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Jason Reed / Reuters
Sen. John Kerry waves at the end of his speech during the final session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on September 6.
Updated at 7:01 a.m. ET: When he ran for president, many in the GOP slammed Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., pilloried for his late opposition to the Vietnam War and his famed flip on the conflict in Iraq. But, as criticism mounted against U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice as the apparent frontrunner to become the next secretary of State, Kerry was publicly embraced by Republican colleagues in the Senate as a comparatively slam-dunk candidate to replace Hillary Clinton.
Now that Rice has withdrawn her nomination to the post, as NBC News reported exclusively on Thursday, all eyes turn to the onetime Democratic nominee. An official close to the process told NBC's Andrea Mitchell late Thursday that Kerry is now almost certain to get the job. "There were two people on the list," the person said. "Two minus one is one."
In her withdrawal letter to the president, Rice said she was convinced her nomination would prove "lengthy, disruptive and costly" as Republicans have raised questions about her role in the public response to the 9/11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. The exclusive NBC News interview with Rice aired Thursday on Rock Center with Brian Williams.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News' Brian Williams, Ambassador Susan Rice described the moment she called President Barack Obama and told him to withdraw her name from those he is considering nominating as secretary of state. Rice defends her comments made about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya and describes what it's been to like to be in the center of a political firestorm.
In a statement, Kerry praised Rice as an "extraordinarily capable and dedicated public servant" and alluded to his own past political battles.
"As someone who has weathered my share of political attacks and understands on a personal level just how difficult politics can be, I've felt for her throughout these last difficult weeks, but I also know that she will continue to serve with great passion and distinction," he said.
EXCLUSIVE: Rice drops out of running for secretary of state
Elected to the Senate in 1984, Kerry rose to national prominence as a foreign policy expert when he returned to the Senate after his failed 2004 presidential bid. The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee since 2009, he has made high-profile visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan and helped negotiate the new arms treaty with Russia that was signed in 2010.
Respected in the upper chamber and nationally as a shaper of the nation's foreign policy, Republicans have indicated that Kerry would face little opposition to be confirmed to the secretary of State post. "I think John Kerry would be an excellent appointment and would be easily confirmed by his colleagues," said Republican Susan Collins, R-Maine, late last month. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, a close ally of former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, declared that Kerry would have "an easy time" being confirmed in the Senate.
Kerry's confirmation would likely not come without some minor re-litigation of past controversies. One of Congress's richest members, he was painted as an out-of-touch patrician by his presidential foes. The onetime Navy lieutenant was criticized by opponents during his campaign for his high-profile protests of the Vietnam War, including his nationally-covered challenge to a congressional panel in 1971 to defend the deaths of men "for a mistake."
Kerry worked closely with the president in the just-finished election, playing Romney in debate preparations and had been seen as a potential choice to head either the State Department or the Department of Defense. Earlier today a top Pentagon official told NBC News that former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel appeared to be the likely choice for secretary of Defense.
NBC's Chuck Todd details the events that led up to Susan Rice removing her name from consideration for the role of U.S. secretary of state.
But the main headache for Democrats if Kerry is appointed will be the triggering of a special election in Massachusetts next year to replace him. Democrats recently celebrated the ousting of Republican Sen. Scott Brown, who won a January 2010 special election to replace the late Sen. Ted Kennedy. Elizabeth Warren bested Brown in the heavily blue state by a margin of 54 percent to Brown's 46 percent.
If Kerry is picked, Brown will be viewed as a formidable Republican candidate to replace him. A wider bench of Democrats, including former Senate candidate Martha Coakley, may vie for the nomination.
But whoever wins the potential replacement race would have a grueling path, as would voters weary of statewide contests. Another special election would be the state's second in three years, and Kerry's successor would be up for re-election again in 2014.
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The Corporate media is getting it wrong again:
Why have Colin Powell and Obama been having frequent discussions the past 2 weeks and why has Colin been to the Oval Office at least 2 times in the last week? Powell is clearly the best choice to replace Hillary.
Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist would be the best selection to replace Leon Panetta at the Pentagon. Governor Crist has also been to the White House several times over the last few weeks as well!
Is Obama in charge...or are the Republicans going to continue pushing him around and controlling the agenda.
I got news for Obama...he says Boehner doesn't want to be seen as giving in on the Fiscal cliff.....the fact that Obama as President can't define and communicate a definitive stand on the Fiscal Cliff is more reflective of his weak leadership style. If Romney and the Republicans weren't so out of touch with the common American's, Obama's weak leadership would have prevented him from being re-elected. Obama won because he was the lessor of the two evils....the people finaly realize the Republicans are the party of wars, deficits, and advancing the power of the rich.
Good. Then Kerry and Hillary can murder each other for the 2016 nomination. There can't possible be any other candidates around.
History has clearly shown that the protestors of the Vietnam War were on the right side of the issue. How many more years would the war have lasted if the protestors have not been active? If a draft was still in place there would be protests aganist the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars but Daddy and Baby Bush turned the military into more of a mercenary service so what is there to protest about?
yeah ----- don't you just love roosevelt for initiating the draft, when he campaigned on a promise that he wouldn't involve us in WW2, and then , of course, he did.
Roosevelt saved capitalism and that has to be acknowledged but he also has much to ansewer for concerning his other policies.
of the top ten deficit spending years, 3 come from roosevelts time in office. ----- although wilson was the one who started that ball rolling, roosevelt made wilson look conservative financially by comparison.
So?
so...... sometimes policies which seem beneficial at the time, have long-term negative consequences. ----- for instance, obamacare..... only time will tell if that law is a net positive or negative, and even then, your analysis may be colored by how it affected your own life.
Great point Goal....Powell is a Great American, completely worthy
Powell is a back-stabbing turncoat
Powell went before the U.N. and presented a B.S. session and deserves nothing but contempt.
Rice didn't drop out because it was the best thing for this country...it was the best thing for her.
To much heat...
Seems to me that an awful lot of folks are dealing with this as though Dr. Rice was Obama's first choice. What if she wasn't? What if his first choice was Sen. Kerry? Yes, he defended her in his press conference. However, he was defending the U.N. Ambassador, not his nominee for Secretary of State. Granted, this may have led folks to assume she was going to be the nominee, but we all know they say about the word assume!
What a message the Republicans has sent out to students, and this nation, as a huge problem we have with Bullying.
The message McCain and company has sent out is If you Bully long enough you do get what you want.
you wouldn't know what a bull was if you tried to milk it, clown
Another disgruntled Republican mad that he lost the election. Republicans always resort to name calling, because they lack any intelligence.
To me, Ms. Rice seems highly unqualified. She permitted herself to be used as a government pawn, much the same as Ms. Fluke. Perhaps they will tie as person of the year for Time! I'm not sure the tax evader is much better. What a message to send to hardworking Americans. And as far as bullying goes, let us look at a government health plan that was 100% partisan and 80% of American didn't want! Bullying is the way of the current Democratic party...bullying, and payouts for favors.
Don't want Kerry in there. He will hurt more than he will help. Too many people that I know personally feel the same way.
what a jerk-off
Why not Pelosi for Secretary of State? She's honest, brilliant, bi-partisan, alway spot-on with analysis, humble, patriotic, and obviously has great genes and showing no signs of aging. Foreign heads of states would be bedazzled at her brilliance, candor, and willingness to sacrifice her personal gain to aid us in theses historic times. And...I just love the way she laughs, surely that will disarm are foes quickly.
I say President Obama should convince Susan Rice to reconsider and he should appoint her and to hell with the
republican party.That is a hard call to make since this issue may turn out to work aganist the Republicans.
I would not appoint Kerry. This is nothing but a thinly veiled plan to get Kerry's senate seat by the republicans. I would have been much more iimpressed had they demanded hearings on the intelligence information about weapons of mass destruction that had them vote to invade Iraq. Now they are overwhelmingly concerned about the deaths of a hand full of people and how accurate the information was they were given.
