Harvard Professor On Short List For Next Secretary Of Defense

President Obama is back in Washington following a holiday break in the sun and sand of Hawaii.  As he returns to the White House, he has more on his plate than just the looming fiscal cliff.  Mr. Obama also faces big decisions about filling some of his cabinet seats, with at least two cabinet contenders claiming Massachusetts roots.

Senator John  Kerry has been nominated to replace Hillary Clinton as the new Secretary of State and now, current Deputy Director of Defense and Harvard Kennedy School professor Ashton Carter is on the short list of people who could be named the next Secretary of Defense.

According to Bryan Bender, Boston Globe Washington bureau reporter, "Carter is well known in national security circles but beyond the Beltway and beyond Cambridge, he's not very well known at all."  Among Washington observers and Pentagon bureaucrats, "he is seen as the rock of stability in the defense department."

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More:

-Here & Now: President Nominates John Kerry For Secretary of State

-Boston Globe: Cabinet Nod Could Be Next For Harvard's Ashton Carter