Kerry Announcement Likely Delayed

President Obama is likely to pick Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) as the next secretary of state but the New York Times reports that the announcement will be delayed, at least until later this week and maybe beyond, because of the Connecticut school shooting and what one official called ‘some discomfort’ with the idea of Mr. Obama’s announcing a national security team in which the top posts are almost exclusively held by white men.”

The Boston Globe adds that the possibility of picking Kerry for state and former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) for defense “could also create pressure on the White House to add gender or racial diversity to the team with its selection of a permanent replacement for David Petraeus as CIA director.”

Among the possible candidates in that case would be Michele Flournoy or former Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA).