WASHINGTON (AP) — Michele Flournoy, a top contender to replace Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, has taken herself out of consideration for the Pentagon’s top job, people familiar with the process said Tuesday.
Flournoy’s decision underscores the difficulty President Barack Obama may face in finding a candidate to take the helm at the Pentagon late in his second term and as the administration faces intense criticism of its management of crises in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.
Administration officials quickly touted Flournoy as a leading candidate for Pentagon chief following Hagel’s forced resignation Monday. Flournoy would have been the first woman to become defense secretary.
However, a person close to Flournoy said she had concerns about the job, including whether she would be given more latitude than Hagel in policy making. Pentagon officials have long griped about White House micromanagement, and Hagel was largely seen as someone who would acquiesce to the West Wing.
Flournoy served as a top Pentagon official during Obama’s first term and then returned to the Center for a New American Security, the think tank she co-founded. She sent a letter to the think tank’s board Tuesday saying she had asked the president to take her out of consideration for the Pentagon job, citing family issues.
The people familiar with the process insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter by name. Flournoy’s decision was first reported by Foreign Policy magazine.
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