Rice Quits Secretary of State Race, Kerry Tipped as Frontrunner

US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice has withdrawn her name from consideration for Secretary of State.

Rice recently came under heavy criticism for her defense of the Obama administration after armed militants killed four Americans in Libya's Benghazi.

"If nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly – to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities," Rice wrote in a one-page letter to President Barack Obama, as cited by the Los Angeles Times.

John Kerry, who unsuccessfully sought the presidency in 2004, has now vaulted to the top of President Barack Obama's shortlist of Secretary of State candidates , according to analysts.

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