Filling Clinton's shoes is proving difficult

Speculation is rife as to who will succeed Hillary Clinton as US secretary of state after she steps down in January.

US President Barack Obama's pick for the post, US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, has come under fire from Republicans who claim that Rice and the Obama administration deliberately concealed information about the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, for political gain ahead of the presidential election.

Rice was the public face of the Obama administration when it initially blamed the attack on demonstrations against an Internet video defaming Islam's Prophet Muhammad. The administration later confirmed it was a terrorist attack.

The wrangling over Rice has escalated in the past few days with more Republican senators joining the chorus attacking her. Obama has continued to praise Rice as "highly qualified" and said "I couldn't be prouder of the job that she's done".

Both sides are clearly back in the campaign mood a month after the election. Obama has not backed down but said on Tuesday that the decision on who will be the next secretary of state has not yet been made.

But it is not that hard a decision.

The strong GOP opposition means that the divisive party politics will only worsen if Obama forces through Rice's nomination and she is confirmed by the Senate. If you recall the nasty presidential campaigns and look at the deadlock over the impending fiscal cliff, a more divisive Washington is the last thing people in the US want to see, and it will certainly make life difficult for Obama during his second term.

As president, Obama should make a compromise and put national interests ahead of party politics. He should act as president of the United States, not the leader of the Democrat party.