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Subscribe to RSSUPDATED 4:24 p.m. ET -- President Barack Obama’s possible choice of United Nations envoy Susan Rice to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared to be in greater jeopardy Wednesday after one key Republican senator broadened the scope of questions about her record. Another GOP senator implied she was too much of a personal and party loyalist to head the State Department and urged the president to “step back” from the idea of nominating Rice.
Rice went to Capitol Hill Wednesday for a second consecutive day of meetings with skeptical GOP senators, meeting with Susan Collins of Maine and Bob Corker of Tennessee, who is slated to become the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and would have a key role in the confirmation hearing for a secretary of state nominee.
UN ambassador Susan Rice has become a lightning rod for criticism from Republicans who blame her for more than one security failure abroad. But President Obama continues to support Rice, who is expected to become Obama's choice to replace Hillary Clinton as the next Secretary of State. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
Until Wednesday, Rice had come under Republican fire primarily for her role in speaking for the Obama administration in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi in which Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed.
But in comments to reporters after meeting with Rice, Collins expanded the criticism of Rice to include her potential role in protecting the American embassies in Kenya and Somalia that were hit by al Qaida attacks in 1998, when Rice served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs.
Collins said she was “very troubled by the fact that we seem not to have learned from the 1998 bombings of two of our embassies in Africa at the time when Ambassador Rice was the assistant secretary for African affairs. Those bombings in 1998 resulted in the loss of life of 12 Americans as well as many other foreign nationals.”
She said, “What troubles me so much is the Benghazi attack in many ways echoes the attacks on those embassies in 1998, when Susan Rice was head of the African region for our State Department. In both cases the ambassadors begged for additional security” but she said, as with the Sept. 11 attack on the consulate in Benghazi, those requests were turned down by the State Department.
Collins said that Rice told her “she would have to refresh her memory” of the 1998 events and that she was not directly involved in turning down the request for embassy security in 1998.
But Collins seemed dissatisfied with Rice’s response, saying, “Surely given her position as the assistant secretary for African affairs, she had to be aware of the general threat assessment and of the ambassadors’ repeated requests for more security.”
Sen. Susan Collins talks about her meeting with Ambassador Susan Rice and says Sen. John Kerry would be a better Secretary of State. Collins also said it's premature to reach a judgment on the confirmation.
Collins said that before she could support Rice’s nomination, “I would need to have additional information.”
Collins, the senior Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, is up for re-election in 2014. Obama carried her state in the presidential election with 56 percent of the vote.
After his meeting with Rice, Corker seemed to be sending a plea or a warning to Obama to not pick his U.N. envoy as the next secretary of state.
“I know that at some point I may play a semi-important role in who the next secretary of state may be,” Corker told reporters at the Capitol. “I would just ask the president to step back for a moment and realize that all of us here hold the secretary of state to a very different standard than most Cabinet members.”
Corker said, “We want someone of independence.”
He added that “all of us … can become close to people and have loyal soldiers,” implying that Rice was one of those personal loyalists and therefore wouldn’t be right for the job. It was an echo of his comment Tuesday that “when I hear Susan (Rice) talk, she sounds to me like she'd be a great head of the Democratic National Committee.”
At a meeting at the White House with his Cabinet members, with Rice present, in response to a question from a reporter about how senators were treating Rice, Obama said Wednesday, "Susan Rice is extraordinary. I couldn't be prouder of the job that she's done."
At Obama’s Nov. 14 press conference, after Rice came under fire from Republican senators John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, the president gave a vigorous defense of his U.N. envoy.
“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,” he 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.”
McCain, Graham, and Ayotte have all said they’d oppose Rice if Obama nominates her, but the comments Wednesday from Collins and Corker appeared to reflect a growing skepticism in Republican ranks.
When a reporter asked Collins about Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as a potential secretary of state, she replied, “I think John Kerry would be an excellent appointment and would be easily confirmed by his colleagues.”
This comment added to the apparent GOP support for Kerry.
On Tuesday McCain told Fox News, “John Kerry came within a whisker of being president of the United States. I think works in his favor (as a nominee to be secretary of state). But I would love to hear him make the case. But I don`t have anything in his background like this tragedy in Benghazi that would make me really want to carefully examine the whole situation.”
