WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama yesterday nominated Senator John Kerry as his new secretary of state, as he began to reshape his national security team for his second term.
Kerry, 69, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, defeated former presidential candidate and foreign policy sage, will succeed Hillary Clinton, who is stepping down after four years as the top US diplomat.
“Over these many years, John’s earned the respect and confidence of leaders around the world,” Obama said at the White House as he announced Kerry’s nomination, his first second-term cabinet pick.
“He is not going to need a lot of on the job-training.”
“I think it’s fair to say that few individuals know as many presidents and prime ministers or grasp our foreign policies as firmly as John Kerry.”
Kerry stepped up following the withdrawal of UN ambassador Susan Rice, the early favourite for the post, who was caught in the political aftermath of the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya in September.
