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Updated 5:20 p.m. - Senate Republicans managed to achieve their goal of blocking U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice from becoming the next secretary of state after Rice, on Thursday, withdrew her name from consideration by President Barack Obama.
MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell and NBC's David Gregory joins The Cycle to report on Ambassador Susan Rice's decision to withdraw her name from consideration for Secretary of State and what this means going forward.
Republicans were more measured in their responses to the withdrawal than they had been in their earlier criticism of Rice, whose prospective nomination had come under fire for her role in publicly explaining the Obama administration’s assessment of the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks on a U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
"I respect Ambassador Rice’s decision. President Obama has many talented people to choose from to serve as our next Secretary of State," South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said in a statement.
Related: Rice drops out of running for secretary of state
Graham, along with Sens. John McCain, Ariz., and Kelly Ayotte, N.H., had led an effort to pre-empt Obama from naming Rice as the successor to outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
"I respect Susan Rice's decision and appreciate her commitment to public service," Ayotte said in a statement. "However, my concerns regarding the terrorist attack in Benghazi go beyond any one individual."
Rice told NBC News in an exclusive interview on Thursday that she no longer wished for Obama to consider her for the position. In a letter to the president, Rice said she feared a confirmation fight in the Senate "would be lengthy, disruptive and costly." The full interview with Rice will air tonight on Rock Center with Brian Williams at 10 p.m ET.
McCain’s office said: “Senator McCain thanks Ambassador Rice for her service to the country and wishes her well.”
U.N. envoy Susan Rice is dropping out of the running to be the next secretary of state. Brian Williams will have an exclusive interview with Rice on tonight's "Rock Center With Brian Williams" at 10p/9c.
Each of the Republicans, though, expressed continued concern about the Benghazi incident in their statements, and said they would continue their efforts to probe the matter.
Obama said he has accepted Rice's decision, hailing her as an "extraordinarily capable, patriotic, and passionate public servant." He said Rice would continue to serve as U.N. ambassador, and as a member of his national security team.
The trio of Senate Republicans had vowed to work to block Rice's nomination if Obama settled upon the United Nations ambassador as his nominee, stemming from her explanation for the Benghazi attacks. Rice had appeared on public affairs shows the weekend after the attack to assert that the assault -- which left four Americans dead, including Amb. Christopher Stevens – to assert that it was the outgrowth of a spontaneous rally to protest an American video that was offensive to Islam.
An investigation in subsequent weeks revealed that the attack in Benghazi was actually a coordinated terrorist attack, which prompted pointed questions from Republicans about why the administration had first put Rice forth to assert otherwise. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney tried for a series of weeks to effectively tarnish Obama politically with the mixed public explanation.
McCain, Ayotte and Graham pressed the matter further after the election, winning a meeting with Rice last month amid speculation that Obama wished to name the trusted adviser to fill the top diplomatic job.
"If Sen. McCain and Sen. Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me," Obama said at a press conference following his re-election to rebuff the Republican troika. "And I'm happy to have that discussion with them. But for them to go after the U.N. ambassador who had nothing to do with Benghazi, and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received, and besmirch her reputation is outrageous."
But there were indications that the critiques had started to wear on the public perceptions of Rice. In the NBC/WSJ poll released Wednesday, Rice was rated positively by 20 percent of respondents, while 24 percent of said they had a negative perception of her.
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I SOMEBODY doesn't stop these ignorant, old rich white conservative guys and their money soon....there will be no USA left. The KOCHS and their ilk are turning this country into a living hell. and the stupid FOX watcher do NOT get it.......but they WILL!!!!!!!
You're right, successful people must be idiots and should be ashamed of themselves...Was that a threat at the end of your comment?...I'd expect that much from a liberal nutjob
So who should Obama offer up next for Secretary of State? John Huntsman, our former Ambassador to China and very briefly a Republican candidate for President (until Huntsman realized that all Republican precenct people are nuts,) or how about another Republican with experience - General Colin Powell.
Seems that a few posters here need some anger management therapy.
Obama hung her out to dry and now she's gotten blown away. She was screwed by the administration not the GOP
Westguy: You obviously create your own version of reality to allow you to ignore the totally apparent faults and short-comings of the GOP.
You will never convince these blind idiots of the truth. That's EXACTLY what he did!
50% of republicans think that Acorn (closed in 2010) helped Obama steal the election last month. The uneducated, uninformed and mentally challenged are doing the best they can but don't have much to work with.
S. Rice = class act. McCain, Graham and Ayotte = opportunists, totally self-focused and without consciences.
When are McCain, Graham and Ayotte going to resign from government for the role they played in allowing the deaths of 3,000 Americans and gleefully sending our sons and brothers overseas to die in their needless lie of a war?
Where was Old John & PinHead Lindsey when "W" was lying to Congress to get us into Iraq ???
Libtard move...When all else fails, bring up Bush
Obama is correct about one thing. That is the right should have been attacking him.
What the right should be doing is responsibly and honestly offering real bipartisanship to address the problems and to find equitable solutions instead of always beligerently and obnoxiously continually, arrogantly faulting and stubbornly blocking all efforts while pushing for the achievement of their political ambitions and the serving of "the money's" interests no matter what the costs to the people.
The government asks Rice to provide a knowingly incomplete assessment (LIE) to the American people by omitting important facts, avoiding key words (terrorism) and even going so low as to try to brush off a very real threat to our national security by blaming the incident on a youtube movie, yet you left-wing nut jobs are surprised that there is a backlash to pushing her forward in a nomination to serve as secretary of state?!? You are crazy, she had an obligation to NOT BE A PUPPET and she failed at her responsibility. Find somebody else.