For a nomination that hasn’t yet happened and may not happen at all, the potential Rice nomination is generating enormous political heat and noise. That’s partly because it’s shaping up as a nose-to-nose test of Obama’s presidential clout and credibility in the aftermath of his Nov. 6 victory. But it’s also partly because the political futures of Collins, Kerry and others could be on the line.
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Question 1: Where did the information about the spontaneous protest originate?
Question 2: When the information that it was a terrorist attack was known, why did the spontaneous protest and the fillm cause continue for two weeks.
Question 3: What was President Obama's role in the Spontaneous Protest information?
Question 4: Why is the press giving the Obama Administration a pass on this debacle?
LOL so what are you going to do about that? Now that Obama has been reelected are you going to push you congressman/woman to impeach the President?
I just want to know the answers, it is not my wish to see President Obama impeached
She's lying like a rug on instructions from the king of liars Obama...so discusting that the highest office in the land continues to lie to the American people and what is worse the so called main stream media turns their head and that should be of alarm to everyone
exactly
You guys are a bunch of sick puppies who give waaaay too much credit to the fear mongers on the airwaves. They are in it for the money and they are taking you guys for everything they can. How many of those fear mongers are poor or even middle class? None. They are all members of the 2% and they prosper by feeding your fears and using the low-information-network to drive you batsh!t crazy.
tncountry (27.4):
You're 52 cards short of a full deck. What a stupid statement. REPUBLICANS are the ones who have most of the money--NOT the Democrats.
This issue is all about getting John Kerry the position of Secretary of State so that Brown could be Senator again in Mass.
lmao...Brown couldn't win again...they're on to him and the fascist party lies in MA
exactly. i hope everyone reads this and gets it. This isnt about Rice, its about getting Brown back in the Senate seat he lost, at least the other Mass senate seat because he lost the one he had. You can believe, if Kerry is nominated, every republican will pass him in without asking the first question.
. . . gee - for a moment I thought you were talking someone > Key republican < flip-flop ??
writes the McCain-Fienstein Finance Bill that allows himself to fly all around the country and doesn't have to report it ?? His wife's private plane - rmemember her the largest Budweiser Beer Distributor in the country ???
Oh . . you mean the man that goes to visit Bush at his ranch in Texas and comes back - with wink-wink......you betcha.....Stands on the floor of the Congress in favor of womens healthcare concerns and does an about face on the campaign trail ?? the same as he stood for veterans rights and about faced that too...????
When you say KEY - Republicans you really mean stooge???
The question is WHOSE ORDERS IS HE FOLLOWING NOW ???? no more bush/cheney ?????
Rove has been running the party for a while now, and Rush Limbaugh is his consultant.
Here are two important facts about this issue:
1) The Obama administration has yet to fully explain/justify its handling of the Bengahzi attacks.
2) Despite all this posturing, there is virtually nothing GOP Senators can do to prevent the appointment of Ms. Rice. For this they only have themselves to blame.
All in all, this seems like a waste of political capital on the part of the GOP. There are much more important issues the GOP will need some political clout to address, i.e. - fiscal cliff, immigration, etc.
Is this ALL that McCain & Graham have to do with the 99% American People's tax dollars? Let's VOT THEM OUT! McCain should have been retired before he became retarded!!
You mean, being so out of touch as to believe that an attack on a US Embassy, one
which had begged for help and security upgrades, where our Ambassador is killed
on 9-11 when heavily armed men with mortars attached the embassy, blames a
video, which no one saw, instead of seeing terrorism.....oh I give up.....tell
a lie three times and most people will believe it.....She is either incompetent
or a liar, and we have enough of them in government already. Really, can’t we
do better as a country? I think we deserve better.
Bush legacy on terror...3000 dead on 911...5000 dead in iraq...mission accomplished
Brings up a point - how many men would it have taken to protect the Ambassador from 'heavily armed men with mortars'? Don't forget, this is not the main embassy, it's a satellite consulate with minimum staffing. Why was Stevens there instead of Tripoli when he obviously knew of the dangers and previous recent incidents?
What do you mean - no one saw it? Sources please.
If you were assigned the duty of answering questions about a recent attack on a US facility, would you depend on Fox News, CNN, or the US Intelligence community?
