Democratic Sen. John Kerry was confirmed yesterday by the U.S. Senate as the next Secretary of State of the United States. Kerry replaces the outgoing Hillary Clinton, who is stepping down after four years in the job. Kerry was confirmed by a 94-3 vote.
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Wow! Here is former CBS News Anchor Dan Rather mincing no words about President Obama on an appearance last with with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
Rather hammers Obama for his abandonment of Susan Rice to be Secretary of State. She announced yesterday she was withdrawing from being considered. Rather said it shows that Obama likes to talk tough, but won’t back it up with actions:
Rather said “President Obama has now been backed down and away.” This is “chalk one up for the Republicans.”
“He indicated in his press conference just after the election — he made a lot of tough talk, didn’t back it up. So there are people who say, ‘Listen, the kind of leader we want is one who will fight to the finish, never give in.’ On the other hand, one could make the case that President Obama has said to himself, ‘Yes, I could probably force this to a vote, and win the vote. But it would cost me down the road.’ But I think it raises very, very serious questions about what the president’s second term is going to be.”
“What has happened today plays into the perception, the perception that has been growing among the Republicans that, in street language, President Obama can be rolled for his wallet and his watch. He’s not a guy that’s going to put up much of a fight.”
Rather believes Sen. John Kerry will now sail through for Secretary of State – partly because Republicans want that Senate seat open for Scott Brown to run again. He also believes former GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel will end up confirmed as Secretary of Defense.
Dan Rather on Obama Giving Up on Susan Rice Sec. of State Nomination: “Chalk One Up for the Republicans. . . Shows Obama Can be Rolled for His Wallet and His Watch” – Video 12/13/12
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Controversial U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice has dropped her bid to be the next Secretary of State. She has sent a letter to President Obama asking that she not be considered for the post once Hillary Clinton leaves. Rice would face close scrutiny for her role in putting out misinformation for the White House on what happened in the Benghazi Terrorist Attack – which she told the American people repeatedly was just the result of a spontaneous riot caused by an anti-Islamic video. Rice is now being mentioned as the possible new National Security Adviser for Obama.
Susan Rice Withdraws from being Considered for Secretary of State – Video 12/13/12
Here is video of Kirsten Powers on Fox News Sunday today where she said if President Obama insists on nominating U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State – it will show his “arrogance” and could be “his undoing”:
“I don’t know. I think if he does though it could be, that kind of arrogance, which I think it would be, would be his undoing. Because if she is put under oath and is forced to go through and answer all of these questions about Benghazi, it’s going to put the administration into a really bad position. And I don’t think she was the frontrunner. I don’t understand where this came out of. Everything I had heard was that she was in the running, but it was really leaning more towards John Kerry. And then we had this Press Conference where the President just kind of went off about Susan Rice, and it’s now become almost a sense of pride. . . . His defense of her was fine but then it kind of went into an area that didn’t make sense.”
Kirsten Powers: If Obama Names Susan Rice to Succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State it Will Show His “Arrogance” and Could be “His Undoing” – Video 11/25/12
Yahoo News (AP) — The only career foreign service officer to rise to the position of secretary of state, Lawrence Eagleburger was a straightforward diplomat whose exuberant style masked a hard-driving commitment to solving tangled foreign policy problems.
“As good as they come,” recalled his immediate predecessor as America’s top diplomat.
Eagleburger, who died Saturday at age 80, held the job late in George H.W. Bush’s presidency, culminating a distinguished diplomatic career.
Over 27 years in the foreign service, he served in the Nixon administration as executive assistant to Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, as President Jimmy Carter’s ambassador to Yugoslavia, and as an assistant secretary of state and then undersecretary of state in the first Reagan administration. . . (More)
Former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger Dead At Age 80 – Report 6/4/11
This may explain why Hillary Clinton was so blunt yesterday in saying that she has no intention of serving as Secretary of State in a 2nd Obama Term – if he wins reelection:
THE DAILY: Fed up with a president “who can’t make his mind up” as Libyan rebels are on the brink of defeat, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is looking to the exits.
At the tail end of her mission to bolster the Libyan opposition, which has suffered days of losses to Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s forces, Clinton announced that she’s done with Obama after 2012 — even if he wins again. . . . Read More
It will be interesting to see if Hillary leaves the Obama team BEFORE the end of his 1st term.
Report: Hillary Clinton is Fed Up with Obama; “Looking to the Exits”
Hillary Clinton tells CNN she doesn’t want to serve a second term as Secretary of State if Obama is reelected. Clinton also answered “no” when asked if she would like to be Secretary of Defense, Vice-President, or run for President.
Clinton said, “There isn’t anything that I can imagine doing after this that would be as demanding, as challenging, or rewarding…I’m going to be moving on.”
Hillary Clinton Says She Doesn’t Want to Serve a Second Term As Secretary of State – Video 3/16/11
A protester is removed from an event where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was speaking. The man yells, “So this is America? This is America!” while being removed.
Protester Removed from Clinton Event on Internet Freedom – Video
Here is a video report on unsourced “reports” that Hillary Clinton is going to step down as Secretary of State and be replaced by outgoing New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
I just heard a Fox News segment where they referenced a “report” that this would happen, and the speculation that Hillary will run a Primary challenge against Barack Obama in 2012 has already begun. As of yet, there is no confirmation that this will happen, nor have the source of these “reports” been revealed. It will be interesting to see if this really comes to pass. If it does, the speculation about a Hillary challenge to Obama will be off the charts!
