By Tracy Connor, NBC News
Embattled U.N. envoy Susan Rice is dropping out of the running to be the next secretary of state after months of criticism over her Benghazi comments.
“Today, I made the decision that it was the best thing for our country, for the American people that I not continue to be considered by the president for nomination of secretary of state,” Rice told NBC’s Brian Williams.
“I didn’t want to see a confirmation process that was very prolonged, very politicized, very distracting and very disruptive because there are so many things we need to get done as a country and the first several months of a second term president’s agenda is really the opportunity to get the crucial things done.”
Rice noted that President Obama’s second-term agenda included “comprehensive immigration reform, balanced deficit reduction, job creation.”
She added, “And to the extent that my nomination could have delayed or distracted or deflected or maybe even some of these priorities impossible to achieve, I didn’t want that and I much prefer to keep doing what I’m doing which is a job I love at the United Nations.”
The full interview with Rice will air on tonight’s “Rock Center With Brian Williams” at 10p/9c. Excerpts will also be broadcast on Nightly News at 6:30 pm ET.
Obama said in a statement that he accepted her decision and regretted “the unfair and misleading attacks” on Rice, who was considered a front-runner to replace Hillary Clinton as the nation’s top foreign policy official.
Criticism over remarks
Rice has been under intense fire from Republicans for initially characterizing the Sept. 11 assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, as a spur-of-the-moment response to a crude anti-Muslim film.
“What happened in Benghazi was in fact initially a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired hours before in Cairo, almost a copycat of the demonstrations against our facility in Cairo, which were prompted, of course, by the video,” Rice said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” five days after the attack.
“Opportunistic extremist elements came to the consulate as this was unfolding. They came with heavy weapons, which unfortunately are readily available in post-revolutionary Libya, and it escalated into a much more violent episode.”
As more details emerged suggesting it was a premeditated terrorist action, GOP critics accused Rice of misleading the public at the height of the presidential campaign.
She countered that she went with the best information available about the attack, in which Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed.
“I relied solely and squarely on the information provided to me by the intelligence community. I made clear that the information was preliminary and that our investigations would give us the definitive answers,” she said on Nov. 21 at the United Nations.
By then, Obama had already expressed strong support for Rice, warning Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to stop slamming her and vowing to block her confirmation.
“They should go after me,” he said at his first press conference after his re-election.
Despite a series of closed-door meeting with Capitol Hill lawmakers to drum up support, Rice continued to face questions from senators key to her confirmation.
After a Nov. 28 sitdown with Rice, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she couldn’t yet endorse the veteran diplomat and raised a new point of concern: her role in protecting American embassies in Kenya and Nairobi that were bombed by terrorists in 1998.
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) suggested Rice was seen as too much of an Obama loyalist and the GOP preferred “someone of independence.”
Attack on critics
In her resignation letter to Obama, Rice took aim at her GOP critics.
“The position of secretary of state should never be politicized,” she wrote.
“As someone who grew up in an era of comparative bipartisanship and as a sitting U.S. national security official who has served in two U.S. Administrations, I’m saddened that we have reached this point, even before you have decided whom to nominate. We cannot afford such an irresponsible distraction from the most pressing issues facing the American people.”
Obama praised Rice as “an extraordinarily capable, patriotic, and passionate public servant.”
“While I deeply regret the unfair and misleading attacks on Susan Rice in recent weeks, her decision demonstrates the strength of her character, and an admirable commitment to rise above the politics of the moment to put our national interests first.”
McCain and Graham, among Rice’s loudest critics, said they would continue to press the administration on Benghazi.
“I respect Ambassador Rice’s decision,” Graham said in a statement. “President Obama has many talented people to choose from to serve as our next secretary of state.”
The withdrawal leaves Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) as a possible candidate for the job, and Republicans have said he would have a smoother run.
"I think John Kerry would be an excellent appointment and would be easily confirmed by his colleagues," Collins said last month.
Rice, 48, has been the United States’ permanent representative to the United Nations since 2009, after serving as a senior advisor to the Obama campaign, working at the Brookings Institution and holding other diplomatic and national security positions dating back to 1993.
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YAY so glad she's out. Now we'll have to work on all the other losers O will nominate
<cough>
Awwww poor Barry, didn't get his way, now he will send soldiers into Syria to get killed to distract us from his failures in America.
She's just taking the fall for the failure. That's the way it works, she was useful for deflecting the responsibility.
It is disgusting and a real shame that partisan politics, operating totally aggressively and solely for their own purposes and neither for the country's nor the people's interests, prevails in this one. It isn't simply unfair to S. Rice but rather it is an indication of just how sick and out of line our politics has become. The likes of McCain and Graham should be completely ashamed of themselves but that would indicate they have consciences, and it is obvious that isn't the case. The people are who loose here, not so much because Rice won't serve as Sec of St but really because our government is run by partisan politics for the sake of political ambitions and to serve only the very few.
Freedom--"People refusing to be fair, or honest. Its sickening really. I can only hope the American voter see's what kind of slime some of these people are, and what they represent. You wonder why politics is broken? Scumbags who arent ethical or honest, and dont have a shred of integrity." But then, enough about the way the DEms ran the Presidential Election campaign.
ha-- out of the park, Hotrod.
She lied! End of story!Too bad other liers weren't defeated!
It's liars not "liers" you ignoramous.
It's "ignoramus" not "ignoramous," you ignoramus.
