Hilary Clinton expected to Step down in January 2013

With the Bush tax cuts expiring at the end of the year, it's as if the President doesn't have enough on his plate. In another event that should happen at the same time that the Bush tax expire, there should be a change in command when it comes to the position of Secretary of State.
Yes, Hilary Clinton is now expected to retire in January. So now a political guessing game will take place in trying to decide who President Obama will nominate for the position to replace her. Do you think this is precedence to a bid for the White House for Hilary Clinton in 2016? Personally, I do not believe that Hilary will run, especially since she ran against Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2012 and is already at age 65, which means she would have to endure a presidential run in just 3 years at age 68 and fulfill her first term in office as President at age 73. Three candidates that may be considered for the position is Democratic Senator John Kerry, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, and National Security adviser  Tom Donilon. Personally, I believe that President Obama will nominate Susan Rice. As for John Kerry, that would mean a potential loss of a democratic Senate seat for Massachusetts.
So what else is in store for Obama's core national security team? How about speculation that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will step down in mid-2013. Two possible successors for him include his deputy, Ashton Carter, and former Pentagon Security Chief Michele Flournoy, whom if elected to that position would be the very first female defense secretary.

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Leon Panetta is Barack's choice for CIA Director

Barack Obama has repeatedly stated in the Presidential campaign that his is about change. Everyone that has been following situations centered around Obama after his historic election should know that he will bring change to this country. The people have elected him because of being so different from past presidents, and knowing that he doesn't necessarily go with the 'status quo'. He will do what is right for this country. With that said, he has just chosen Leon Panetta as CIA director, and now people are citing that Barack Obama has made his first real mistake since his election as President. But as Barack Obama has stated before in prior decisions for staffers, "The buck stops here". I do not think it is wise at this point to under-estimate him.
The pick in itself is a great one, as Leon Panetta has the experience and background in economics, and served with the last Democratic President Bill Clinton as Chief of Staff
So what is the problem if he truly qualifies for the position? Appearently the transition team picked Panetta without informing people who would have done work on Capitol Hill with an investigative process to help approve his nomination. But instead of going through the standard process, the transition team elected to just announce that he is the man. Congressional allies were not informed. The transition team admits to the mistake, and they may hear about this misfortune in the future.
Panetta was not the original choice for Barack. The President-elect originally wanted John Brennon, who is CIA veteran to take the job, but because liberals complained about his stance on torture, Brennen withdrew his name for the position.

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