Does President Obama not have anyone that hasn't evaded taxes? At a time when he is about to raise taxes on everybody - yes, 100% of us will get an increase - why would he appoint such an individual to such a high position?
Bye,bye liberals...the fall has started.....putting Kerry in there will be the second step ....load up enough liberals in key positions and you'll have no one to blame for the failures of this administration....enjoy....
WHAT LIBERALS? ? ? The Liberal Ideaology was purged from the Democrat Party YEARS ago!
Liberals shared the same goals as Conservatives when i first became involved in Politics in 1968. The two Parties believed in a strong, prosperous, well defended Nation, they just had different ideas about how best to accomplish that! Here is how Liberals thought:
"A tax cut means higher family incomes and higher business profits and a balanced Federal Budget....Prosperity is the real way to balance our budget" John Kennedy
" You [should] not examine Legislation in the light of the benifits it would convey if properly administered, but in light of the wrongs it would do and the harm it would cause if improperly administered" Lyndon Johnson
Here, of course, is how Progressives think:
" We have to raise the taxes on the Wealthy" Barack Obama
"We have to pass it, to know what's in it" Nancy Pelosi
" We have to pass it to find out if it will work " Harry Reid The Liberals were murdered, long ago by the Progressives!
Demrats tax on achievement will work out well. 90% of achievers shutting down to protect their lifetime of achievements, going offshore, stifling investments here, reducing or closing their business, laying off or firing employees ahead of the Butcher from Benghazi's caused 20% to 50% increase in health care premiums for workers, massive regulations (4,876 proposed in the last 90 days!), and the just announced 1 Trillion more debt issuance by the Fed. We have so much to look forward to. Don't worry, this will be Weimar. Act like a nazi at day, with the rest of the "gang", but at night, oui, oui, we go French on their a$$.
Urban
Proof of all those regulations please. Just because some ignorant tea bagger chain email says so doesn't make it true.
So tell us urban, how does it feel to be the most simple minded kid on the block? How does it feel to not have a rational thought of your own because you let the baggers tell you what to think. How does it feel to be so full of hatred that you have a putrid smell about you? There is a very good reason why you clowns lost in November. Just look in the mirror. The American people rejected your hatred, racism and ignorance.
So just keep spouting your little bumper sticker slogans. We'll just point and laugh at you.
You are very right Dennis, there was a good reason for both the November 2008 and November 2012 elections! It was explained years ago, even as our Nation was being born! The reason was because we allowed our Republic to degenerate into a Democracy! Beginning on March 4, 1913!
" The American Republic will endure, untill the politicians realize that they can bribe the People with their own money" Alexis de Tocqueville 1787
"A Democracy cannot exist as a permenant form of Government. It can only exist untill the voters discover they can vote themselves Largesse from the Public Treasury. From that moment on the majority will always vote for the Candidates promising the most benifits from the Public Treasury, with the result that a Democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy and is always followed by a Dictatorship" Alexander Fraiser Tytler 1787
" A Republic Madam, if you can keep it" Ben Franklin 1787
The fall has started...LOL! have you seen any polls in the last few months?
Ted
One of the things that many of you seem to disregard is that in 1776 there were approximately 2.5 million American citizens, not counting slaves and native Americans spread across the 13 colonies. It's very easy to have a small government with that few people. Government grew in relationship to the population of the country.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_the_population_of_the_US_in_1776
What was true in 1776 is not necessarily true today. The population is larger and the needs of the people are also larger. Failed economic policy from the Reagan era started us on a downward slide that has been very hard to stop. The incredibly flawed policies and unfunded wars and tax cuts of President Bush exacerbated this downward slide. The failure of the conservative wing of government to recognize this has only made it harder to deal with.
Unless you are ready to scale your ideals to the size of the current population of this country all your efforts are for naught. Don't be one of those people that loves America but hates Americans.
We've had enough of that and it's time is long past.
