While the drama of the Petraeus scandal plays out with all its twists and turns, there are some real implications for national security – specifically the President’s team as it heads into the second term.
By most accounts, General Petraeus was expected to serve far longer in the president’s cabinet. His resignation, after just 14 months on the job, leaves a void yet to be permanently filled. General John Allen was slated to become NATO supreme allied commander, but his Senate confirmation is now on hold. And then there is the choice of replacing Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) had been considered a top contender, but the new job now rumored for Kerry is Secretary of Defense (which apparently caught Kerry by surprise). The reason for the switch? Reports that the president prefers U.N. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice for the job at State. That idea isn’t sitting well with some Senate members, who back their colleague Kerry and, for some, have issues with Rice related to her comments on the Sept. 11 Benghazi attacks. So who will the President pick? It’s one of Washington’s favorite parlor games, and we’ll take a look with the insights of our panel.
Oh, and a final note – thanks to all our viewers and readers for being with us. Today marks one year that NOW is on the air. We’ve got a lot in store for the next year, so keep tuning in – and reading in. And as always, keep us up to date via the blog, Facebook, and Twitter. We love continuing the conversation with you.
PANEL
John Heilemann, National Affairs Editor, New York Magazine/msnbc Political Analyst (@jheil)
Fmr. Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA), NBC News Political Analyst (@govedrendell)
Joy Reid, Managing Editor, TheGrio.com/msnbc Contributor (@thereidreport)
Hugo Lindgren, Editor, The New York Times Magazine (@hugolindgren)
GUESTS
Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine (@jonathanchait)
Dan Rather, Anchor, AXS TV’s “Dan Rather Reports” (@danratherreport)
BULLPEN
Rev. Al Sharpton, msnbc Host, “PoliticsNation” (@thereval)
Dax Tejera