Kerry confirmed by Senate
He will become secretary of state, succeeding Hillary Clinton. Only three senators voted no.
WASHINGTON - The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed President Obama's choice of five-term Sen. John Kerry to be secretary of state, with Republicans and Democrats praising him as the ideal successor to Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The vote Tuesday was 94-3. One senator - Kerry - voted present and accepted congratulations from colleagues on the Senate floor. All Philadelphia-area senators voted in favor. The roll call came just hours after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved the man who has led the panel for the last four years.
No date has been set for Kerry's swearing-in, though a welcoming ceremony is planned at the State Department on Monday.
Obama tapped Kerry, 69, the son of a diplomat, decorated Vietnam veteran and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, to succeed Clinton, who is stepping down after four years. The Massachusetts Democrat, who had wanted the job but was passed over in 2009, has served as Obama's unofficial envoy, smoothing fractious ties with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"Sen. Kerry will need no introduction to the world's political and military leaders and will begin Day One fully conversant not only with the intricacies of U.S. foreign policy, but able to act on a multitude of international stages," said Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), who will succeed Kerry as committee chairman.
Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the panel's top Republican, called Kerry "a realist" who will deal with unrest in Egypt, civil war in Syria, the threat of al-Qaeda-linked groups in Africa, and Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Kerry, a forceful proponent of climate-change legislation, also will have a say in whether the United States moves ahead on the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada, a divisive issue that has roiled environmentalists.
Obama had nominated Kerry after Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, removed her name from consideration following criticism from Republicans over her initial comments about the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Libya.
Voting against Kerry were three Republicans - James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma and John Cornyn and Ted Cruz of Texas.