Susan Rice sent her resignation to the President of the United States, ending candidacy for next secretary of state.
In an interview with NBC's Brian Williams' show "Rock Center With Brian Williams," Rice opened up about dropping out of running for secretary of state.
"Today, I made the decision that it was the best thing for our country, for the American people that I not continue to be considered by the president for nomination of secretary of state," Rice told NBC. "I didn't want to see a confirmation process that was very prolonged, very politicized, very distracting and very disruptive because there are so many things we need to get done as a country and the first several months of a second term president's agenda is really the opportunity to get the crucial things done."
Rice is determined to work for the nation's betterment rather run for secretary of state, which would have obstructed in achieving the set goals that President Barack Obama's second-term agenda includes which is: "comprehensive immigration reform, balanced deficit reduction, job creation," Rice noted.
"And to the extent that my nomination could have delayed or distracted or deflected or maybe even some of these priorities impossible to achieve, I didn't want that and I much prefer to keep doing what I'm doing which is a job I love at the United Nations," Rice told NBC.
"The position of secretary of state should never be politicized," she wrote in her resignation letter to the President. "As someone who grew up in an era of comparative bipartisanship and as a sitting U.S. national security official who has served in two U.S. Administrations, I'm saddened that we have reached this point, even before you have decided whom to nominate. We cannot afford such an irresponsible distraction from the most pressing issues facing the American people."
In response to the letter by Rice, President Obama praised her for being a patriotic public servant and putting the nation first and felt sorry for the criticism she received in the recent weeks.
"While I deeply regret the unfair and misleading attacks on Susan Rice in recent weeks, her decision demonstrates the strength of her character, and an admirable commitment to rise above the politics of the moment to put our national interests first," Obama said, according to a NBC news report.
