Pros and Cons of Picking Susan Rice for State

One of the first significant decisions of President Obama’s second term is whether to name U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. White House officials are whispering to the New York Times and other news outlets that Rice is currently Obama’s favorite to fill the top cabinet slot, despite growing GOP opposition in the Senate. Thus far five Republican Senators have come out against Rice, citing her statements about the Sept. 11 Benghazi attacks. But Obama didn’t leave himself much wiggle room with his impassioned defense of Rice at a press conference last week. “When they go after the U.N. ambassador, apparently because they think she’s an easy target, then they’ve got a problem with me,” Obama said. “And should I choose, if I think that she would be the best person to serve America in the capacity of the State Department, then I will nominate her.”