When President Obama officially starts his second term in January, he will be accompanied by half a dozen new Cabinet members, which he is currently in the process of choosing now.
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Though there were reports that Massachusetts Senator and former presidential nominee John Kerry will step up into Hillary Clinton’s Secretary of State role, there is now speculation that he may fill the Secretary of Defense position. Obama is also forced to recruit a new CIA Director, since General Petraeus stepped down last week due to an extramarital affair scandal.
Boston.com reports:
Although Kerry is thought to covet the job of secretary of state, senior administration officials familiar with transition planning said that nomination will almost certainly go to Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations.
John Brennan, Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser, is a leading contender for the CIA job if he wants it, officials said. If Brennan goes ahead with his plan to leave government, Michael Morell, the agency’s acting director, is the prohibitive favorite to take over permanently. Officials cautioned that the White House discussions are in the early phases and that no decisions have been made.
Petraeus’ resignation last week after revelations of an extramarital affair have complicated what was already an intricate puzzle to reassemble the administration’s national security and diplomatic pieces for Obama’s second term.
John Kerry’s background makes him a strong contender to be Secretary of Defense and we’re confident he would handle this position well.
