President Nominates John Kerry to Secretary of State

After a battle with congressional Republicans, Obama has made his pick to replace Hillary Clinton.

It's official. Sen. John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat and former presidential candidate, is President Barack Obama's pick to become the next secretary of state. Obama made the nomination Friday. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Kerry will replace Hillary Clinton, who is stepping down from the post. "I think it is fair to say that few individuals know as many presidents and prime ministers or grasp our foreign policies as firmly as John Kerry," Obama said of Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "This makes him a perfect choice to guide American diplomacy in the years ahead." Kerry's nomination comes after United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice withdrew her name from consideration for the job last week due to threats by a number of GOP senators to block her nomination if the president did indeed name her.  While Kerry is expected to easily win approval, a move to the State Department could prove to be a threat to Democratic control of the Senate. Kerry's departure would leave his Senate seat in Massachusetts open, giving recently defeated Republican Sen. Scott Brown a chance to claim it. (CNN)