Calling him the "perfect choice" for secretary of state, President Barack Obama tapped U.S. Senator John Kerry to replace Hillary Clinton on Friday.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: U.S. President Barack Obama<br/> <br />"I think it's fair to say few individuals know as many presidents and prime ministers or grasps our foreign policy as firmly as John Kerry. And this makes him a perfect choice to guide American diplomacy in the years ahead."<br/> <br />Obama settled on the Massachusetts senator and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate - after the front-runner - U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice - took herself out of the running last week.<br/> <br />Several Republican lawmakers had said they would block a Rice nomination because of her role in the administration's early explanations about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.<br/> <br />NAT SOUND: U.S. President Barack Obama<br/> <br />"He understands that we have a responsibility to use American power wisely."<br/> <br />On the cusp of his second term, Obama's choice of Kerry - marks the first step in overhauling his national security team.<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE: U.S. President Barack Obama<br/> <br />"As we turn the page on a decade of war, he understands that we have to harness all elements of American power."<br/> <br />Kerry - who chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee - is expected to be easily confirmed by his Senate colleagues.
