Senator John Kerry nominated for secretary of state

Washington, Dec 21 (IANS) US President Barack Obama will nominate Senator John Kerry to be his next secretary of state, Xinhua reported Friday.

This will be President Obama’s first announcement relating to a new cabinet since he won re-election Nov 6.

The nomination has been widely expected since Susan Rice, the American ambassador to the UN and Obama’s top choice for secretary of state, withdrew last week over controversy about the Sep 11 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans were killed including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

Some Republican senators have vowed to block Rice’s nomination over her initial description of the attack as one arising from a spontaneous protest over an American-made film that denigrated the Prophet Mohammed rather than a terrorist attack acknowledged later by the administration.

As the current chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry’s nomination is expected to get a quick confirmation in the Senate as some Republican and Democratic senators have voiced backing for their veteran peer.

Kerry, 69, will succeed Hillary Clinton, the current occupant of the State Department who has stated her intention to leave at the start of Obama’s second term in January.

A Massachusetts Democrat, Kerry launched a bid for the White House in 2004 but lost to then incumbent George W. Bush by a margin of 34 electoral votes.

He has built close ties to Obama over the years by offering support to his presidential elections and embarking on diplomatic missions for his administration, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan over some intractable disputes.

But like Clinton, Kerry is not part of Obama’s inner circle, a fact that casts doubt about his ability to wield influence over foreign policy making in the administration.

IANS 2012-12-21 23:22:19