So, there are a few names being thrown about to be the next Secretary of State of Clinton leaves early next year. There are some interesting possibilities here that I think could lead to some discussion.
The first possibly contender is the UN Ambassador Susan Rice. She has some impressive foreign policy credentials and has served in various capacities durring the Clinton Administration. However, her handling of the LIbya fiasco would probably make it hard, if not impossible to get through the confirmation process.
The second possible contender is Senator John Kerry. As a former presidential candidate and senate foreign relations chairman he is certainly qualified for the job and would be a pretty safe choice. The problem with John Kerry is that he is pretty bland and Obama seems to favor bold choices in his appointments instead of the safe ones. Also, if appointed, it would open up a new senate seat in Massachusets for new defeated Scott Brown to try again for.
The third possible contender former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. He has served in pretty much every government capacity you can think of, house rep, governor, UN Ambassador, and Secretary of Energy. Super qualified for the position, he is a very likely candidate. However, like John Kerry, his political starpower isn't what it used to be. He also kind of dissed the Obama admistration when he passed on the secretary of commerce job during his first term.
The fourth possible contender is Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. Currently the number two in the state department, has tons of foreign policy eperience from serving in a variety of different state department positions. While he is certainly qualified for the job, he is a big unknown in American politics.
The fifth possible contender is former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. The former Ambassador of China and former Republican presidential candidate, Jon Huntsman has a lot of foreign policy experience. This would definitely be a bold pick and would certainly be a big pickup for Obama if he managed to get Jon Huntsman as it would be an impressive display of bipartisanship. However, it would also doom an future presidential aspirations Jon Huntsman might have.
