Ambassador Susan Rice

Well damn. It is official. Susan Rice, are Ambassador to the UN, has officially removed her name from being considered for the Secretary of State position that will be vacated by Hillary Clinton at the beginning of the year. This should be no surprise to anyone. Susan Rice, unlike Lindsey Graham, John McCain and other Senate Republicans, is a well-trained, ethical, thoughtful, intelligent woman. I am deeply saddened that she withdrew her name because of the ridiculous bloviating of Senate Republicans.

From the New York Times:

Susan E. Rice, the Obama administration’s ambassador to the United Nations, has withdrawn her name from consideration for secretary of state, in the face of relentless opposition from Republicans in Congress over her role in the aftermath of the deadly attack on the American Mission in Benghazi, Libya.

In a letter to President Obama, Ms. Rice said she concluded that “the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly — to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities. The tradeoff is simply not worth it to our country.”

Mr. Obama, who spoke with Ms. Rice on Thursday, said he accepted her request with regret, describing her as “an extraordinarily capable, patriotic, and passionate public servant.”