President Obama Officially Nominates John Kerry As Secretary Of State

President Barack Obama has officially nominated John Kerry to be the next Secretary of State, replacing Hillary Clinton, who is set to step down in January.

In his nomination announcement, Obama added that Kerry’s entire life “has prepared him for this role.” If he is confirmed by Congress, the Massachusetts Democrat and former vice president will succeed Clinton for Obama’s second-term Cabinet.

Clinton was not in attendance for Obama’s announcement, which took place at the Roosevelt Room, reports Fox News, because she is still recovering from a concussion sustained during a fall last week.

Kerry’s nomination as Secretary of State is the first move by Obama to replace members of his Cabinet who are resigning after his first term is over next month. US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rise was initially thought to be Obama’s pick as Secretary of State, but she announced last week that she was removing herself from consideration.

Since then, speculation has moved to Kerry, with a senior official announcing earlier today that Obama would announce the former vice president as his pick. Al Jazeera notes that John Kerry is currently the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and will likely win an easy confirmation from his colleagues in the chamber.

John Kerry is close to President Obama, having selected the president to give the keynote speech during the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which helped launch the then unknown Illinois senator into the national political spotlight. Al Jazeera’s Patty Culhane spoke from Washington, saying:

“This is an easy one for the Obama administration. Kerry is a five-term senator and has pretty much been vetted already.”

Are you satisfied to see John Kerry nominated for Secretary of State by President Obama?