You seem to ignore or not understand that there was an unreasonable, excessive and aggressive attack on S. Rice solely for political purposes. It isn't that there were some errors but rather that the over zealous and unreasonably aggressive criticisms and condemnation of Rice went way overboard by all reasonable measurements and were only explained by political motivations. Sick but true.
When people refuse to answer simple questions, they don't deserve to be in a position of power.
Why good people leave the government and we get stuck with the McCain's and other goof balls....
After what Bush did to this country and to the world economy, all they have left are goof balls.
Republicans have set a course of self destruction. It will continue to unfold until the next election and then quite possibly we could have three parties.
Nice thought!
3 parties would probably consist of a ultra Conservative party such as a combination of the Libertarian Party and Tea Party, a more moderate Republican Party and the Democrat Party. This combination would split the conservative vote and give the Democrats power.
Yes, I'm sure Republican's are very angry that they can't use her as a scapegoat and change the topic from OTHER matters that really matter, like the fiscal cliff.
It's frightening that you blind liberal lemmings have no idea who really wants us to go over the cliff.
This is a great day for America one less liar in the Government!!!
YOU are the government,,, moron! Are you one of those wacko baggers that doesn't want anything from the lying government,,, except your SS and Medicare? Thought so.
iowaretiree: Maybe you misunderstood - McCain or Graham or Ayotte didn't leave!
You're right I want my SS because I paid into it all my working life and I'm going to get every penny of it back that I can!!!
RGiles, sad thing is the head liar is still there, Obama!!!
SS and Medicare are programs we paid into. Welfare, Food Stamps, and Obamaphones are not you leftist leech
robert - my suspician is that you're a leech and are merely projecting your own insecurities. and certainly, if you live in a red state, you are a tax leech.
Charlie7274 doesn't know how SS gets it's money, he doesn't work!!!!
where were these three repukes when shrub wanted to go to war???? What a bunch of clowns !
These people are a disgrace to the USA
Fuk the godamned Republicans.
You are a perfect example of the uninformed and uneducated left. Thank you for representing you side so succinctly.
uneducated left? hahahahahahahahahahahaha - this from the party that thinks that acorn stole the election. did your rocket take a wrong turn from mars?
just the probably same pricks in government have to be the trouble makers all the time and most likely the ones that should go so some new people could get to running this government the right way instead of wasting the taxpayers time and money on things like this. she would have done a good job if chosen if not for the trouble makers.
Repugnicans seem unwilling to address the question of just what a Repugnican ambassador would have said at the time, given the same limited available information. Most likely, a Repugnican would have put his foot in his mouth much deeper, probably threatening military retaliation, if not all-out war with Iran and other suspect regimes.
She did the right thing... no reason for anyone to gloat!
Its all about trying to bring Obama down, these Senators dont care about Rice all they care about is to get the shine off Obama after his election. Says allot about their character when they go after someone just to get to Obama.
Susan Rice showed class in a very difficult situation. Unfortunately Republicans did not do the same. Somewhere we have lost our way on nominations, and that is true for both sides. But from my perspective, Republicans seem to excel at being nasty. And the country suffers.
Nominations like Secretary of State are are made by the President because the person serves under the President. Congress' duty is to approve them unless there is a significant issue. Most of the blocks are politics and not significant issues. Shame on those who let politics get in the way of what is best for the country.
Oh my god, what a bunch of lunatics! Look at how you're acting! When a lib doesn't get their way, they show their true colors. Unbelievable, pathetic, and frightening.
could not agree more - the party of tea baggers are a bunch of loons. look at how they act when they don't get the presidency - they show their true yellow colors. pathetic and desperately trying to cling to relevancy. the good news, they are old and dying and soon to be irrelevant - unfortunately, not before sending a few more scuds before departing. baggers. how disgusting.
I cannot even begin to express how sick to death I am of the GOP. What hypocrites! Where was their outrage when we were lied to about WMD, ignoring memos warning about threats prior to 9/11? Nowhere, double standard! Additionally did it never occur to these 3 great thinkers that the CIA may have had a reason for not wanting Rice to give up too much of what we knew? As much as I like John Kerry for State I don't want to give the GOP the chance of getting an additional seat in the Senate so I hope Obama can find someone else like maybe John Huntsman.
This coming from the party who believed Sarah Palin and Condi Rice were great choices. There outrage was as convincing as their lies of appreciate for her public service. As if they know what Public Service is all about. They still will not get their wish of John Kerry in hopes of reclaiming a seat for Scott Brown. Of course we know that is what this was all about. Well, at least they won something if you call this winning. The sad part is Rice may not have been the presidents top choice. So since you wasted you outrage on this, what are you going to do when he really nominates someone. Once again their tactics will come back to haunt them.
yes, the modern republican party of fair-weather patriots - never put country before party. Ever.
Oh, great...he Racists masquerading as national leaders have done it again.
A concession to the Pubes for the President's fiscal cliff deal? If so, it may be well worth it. No offense to Ms. Rice, I believe her fully capable of the job but if she took the high road by doing this to appease the Pubes for the benefit of a possible deal on the fiscal cliff, she has more patriotism and class in her manicured pinky nail than McCain, et al. Thank you, Ms. Rice for your continued service as our UN Ambassador.