Washington: Susan Rice, the embattled US ambassador to the United Nations, withdrew herself from consideration to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state in the face of sustained Republican attacks over her handling of the Benghazi consulate attack.
Although Rice insisted the decision had been hers alone and that she was not pushed by the Obama administration, it provides the Republicans with an early victory barely a month after the presidential election.
The danger for Barack Obama, even though the White House insists it did not push her, is that it will be interpreted as weakness by a president reluctant to face a fractious nomination battle. Her withdrawal means that John Kerry, Massachusetts senator and former presidential candidate, is almost certain to be nominated to be America’s top diplomat. Rice wrote to Obama asking him to no longer consider her for the job because, she said, she would face “a lengthy, disruptive and costly” nomination battle with the Senate. “The position of secretary of state should never be politicised,” Rice wrote. “As someone who grew up in an era of comparative bipartisanship ... I am saddened that we have reached this point, even before you have decided whom to nominate. We cannot afford such an irresponsible distraction from the most pressing issues facing the American people.”
In a statement released by the White House, Obama expressed regret and described the attacks as “unfair and misleading”.
She is to stay in her position as UN ambassador, Obama said.
The president is in the process of putting together his cabinet for a second term after many of the present team expressed a desire to leave. It emerged on Thursday that Obama is lining up a former Republican senator, Chuck Hagel, to replace Leon Panetta as defence secretary, an effort to present his administration as being broad-based.
Normally by this stage a president would have announced some appointments, but Obama’s plans have been disrupted by the consistent Republican sniping against Rice, led by senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham and, lately, Kelly Ayotte.
Guardian news
