President Obama is considering asking Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to serve as his next defense secretary, part of an extensive rearrangement of his national security team that will include a permanent replacement for former CIA director David H. Petraeus.
Although Kerry is thought to covet the job of secretary of state, senior administration officials familiar with the transition planning said that nomination will almost certainly go to Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
John O. Brennan, Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser, is a leading contender for the CIA job if he wants it, officials said. If Brennan goes ahead with his plan to leave government, Michael J. Morell, the agency’s acting director, is the prohibitive favorite to take over permanently. Officials cautioned that the White House discussions are still in the early stages and that no decisions have been made.
Petraeus’s resignation last week after revelations of an extramarital affair have complicated what was already an intricate puzzle to reassemble the administration’s national security and diplomatic pieces for Obama’s second term.
The process has become further complicated by congressional ire at not being told that Petraeus was under FBI investigation, on top of what are likely to be contentious closed-door hearings this week on the administration’s actions surrounding the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.
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7 Responses
I’m sure all the Vietnam vets will be thrilled, as will all the REAL military heroes. Why do they keep bringing in these has-beens and retreads? Can’t they find some new, fresh blood?
Is this a joke. Purium is early
כי השחית כל בשר את דרכו על הארץ. Kerry is not just a retread, but he has been in the public eye for having committed immorality, while claiming to be G-d’s gift to humanity. Is that all our Democrat administration can find to lead us? We tired of Clinton with his absence of moral values, though he was permitted to remain in office despite being impeached – still strange after all these years. But we are looking to keep promoting moral midgets? Does USA have a future?
Corruption as usual for Team Obama.
He is probably qualified. He really wants Secretary of State, as he is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, but the reports are Obama plans to give it to a non-politician. He is well connected in Congress. Unlike most of the candidates in the last election, he served in the military with multiple medals for valor.
With his fake purple heart he’ll fit perfectly into the Obamanation administration.
After Kerry’s outstanding performance in preparing Hussain for Presidential Debate #1 vs Romney, he would be perfect for that position. An emesdika tipaish!