The US Senate’s overwhelming 94-3 vote for John Kerry as next secretary of state cheered President Barack Obama, but his other choices for top national security team for his second term may face intense probes and even hurdles on the Capitol Hill.
On Thursday, Chuck Hagel, the former Republican lawmaker nominated for the post of defense secretary, is to appear for his confirmation before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Hagel, known as a war sceptic and maverick for his independent views, is likely to face grilling form lawmakers on issues ranging from the Iranian nuclear issue to Israel.
On February 7, Obama’s pick for CIA director, John Brennan, who is the lead author of Drone Strikes as a Counterterrorism Tool, would appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee for confirmation hearing. He is likely to face questions on torture techniques practiced in the George W Bush era. The longtime CIA officer may also have to answer questions surrounding highly controversial and covert US drone operations that also target Americans outside the regular constitutional framework.
Obama issued a statement on Tuesday following full Senate endorsement for John Kerry.
Obama said Kerry’s distinguished career had prepared him to guide American diplomacy in the years ahead as the senator prepares to take over from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday. Obama noted that Kerry had earned the respect of leaders around the world and the confidence of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. “I am confident he will make an extraordinary secretary of state. I look forward to his counsel and partnership in the years ahead as we ensure American leadership in the world and advance the interests and values that keep our nation strong,” the US president said.
Kerry, 69, has been the chairman of the US Senate Committee in the last four years, and as Democratic candidate, contested the 2004 election against George W Bush.
The senator will become the 68th top US diplomat and the first white man to hold the post since Warren Christopher in 1997, The Washington Post noted in a report.
As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry played the role of a troubleshooter for the Obama administration in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He is expected to continue his focus on the region which sees security transition in Afghanistan.
At his confirmation hearing last week, Kerry vowed to renew US efforts toward a Middle East peace settlement. “He assumes the post amid a civil war in Syria that has killed an estimated 60,000 people, stalled nuclear negotiations with Iran and the spread of militancy across North Africa. US relations with Russia are at a low point, the United States is struggling to manage a changing relationship with a rising China and the prospects for new Middle East peace efforts appear dim,” the Post commented.