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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Now that Rice has withdrawn her nomination to the post, as NBC News reported exclusively on Thursday, all eyes turn to the onetime Democratic nominee.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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IF AND I SAY IF John Kerry is even looked at i hope they also look at his controling wife she will not do well with the state dep. staff she is to to much of a bitch to be in the sensitive post of wife of the secretary of state, remember how she acted during Kerry's run for president, rich and a bitch from hell. hope he does not get this post.
yeah she is almost as big a bitch as michelle....
Just what the USA needs, with his record and actions re. Viet Nam.
hey did everyone see all those white people beating each other up over the right to work law in michigan??.....obama the ass has gotta be lovin' it...this is exactly what he wants....a divided country based on envy, resentment, and obama's old stand-by....class warfare.....obama is disgusting.....
Obama's a black bigot.
Rice was a lying POS just like her boss Obama.
John Kerry who served in Vietnam would be a great choice for Obama. Perhaps Mr. Kerry can tell us some more great war stories about how all American military were butchering in Vietnam.
A man with 3 purple hearts one earned because he injured himself is a fine testimony of American service to his country.
http://www.swiftvets.com/index.php?topic=KerryinVietnam
Kerry is a traitor and a loser. He ranks right up there with Jane Fonda.
Susan Rice could not shoot herself in the foot because her foot is usually in her mouth. At least Kerry can bring that experience to the job.
Bad news everyone. John Kerry just lost his spot as the richest man in the Senate because his net worth is only 194 million. But keep the faith loyal leftie's his wife Theresa is still worth over one billion. I guess she will have to up John Boys allowance to get him back to the number one spot. Yea, I know, I must be a racist.
It's been quite clear from the start that the Republicans opposed Rice, because they want to win a seat back for Ex-Senator Brown, who lost bigtime in Massachusetts, where a vacancy by John Kerry might give Brown another opportunity to re-engage his political career. What's also funny is the fact that McCain and the other two Tea Party whiners, who were the most loud-mouthed attackers of Rice's possible nomination, were also the three pundents behind the Brown campaign. Can't we easily connect the dots?
As it is now, Brown is sitting at home, glaring at his pick-up truck, because his wife sends him out for groceries with it, while he is collecting entitlements, while hating himself for accepting them at the same time...ha ha ha
Democrats and Union members how did you enjoy attacking that black hot dog vendor. I'm sure your real proud of yourselves .
Got that from Breitbart?...
Where there palm trees in the background, as was shown on Faux news when they were in Wisconsin filming those violent union people?
You remember don't you?... they claimed to be filming in Wisconsin, and someone in the scuffle bumped into the cameraman... camera pans up, and there are palm trees!
Palm trees! I thought those only grew in places like, Fla., California, and places like that.
Breitbart is... excuse me.... WAS a first class liar, and I won't even go into the Shirley Sherrod fiasco, that once and for all, exposed him for the POS that he was.
And for you to use anything with his name on it, doesn't say much for you either.
Jack, how about trying to connect the dots in finding out what really happened in Bengazi
Good news that SR is out. Bad news that JFK wants the job. Frankenkerry is a disgrace. But with BO we will get a loser regardless.
Senator Kerry you are the front runner. So why the long face?
The party of Jim Crow laws really do care about the poor...
good, Kerry out as Senator... Brown back in to replace him.. its a win, win...
How About Billy Idol For SEC of State - LOL !
If Obama is smart, he'll leave Kerry where he is and nominate someone else to be Sec. of State.
Don't provide an opening for Scott Brown or any other Republican!
Think, Obama! You're being led around by the Republicans again!
Said it before and I'll say it again
The Rice is burnt, get out the Uncle Ben's
Kerry for SS - The Dem's owe him as does Barack Obama
Kerry and his wife have twice the money Romney has.
And they donate a very tiny piece of that wealth.
His money - is spread around the globe in investments - tax free
Bet the residents of Massachustts are licking their chops over the prospect of getting rid of the arrogant Kerry and his $7 million yacht.
The Right Wing hate machine wins again.
Wow!! odumbo is really scraping the bottom of the barrell if all he can come up with is the spineless kerry !! Hell, Hillary has bigger ba11s that him !!!
HELL! Hillary has bigger balls than Obama.
Probably quite a bit hairier too.
Democrats are being so gullible! The Republicans smeared an innocent Rice so Kerry would get the nod and open up a Mass. senate seat for Republican Scott Brown!!!!!
Lberals were gullible when they re-elected Obama.
Shifts to Kerry.
HEY!
He will lie for the cause.
Why not, he has the experience.
True, and he knows how to hide things from the IRS too !! Like his yacht he stored out of state to avoid taxes. Like he can't afford to pay taxes !! Oh, but wait, only republicans are rich, and only republicans have off shore accounts, and hide assets !!! LOL !!!
Colin Powell was not a good Sec. of the State as his wife refused to travel and as a result he hesitated to make a trip when he was so needed to do . Smilarly Kerry is totally controlled by his multi-miliionaire and a bit arrogant wife Teresa and I am afraid that he will be in the same bax as Powell was.
Powell could have been president except for two things.
1. He was told to back down because another of color was being groomed.
2. His wife told him not to run (for her own reasons?).
What I'd like to see happen is for President Obama to appoint a Republican Senator in a Democratic leaning state. The vacancy would have a good chance of being filled by a Democrat.
Lol, NBC blew the Hagel Scoop and are now backtracking.
Oops!
A non-partisan economist said today that it appears there is a very good chance that President Obama's policies and handling of the economy and our tremendous debt are most likely going to result in a huge market crash within the next 3 to 6 months.
A crash larger than 2008 under Bush. This will devistate our country.
really? An economist said that? So, what do the other 10,000 economists think?