So... John Kerry votes for the involvement in the Iraq War (the same war that Moochacrats hate and hang soley on Bush), now think it was O.K.? Does the hypocracy of the Moochacrats never end? I know, maybe they'll vote for his nomination, then he'll go out and throw it over a bridge? LOL Yeah man.... right on. LOL
How about Joe Biden for Secretary of State? I know that Obama would miss such a huge asset leaving the White House, but think of the upside. Joe possesses a dictionary-like vocabulary and always knows exactly what to say. His extensive geographical knowledge would ensure he is always in the right place at the right time! He is very sensitive to all walks of life, tempering his speech to calm even the most agitated situation. He even has nice teeth.
Simply a GOP plan to roll the dice on Scott Brown getting back in the Senate. No reason to name a sitting US Senator to a cabinet post with balance of power so close to the edge. Of course the Republican "Senate colleagues" are all in favor!
What thought process would allow one to believe that having just voted him out, in favor of a Cigar Store Indian, they would, just months later, vote him back in? ?
and does it really matter ????---- either way, it's a severe loss of seniority.
While I understand her decision, Rice is eminently qualified and the GOP brutes are without conscience. Why don't they focus on our fiscal problems and keep out of cabinent appointments.
Perhaps they don't, "keep out" because, at least for a little while longer, we have that pesky Constitution that you Progressives hate so much. It does mandate that they get involved in Cabinet Appointments!
ted deary, there is no Cabinet nomination yet, so they were not involved in Cabinet appointments.
How about Harry Reid for Secretary of State. Here's a guy that was a pauper and turned his $150,000 salary into a 143 million dollar fortune, a success story that he could duplicate across the poor ME, Africa, and beyond.
Screw Obama, Screw Kerry. Fight Fight Fight.Let the fiscal cliff happen. At least there will be big cuts. Real cuts in spending. How could the fiscal cliff be any worse than the economy now. Republican's grow a pair. Stand up and say Screw You Obama. John Kerry? Are you kidding me? Shut down the government. Shut down this horrible President.
Funny how the Repubs whine and complain that "if Obama would just lead." Their definition of "lead" is "do it our way." If the president chooses someone other than Kerry (whom the Repubs want as Secty. of State) we will hear "if Obama would just lead."
let's blow forrrwwwwaaaarrrrdddd!!! You are a great example of the sore winner....you actually think there is no room for both parties....I guess you don't remember the progressive state of Russia....enjoy it now....once the American people see how your God Obama is going to "change this country" you'll get your asses thrown out.....enjoy....
So we lost someone who might actually GET SOMETHING DONE, and got a worthless politician presidential LOSER. Shocker. SMH...
Scott Brown should not run for Senate again. He is a good candidate for Govenor in next election and In MA we like our Republican govenors..not so much in Senate. He got killed in the race against Warren and another big loss could end his political career. The Dems in MA are not going to let thatseat go without a fight... we saw how hard they fought ot get it back .
"not so much in the Senate" Appearently NOT, considering you elected a Cigar Store Indian to replace him! I do have a suggestion, should it be necessary for you to replace Kerry, it's in keeping with the logic that was used in electing Warren too! Why not elect a Department Store Mannequin! Seems appropiate, under the circumstances!
jj-534991...you are right on...let the cliff happen...I know it sure ain't gonna hurt me....it will be fun to see Obama lead us out of that....of course..none of this will be his fault...isn't it amazing that he could act like a little kid who says it isn't his fault...I didn't do it....he's irresponsible just like the no-brains that elected him....
Yes, Obama wants to play the game that he will blame Republicans if there will be a tax hike on the Middle Class in January. Obama does not want compromise, there is no balanced approach on the table? No cuts to entitlements that Obama promised he would need to address to get us out of this fiscal mess? Ok Obama, let them call your bluff! Who will the people blame when taxes go up for the Middle Class because Obama is too stubborn to address entitlement cuts that we desperately need? He is our President! He will get the blame when the Middle Class realizes that Obama had the power to avoid taxing the Middle Class, this will be another broken promise, and a big one too! He was basing his whole campaign on protecting the Middle Class and if he breaks that promise, there will be consequences, not on the Republicans but on him. So go ahead, Obama, enjoy your power grab, let's go off that fiscal cliff!