Steve: This wasn't an Embassy OR a consulate....this was merely an outpost manned by 2 military members. It was basically a place where meetings were held with the population in that particular part of the country. Stevens was there to meet with a member of the medical group there....he decided to stay the night, which was not planned. This particular facility did not have enough security for him to make that decision, but he made it anyway. What happened is a travesty, but putting the blame on just a couple of people is ridiculous....circumstances happened and consequences prevailed. We need to learn from these and move on....as mentioned above, there are MANY more important things that need to be dealt with in this country. McCain and his gang need to get back to work doing the business of their constituents, who pay their salaries, and worry about the results of this investigation when all the facts are totally available!!
Will Obama order for the slain Woods a dishonorable discharge and revocation of his pension to his family for having directly disobeyed the president's order to stand down at Benghazi?
What the h3ll are you talking about?
With the security clearance that Rice had she knew that the attack was not because of some youtube video. She got up and said it anyway. She lied and should not be security of state.
If she would have said anything else, she would have been revealing classified information. You do know that's a felony - right? You do know she could be tried for treason if she leaked classified materials - right?
It doesn't matter what she knows, what matters is what the intel community has authorized to be released.
Rice will be a good political tool and take the hit for her glorious leader - so that the newspapers will have a bit of blood and flesh to pretend that they really got something. Obama and his muslime friends will go completely unpunished.
I guess you figure that is you call Obama a Muslim enough times, that it will become truth. Sorry to disappoint you but he's probably a better Christian than you are.
not hardly he is a Muslim
So all our Christian missionaries are wasting their time and we should bring them back home? Once a Muslim always a Muslim?
And yet you would vote for a cult member.
WychDoctor: There should be a button on here for "idiot comment!" It's amazing that you know so much about everything...you know NOTHING! Go back into your hole and be quiet!
Too funny... the new dem/lib escape talking point... there are bigger issues to worry about than this. Yep, lets put the lies and misdirection and deflection for the inept response and the four dead people behind us and move on to more lies and misdirection and deflection and an inept plan for something else. You people who want the truth are sooooooo boring and dumb.
Funny that the Dems were not forgiving of the CIA intelligence on Iraqi WMD. Moreover, there were no allegations there that the administration intentionally doctored the CIA report. I don't think Stevens' family believes this is trivial. What is clearly not trivial is a President who would directly lie to the American people to get reelected or that his Middle East policies are a failure. Just watch what happens in Egypt, and that is only the beginning. Iraq and Afganistan are in shambles, and the Taliban are already making their comeback. Hillary is smart to get out now.
Rice will never be nominated so the entire discussion is moot. maybe Obama should nominate one of his Kenyan relatives, or maybe a Karl marx decendant. That is where this country is heading anyway.
dont worry he will
steve and Fass: That's an ignorant remark. You lost. Get over it.
Speaking of guys namned Karl...as in Rove who brought us this devisive political landscape...Rove the republican nazi (see anyone can throw around labels) brought us shrub and his faux war on terror in iraq...that is sooooooooo much worse than a possible misspoken claim by the UN AMb....if republicans weren't so dangerous this would be funny
The Senate will vote her in as SOS the day after Hillsarwe leaves. They are just waiting for things to cool off a while. Do you really think this President is going to have someone change his plans? Sure. There is nothing anyone can really do to stop it but make it another media show dragging out the vote, and Obama can control the slant of the show via his media control.
Rick, don't ever call anyone a Nazi or Hitler no matter how much you dislike their position. Have you learned nothing in life.
What is the big deal The president of this great country cannot demand the truth from his people, or is it him that is the problem? Enought time has went buy now to now the truth. Also it is time he stayed home and got the budget in order as there hasn't been one for 4 years. he is a very bad manager.
Someone show me where the meeting room is where their discussing finding the culprits of this attack.
This whole Rice controversy is just a smoke screen to fill the media and cover up the inability of John Boner and the Republicon house to compromise. They need to do what the majority of Americans want not cater to the wealthy.
How is it no one but you and me see this for what it it. And that's Speaker Bonehead to you (LOL).
Who decided that she is a key Republican and why. For that matter how? Please explain!
Nothing like a bunch of old white people holding a high tech lynching of a sucessful black woman...you reichwing clowns have nothing to offer this nation but rhetoric, racism and a return to your Father Knows Best lives...
