Why I'm Out of the Running for Secretary

Susan Rice has pulled herself out of the running for secretary of state, and she explains the move in a Washington Post op-ed. "As it became clear that my potential nomination would spark an enduring partisan battle," she writes, "I concluded that it would be wrong to allow this debate to continue distracting from urgent national priorities." She defends her statements to the media following the Benghazi attacks. "I relied on fully cleared, unclassified points provided by the intelligence community," all the while emphasizing that the information was "preliminary," she notes.

In short, "the intelligence community did its job in good faith. And so did I." But the nomination process has become a "political football ... So I concluded this distraction had to stop." Rice wants to focus on "trying to mend our imperfect world ... not on defending myself against baseless political attacks." In matters of national security—such as seeking out those behind the Benghazi attacks—we can't let politics get in the way, she notes. What's more, as US ambassador to the UN, "I have a great job" already. Click through for Rice's full piece. (More Susan Rice stories.)