President Barack Obama may announce his nominees for secretaries of state and defense and head of the CIA in the coming weeks, according to an administration official.
Former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican, is among Obama’s top candidates to head the Pentagon, replacing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Other contenders are Michele Flournoy, former defense undersecretary for policy, Ashton Carter, deputy defense secretary, and Democratic Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, the official said.
Obama is also considering Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the nation’s top diplomat, along with Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the official said.
looking beyond borders 