U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice has withdrawn her name for consideration to be the next Secretary of State. Secretary Hillary Clinton is expected to leave her position next month. Rice wrote a letter to President Obama formally withdrawing consideration for a nomination she did not yet officially have.
“She was on her own and left hanging,” said Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC as the news broke.
“I think this was a right wing witch hunt,” said Michael Eric Dyson after the news broke.
“If nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly—to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities … That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country … Therefore, I respectfully request that you no longer consider my candidacy at this time,” Rice wrote in her letter to the President.
After weeks of criticism from Republican Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John McCain (R-AZ) Rice has withdrawn. Rice, a Stanford educated Rhodes Scholar, was blamed by many on the right for what was communicated after the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi.
“Go after me” not her said President Obama at a press conference on November 14. But many say the White House allowed Rice to twist in the wind as McCain and Graham pursued their criticism.
The controversy arose after Ambassador Rice appeared on Meet the Press on September 16. Even though Rice was given information for the interview from the CIA and the White House, Republicans blamed her for what they called misinformation after Benghazi.
“She certainly inserted caveats during that interview,” said NBC Meet the Press host David Gregory. Still, Republicans focused on Rice.
