U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday nominated Senator John Kerry to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, calling the longtime lawmaker and foreign policy expert the “perfect choice" to guide U.S. diplomacy in the coming years. “He is not going to need a lot of on-the-job training," President Obama said in announcing Kerry's nomination at the White House. “Few individuals know as many presidents and prime ministers or grasp our policies as firmly as John Kerry." Obama selected Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, after U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice withdrew from consideration last week. He said he expected quick Senate confirmation of the Massachusetts lawmaker. If confirmed, Kerry would replace Hillary Clinton, who plans to leave the Obama administration early next year. Hillary Clinton, who is recovering from a concussion sustained in a fall, did not attend the announcement.
