and thought to be a real contender for secretary of state after secretary of state clinton. david gregory correctly points out this could have devolved into a morass of politics, more so than it even was already. as we mentioned, ambassador rice spoke to the president. the white house has already had put out a statement from the president that reads, in part, while i deeply regret the up fair around misleading attacks on susan rice in recent weeks, her decision demonstrates the strength of her character and an admirable commitment to the rise above the politics of the moment and put our national interests first. ambassador susan rice, 48 years old, stanford graduate, a rhodes scholar, career diplomat, again, widely reported to be under strong consideration to replace secretary of state hillary clinton. our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell, has been following this story all along. she is in our washington newsroom. andrea, what can you add? i think right now, j