This is fun-- your turn!
Politics makes strange bed fellows. This is not the first disaster on her watch. Some people are not qualified for some positions. It doesnt make them a bad person it just doesnt make them the right person for the position.
At least SOMEBODY in the Obama administration has a clue. President Obama himself should have removed her from consideration. "Partisan politics" my aunt fanny....the chick went on TV and told things that weren't true. It's "partisan" to TRY and get to the bottom of it? More liberal BS.
Susan Rice, the woman who looked the American people in the eye and deliberately lied. Then continued that lie in order to protect her boss from the American people recognizing his total and epic failure as commander in chief
Who was then aided and abetted by this network and others.
What a bully McCain is, to Bully a well qualified person out of the position she has worked and deserved.
McCain is such a sore loser, like the rest of the Republicans.
I guess Brown is excited, what a cheap shot at women.
Vote Republicans out in 2014.
About time!!
More appropriately, what she should have said is that the right wing whacko's should go take a flying leap and ...!
Then again it would have reduced her to the same pathetic bunch of idiots that see this issue as a greater priority than solving the real tasks at hand.
Yeah, like taxing more from the rich to keep your food stamps coming?
Well Maria, you, like most thinking like you jump to many wrong conclusion on nearly every topic. For example, I will most likely be one of those hit by raising the tax on the tier in question. That will mean, at worse, the upgrade purchase from my 2011, and 2012, vehicles may be delayed by a month or two.
You are a perfect example of what happens when mouth opens before brain is engaged on facts!
I fully understand Ambassador Rice's decision, and her reasoning as well. The hell of it is that her withdrawal from consideration as Secretary of State thus becomes essentially a partisan victory---and encourages Republican committee chairs to use the same unscrupulous tactics again in future. It's a long way from being the Senate's finest hour, or anything like it.
Oh give me a break. What brilliance? Everyone who is attractive and well-spoken is not brilliant. The bottom line is that she was used as a tool by the administration to ward off questions during the election. I watched her interviews, and she was strident and vehement that the incident was caused by a "film". During her interview with Fox News, she was curt and dismissive with Chris Wallace when he asked her to at least "open the door" to a different explanation of the cause.
Any "brilliant diplomat" uses 'hedge' language to give themselves an 'out' if needed later. Also, a brilliant person has sense enough to tell the boss that they are not going public with a story based upon a lame briefing. This woman is getting everything that's coming to her. When you swim with sharks, you better no how to get out of the water before you start bleeding.
This is all a game being played by the Republicans so that John Kerry will be picked. Why do they want Kerry? Because that will open up his Mass. Senate seat for a special election in 2014 and Scott Brown (R) can run for it (and will have a good chance of winning). Where was the Republican outrage when Colin Powell testified before the UN that Iraq had weapons of mass destuction BASED ON THE INTELLIGENCE SUPPLIED TO HIM??
Bingo, you get the cigar
There was no outrage because the intelligence came from many foreign sources as well as our own. BIG difference.
I am not a fan, but Susan Rice is a Diplomat. As a Diplomat, she is only suppose to do the given talking point. She is not suppose to express anything deviate from the given talking point! She did what the WH wanted! Otherwise she would be either ask to resign or be fired!
Moron. The morning she went on 5 political shows, the evidence available at that very moment disputed her account entirely.
Susan Rice is a LIAR or just really really stupid. You choose.
Condoleza Rice allowed Saudi Arabia to attack us on 9-11.
Not one negative peep from a single GOP'er when she was nominated for the same office.
I despise the Reich wingers and am SO looking forward the glorious day not so far away when we throw a funeral party for the dying GOP.
Owen--appropriate picture for you--you are a clown!
Susan Rice took one for the team to keep Hillary's political ambitions alive. Because, come on.....within hours after the attack, the Libyan Government was even saying that is was an orchestrated terrorist attack and not some spontaneous attack caused by a video. And what day was it?? I believe it was Sept 11...........
susan rice is a pos.
Hindsight is always 20/20. She followed the process of telling the American people what the security outfit 'wrote' for her as talking point. I thought Sen. Clinton is the Secretary of State. So what's her role and responsibility in all of these? Dr. Rice was simply used as a scape goat. Unfortunately, in politics, it's a fair game. As for those shameless Senators from Arizona, S. Carolina and New Hampshire, we are watching! You've set a standard that must be followed without exception. Can we please proceed to do the people's job?
Yesterday it was revealed that Bob Menendez, senator from New Jersey employed an illegal immigrant who was a registered sex offender. It was further revealed that Homeland Security advised the Immigration Service to hold off on arrest and deportation proceedings until after the election. Damn Republicans once again trying to impune the reputation of another fine public servant.
same ole same ole.
Victim of the party politics...she will end up with another gov paid job, so don't shed tears. She was the front person for the fiasco of the embassy attack, and had to take the fall. Her money from oil and pipeline stocks will keep her warm.
Maybe she sees that she doesn't want to participate in a system where she has to choose sides when she just wants to serve her country. There are a lot of good people that go into politics with good intentions and find that the "system" and party politics is too great a hurdle to overcome. It seems that no one is nominated for their ability to serve but on whether they have the same political views that will advance the party agenda. I don't know if she would be a good Secretary of State. Maybe she saw her nomination as a political ploy and she was more uncomfortable with that. She doesn't want to be a puppet for anyone. There are too many of them in the "system" now as it is.