Shakeup In Washington: President's Second Term Will See Cabinet Member Changes After Clinton Steps Down

As President Barack Obama prepares for a second term in office, he will not only have to plan for a new strategy to work with Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, but will also have to restructure his cabinet.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a favorite to head the Democratic ticket in 2016, has said that she will step down in January as the president begins his second term. Clinton's announcement has prompted speculation over who will succeed her.

Those being tout as potential successors include Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and National Security advisor Tom Donilon, Reuters reported. H. Andrew Schwartz, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told Reuters the three might have their work cut out for them.

"Star power is important in this position," Schwartz said. "It's very difficult to follow someone as well liked and capable as Hillary Clinton with the kind of presence she has globally."

"It is part of Obama's effort to repair the U.S. image abroad, and he feels that stars can get that done," he added.

Sen. Kerry, who ran in the 2004 presidential election and is now chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would bring "decades of experience" to the position, Reuters reported. According to the Boston Globe, however, leaving his position as Massachusetts' senator could leave the door open for Republican Sen. Scott Brown, who lost his seat to Democrat Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday.

Reuters reported that Rice would also face some challenges in attaining the position. Rice, who serves as the Obama administration's ambassador to the United Nations, has been in the spotlight following the fatal September attack on U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Following her initial comments on the event, where she described the incident as a unplanned attack rather than a premeditated strike, Obama's administration may be hesitant to put her "through a brutal Senate confirmation process with uncertain chances of success," Reuters reported.

The last of the potential successors, Tom Donilon, may have the qualifications for the position but not enough star power, analyst told Reuters.

Damon Wilson, executive vice president of the Atlantic Council, told Reuters, "The reality is that very few people outside of Washington know Tom Donilon."

"He has the president's ear and the president's confidence, and has a track record of managing crises. But the question remains does he have the gravitas to be America's diplomatic face to the world," Wilson added.

Historian and Kerry biographer, Douglas Brinkley, told the Globe that ultimately Kerry is the person for the job. "John Kerry was born to be secretary of state. His father was a diplomat in Europe in the early Cold War years. He is fluent in French, Portuguese, and Italian. Probably no U.S. senator knows more about the situation in Afghanistan and the Middle East than Kerry."

Reuters also reported that Clinton's departure will be accompanied by a departure by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Potential successors for Panetta, who ran the Department of Defense and the CIA for four years, include former Pentagon policy chief Michele Flournoy and Panetta's deputy Ashton Carter.

Ultimately the decision for the open Cabinet position could be entirely a surprise, much like Clinton's appointment was in 2008.