News
Obama nominates John Kerry as secretary of state
Obama said that Clinton had hoped to be at the announcement, but was still recovering from a serious virus and a concussion.
The White House had hoped to make a clean sweep by announcing all nominations to the national security team, including new chiefs of the CIA and Pentagon at once.
But a crush of political events, including the “fiscal cliff” economic crisis, has pushed them back. A battle is already raging as opponents seek to tar former senator Chuck Hagel, a possible pick for Defense Secretary.
Kerry, who is well known abroad after acting as an unofficial envoy for Obama, is expected win easy confirmation from his Senate colleagues.
In the past years Kerry has traveled to the Middle East and South Asia, and met Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad several times as Washington mulled a diplomatic opening. He also sought a renewal of Arab-Israeli peace talks before the outbreak of the Syrian revolt.
In May 2011 Kerry went to Pakistan to try to ease tensions after the killing of Osama bin Laden, and in February 2009 he made a rare visit to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, without meeting anyone from the Islamist group.
As soon as he is confirmed in his new job, Kerry will face a huge array of foreign policy challenges, including a critical moment in the Iranian nuclear showdown and what could be the last throes of the Assad regime in Syria.
