Forget About Susan Rice, Maria Otero Could Become the First Latina Secretary of State
Forget About Susan Rice, Maria Otero Could Become the First Latina Secretary of State
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s announcement, that she plans to resign her post at the end of the year, has led to speculation that U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice is the front runner to replace her at the State Department.
Rice, who has drawn a lot of fire because of her involvement in advancing the Obama administration’s talking points on the Benghazi attack, is unquestionably the favorite to receive the nomination from President Obama. And Republican Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have made it clear that they intend to fight vigorously to prevent the confirmation of Rice should she be nominated for the position.
However, after initially saying that Rice was “not qualified” and “not very bright,” McCain has now issued a sought of olive branch to Rice. On CBS’ Face the Nation, McCain said, “if Rice came back on Face the Nation and acknowledged she was wrong it would help her case.” Meanwhile, Graham who recently said, “Rice is so disconnected to reality I don’t trust her,” told ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, “when she comes over, if she does, there will be a lot of questions asked of her about this event and others.” Clearly Graham is still smarting from Obama’s remarks chastising him, McCain, and Senator Kelly Ayote (R-N.H.) for attacking Rice. Graham responded to Obama’s admonition to not “besmirch [Rice’s] reputation” and “go after me” by saying, “we’re not going to let up on this.”