Post date: Nov 09, 2012 3:32:54 PM
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans on leaving her post in President Barack Obama's second term. It remains unclear whether how long Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Attorney General Eric Holder will continue to serve.
JERUSALEM (FILE) (REUTERS) - With President Barack Obama locked in for another four years at the White House earlier this week, a political guessing game to another big Washington question: Who will succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State?
Clinton, one of the most popular members of Obama's Cabinet, has said she will step down when the current presidential term concludes at the end of January.State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Wednesday (November 7) reiterated her boss's plans to step down.
"She intends to see through the transition of a successor, and then she will go back to private life and enjoy some rest, and think and write," Nuland said.
The departure by Clinton - often mentioned as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2016 - will not be the only shakeup in Obama's core national security team.
Political analysts have been handicapping the race to succeed her for months, and usually come up with the same short list of potential successors including Democratic Senator John Kerry, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, and National Security advisor Tom Donilon.
But each of these front-runners has drawbacks that may put the State Department out of reach, and Obama's surprise choice of Clinton - his former Democratic presidential rival - for the job in 2008 could signal a willingness to reach out of the box to find America's next top diplomat.
The position of Secretary of State is a big prize, and the jockeying for the post is well under way.
With questions swirling over each of the established candidates, some analysts say Obama may once again go for a surprise choice - perhaps by reaching into Republican ranks.
Other major Obama Cabinet positions are also likely to change.
Attorney General Eric Holder said on Thursday (November 7) he has not decided whether to stay on as the chief U.S. law enforcement officer.
Holder served in the Justice Department's No. 2 position under President Bill Clinton, and Obama appointed him attorney general in 2009.
It is rare for an attorney general to serve more than four years, and Republicans have already tried to oust Holder after a botched operation called "Fast and Furious" that targeted gun trafficking along the United States-Mexico border.
Several other administration members, including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, are also weighing whether the start of Obama's second term in January is the right time to leave the administration.