Nice wording Rick. You must have gone to the Ebonics for blacks workshops like a good boy.
are you completely stupid ? or what ...what happen to freedoms ? what happen to love our country ?
kill our country from the inside out ..obama needs to be impeached
For what? Specifics. please.
if i have to explain all of this ...do you not get any of this or are so comfortable living in your obama box to really see the truth of things?
Fass, you made a statement. When asked to explain yourself, and you have nothing, you attempt to disparage the questioner. That pathetic right-wing tactic is so transparent it's laughable.
It's obvious to me that the Republicans are hoping for Kerry to be Secretary of State, opening his Senate seat for Scott Brown. However, even if that were to happen, I don't think Massachusetts will buy Brown twice. And who decided that Collins was a "key Republican"?
1998 bombins of two embassies kikked 12 Americans and many foreign nationals....and I don't recall a great demand for the firing or investigation of incompetence of anyone in the GW administration....by the GOP.... Again, selective outrage. It's OK, if you're a Republican???
Clinton was President in 1998 you moron.
Thats because back then the GOP was heavily focused on Clinton-Lewinsky gate and pushing for impeachment. Everything else was in the back burner.
Blacks and other minorities seem to think they are entitled to any civil service job that comes up no matter how lacking in ability they are. They practice reverse discrimination and promote each other up the ladder to the detriment of our country. Obama never served his country in the military. He doesn't understand the important of putting a man with military experience in the Secretary job. If he did the Ambassador would not be dead now.
Hillary never served in military either, yet she's done a great job as SOS for the most part. But I'm wondering why the GOP isn't pointing their fingers at her since the Benghazi incident fell under her responsibility.
The guy running against Obama has never served in the military either. How is that a big issue?
She will get the job because she is Black and a female. It doesn't matter if she lied or how good, smart or even knows what she is doing. Entitlement.
I agree Robert, most readers are to gutless to make the statement.
Civil Service will take a B test grade minority applicant over a A test grade caucasian applicant that is better qualified just to fill a minority quota job opening.
Spratt & New Tampa Resident: You're both idiots!!! What a bunch of rascist crap!! Both President Obama and Ms Rice are MORE than qualified to be in the positions they are in....AND, unhappily for you and your GOP buddies, you lost. Get over it!!
Maybe you both need to move to Idaho and live in one of those "skinhead" colonies....seems the right place for your way of thinking!!
The Susan Rice incompetence is more evident each day and the crazy video story makes her look stupid.
Kerry looks like a better choice at this point.
If our President wants Rice, he should probably give Uncle Ben a call
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
It's time for the Democratic Party to step up and end this theatrical charade by the GOP Goons. Every Democratic Senator in the current session should come out publicly and state there complete support for Dr. Rice and confidence for anyone President Obama nominates for that spot. They are allowing Republicans to present themselves to the public as the "majority authority" yet again. When they are nothing but an obstructive minority. This is not President Obama's problem. It is Harry Reid and Dick Durbin's major problem. Time to stop playing nice with these media seeking idiots. And treat them like the enemies they are to your mandate. The public will punish Democrats severely by staying away from the polls in 2014, just like 2008, if they don't Beitch slap these goons back into their "lame duck" reality.
The GOP strategy is really simple. It's transfer their lame duck status to the President and Democratic party "BEFORE" transfer of power occurs on inauguration day.
THEY LOST HUGE ON NOVEMBER 6! Stop allowing them to pretend they are in control of this.
No, then the Democratic senators would be portraying themselves as useless and brainless tools of the White House.
They can't say anyone Obama picks we'll support, they at least have to put up a pretense of carefully considering his choices, even if they almost certainly will support him or her.
@ChestyPuller:
You're right of course. My emotions and indignity over this matter got the best of me. That's how the GOP does it. I am just so fed up and disgusted with the cheap, goon theatrics of Republicans. That Party has become dangerously insane IMO. It has become too easy to devolve to their level and tactics. That's why President Obama is such a breadth of fresh air.
But you need to check your own name calling behavior. You write like a sensible person at times. Like you did in this response. You make inference about Democratic talking points, while ignoring how Republicans march like blind sheep to Fox News and right wing media talking points.