Kerry Wants to Become Secretary of State

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is “actively seeking” an appointment in Barack Obama’s administration as Secretary of State, several Democrats told the Associated Press.

Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, endorsed Obama over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) during the early stages of this year’s Democratic nomination fight. Kerry is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is the chairman of the Near East, South and Central Asian Affairs subcommittee.

He is second in line to take over the chairmanship of the full Foreign Relations Committee after Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). The current chairman is Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), who will become the vice president in January.