source said.
While Obama is said to be generally comfortable with Hagel's foreign policy views, there is some concern within the administration that his record of occasional criticism of Israel could create problems in the confirmation process.
Clinton, consistently rated as the most popular of Obama's cabinet, intends to step down toward the end of January when Obama is sworn in for a second term. The State Department said on Saturday she was recovering from a concussion suffered after she became dehydrated with a stomach virus.
There is widespread speculation that Clinton will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.
Kerry's nomination would close the books on a political firestorm that engulfed Rice, the candidate seen as the early favorite for the top diplomatic job.
A close Obama confidante, Rice withdrew her name from consideration after heavy fire from Republicans for remarks she made in the aftermath of a September 11 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans were killed, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.
Republicans have criticized the Obama administration for its early public explanations of the attack, and trained most of their firepower on Rice, who went on television to say that preliminary information suggested the assault was the result of protests over an anti-Muslim video made in California rather than a premeditated strike.
Rice, defended by Obama and other senior members of the administration, said last Thursday she was withdrawing her name from consideration.
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