Hillary Clinton wins confirmation as Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton has won Senate confirmation as Secretary of State in a 94-2 vote.

Republicans David Vitter of Louisiana and Jim DeMint of South Carolina voted no.

The speedy confirmation was backed strongly by both John McCain and John Kerry, who urged Senate Colleagues to pass the confirmation, despite concerns from some Republicans about donors to Bill Clinton’s charity.

Kerry told the Senate “These are extraordinarily challenging times. We are fighting two wars, the threat of terrorism is as strong as ever, and, as the President said, we now labor under the “gathering clouds and raging storms” of the severest economic crisis of our lifetime. At such a momentous moment, it is essential that we provide the President with the tools and resources he needs to effect change—and that starts with putting a national security team in place as soon as possible. That includes confirming Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.”