Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 
John Kerry to Be Easily Confirmed as Secretary of State, After Character Assassination of Susan Rice

News Commentary By Hassan El-Najjar
December 16, 2012

Susan Rice	John Kerry

Susan Rice was removed off John Kerry's way to be the next US Secretary of State, Just like David Petraeus was removed as head of the CIA, in order to be replaced by Jane Harman.

In both cases, the Israel Lobby operatives in Congress and the Zionist media played a major role in removing the two officials, by character assassination, in order to replace them with persons who are more loyal to Israel.

Chuck Hagel is being promoted as a person who "dared" to criticize Israel, to sell him to the public, while in fact he will be a better servant of Israeli regional and global plans than any Democrat. This is simply because, as a Republican, he will be more pro-war, and more pro-military spending than any Democrat.

For researchers, these are just two more examples of how the Israel Lobby tightens its control on US government, through appointments of more loyal persons in high offices of government, after removing their rivals by character assassination.

Notes:

For more information about recent character assassinations, see:

Candidate for CIA Chief Jane Harman Advocated Ethnic Breakup of Iran By Mark Dankof

How Paula Broadwell Destroyed the Highest Ranking American General, David Petraeus

Another American General, John Allen, Involved in a Romantic Relationship with a Married Woman, Jill Kelly

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Obama expected to name Kerry as Clinton’s successor

By News Wires (text)

France 24, Reuters, December 16, 2012

 

US President Barack Obama is widely tipped to name Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry to succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, sources said Saturday, after US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice withdrew from the race.

U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to nominate Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry to succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, sources familiar with the process said on Saturday.

Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004 and a stalwart Obama supporter, had been widely tipped as the likely candidate for top U.S. diplomat following the withdrawal last week of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice.

The announcement of Kerry's nomination could come as early as mid-week, according to one source knowledgeable of the situation, although it could also be delayed to avoid the impression of an overly-hasty return to politics following the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school on Friday.

The source said the White House is leaning toward unveiling Kerry's nomination as part of a high-profile package that would include his pick for defense secretary.

Former Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel is the top candidate to take over the Pentagon and the White House's vetting process for him is virtually complete, the source said.

Obama met Hagel at the White House on Dec. 3 to discuss the post and has also spoken to Vice President Joe Biden, the source said.

While Obama is said to be generally comfortable with Hagel's foreign policy views, there is some concern within the administration that his record of occasional criticism of Israel could create problems in the confirmation process.

Clinton ill

Clinton, consistently rated as the most popular of Obama's cabinet, intends to step down toward the end of January when Obama is sworn in for a second term. The State Department said on Saturday she was recovering from a concussion suffered after she became dehydrated with a stomach virus.

There is widespread speculation that Clinton will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2016.

Kerry's nomination would close the books on a political firestorm that engulfed Rice, the candidate seen as the early favorite for the top diplomatic job.

A close Obama confidante, Rice withdrew her name from consideration after heavy fire from Republicans for remarks she made in the aftermath of a Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans were killed, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Republicans have criticized the Obama administration for its early public explanations of the attack, and trained most of their firepower on Rice, who went on television to say that preliminary information suggested the assault was the result of protests over an anti-Muslim video made in California rather than a premeditated strike.

Rice, defended by Obama and other senior members of the administration, said on Thursday she was withdrawing her name from consideration to avoid a potentially lengthy and disruptive confirmation process in the U.S. Senate.

Kerry, known both nationally through his presidential run and in the U.S. Senate where he has long been a senior Democratic powerbroker, offers no such challenges.

After losing narrowly to Republican George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election, Kerry forged a new identity as a congressional leader on foreign policy, often serving as a low-profile emissary for the White House.

Even Republicans in Congress said they expected their colleague to sail through the confirmation process.

"I think John Kerry would be an excellent appointment and would be easily confirmed by his colleagues," Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins said recently.

Kerry's departure from the Senate forces the Democrats to defend his seat.

The just-defeated but still-popular Massachusetts Republican Senator Scott Brown, who took office in early 2010 after winning the last special election for a Massachusetts seat, is widely expected to run for Kerry's seat if he leaves.

Republicans criticized Rice for being too much of a political ally of Obama's rather a stateswoman. But Kerry has his own close ties to the Democratic president.

Kerry supported his fellow senator early in his 2008 presidential campaign and was a leading contender to be Obama's first secretary of state.

He served as an important ally in the Senate after Obama won the White House and has also played important supportive roles for the White House in foreign policy.

Obama sent Kerry to Afghanistan in 2009, when he helped talk President Hamid Karzai into agreeing to a runoff election.

 

Embattled Rice pulls out of US secretary of state race

By Philip CROWTHER ,

FRANCE 24 correspondent reporting from Washington

FRANCE 24 (text),  December 13, 2012

 

Susan Rice withdrew her name from consideration Thursday to be the next secretary of state after the embattled UN ambassador ran into a stand-off with Republicans over her handling of the Benghazi consulate attack in Libya in September.

Susan Rice withdrew her name from consideration as US secretary of state on Thursday in the face of what promised to be a difficult Senate confirmation battle.

Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations and a close confidante of President Barack Obama, said she was withdrawing from the process to avoid a lengthy, costly and disruptive confirmation battle.

ANALYSIS

DIPLOMACY Susan Rice, a risky replacement for Clinton?

“That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country,” she wrote in a letter to Obama.

Rice was said to be Obama’s top pick, but a major obstacle emerged in September with her role in the administration’s much-criticised response to the deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

High-profile Republican senators like John McCain were quick to slam Rice for her initial assertion on TV news shows that the incident may have been a spontaneous protest rather than terrorism (as the White House subsequently labelled it). “I will do everything in my power to block her from being the United States Secretary of State,” McCain said on Fox News, alluding menacingly to the confirmation hearings the Senate holds for all presidential cabinet nominees. “She has proven that she either doesn’t understand or she is not willing to accept evidence on its face.”

McCain’s colleague Lindsey Graham echoed the allegation. “I’m not entertaining promoting anybody that I think was involved with the Benghazi debacle,” Graham said on CBS. “Susan Rice needs to be held accountable.”

The Obama administration has argued that Rice should not, in fact, be held accountable, since she was reading on-air from a briefing written by US intelligence agencies.

Obama issued a statement on Thursday saying he accepted Rice’s decision to remove her name from consideration. Obama decried what he called “unfair and misleading attacks” on Rice.

A person familiar with the deliberations told AP news agency on condition of anonymity that support has been trending away from Rice for the past few days.

Senator John Kerry is perceived internally to be the front-runner for the secretary of state position. Former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel is also seen as the front-runner for Obama’s next defence secretary.

Hillary Clinton is planning to step down as secretary of state in the coming months. Rice will continue as the US ambassador to the United Nations.