Obama’s Second Term Cabinet Is Mostly White

John Kerry U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D–Mass.) lost his presidential campaign against George W. Bush in 2004. The military veteran went on to endorse President Barack Obama in 2008 and served as Obama’s practice debate partner in 2012. Now, the President seems to be rewarding Kerry’s loyalty by nominating him to be secretary of state.

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John Kerry and Chuck Hagel are among the president’s picks for cabinet posts.

Barack Obama may be the first black president, but after winning reelection he’s received a ton of criticism for appointing white men to key positions in his cabinet. “President Obama ran promoting women’s issues,” New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd pointed out. “But how about promoting some women?” Although Obama was angling to make Susan Rice, a woman of color, his secretary of state, Republicans quickly shut that possibility down. After that, Obama nominated white man after white man to key posts. John Kerry, Chuck Hagel, John Brennan and Jack Lew were the president’s main second-term appointees before he was sworn in for his last term in office on Jan. 20, 2013. This list details just who these men are and what there accomplishments have been.