Come January, the Obama administration will begin again, and a number of people whose names and faces have grown familiar the past four years will leave the public realm for other livelihoods.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and press secretary Jay Carney are preparing for departure. Many also expect Attorney General Eric Holder to be considering an exit.

Foreign Policy

Clinton's position is perhaps most visible. Her management of the department and leadership of America's global diplomacy have won praise from Republicans and Democrats, and the former New York senator and first lady is thought by many to be the most popular member of Obama's Cabinet.

Foreign policy experts see her departure as leaving a gap, because significant problems remain: Iran's suspected ambitions to develop nuclear weapons; violent civil war in Syria; continued fallout from the "Arab spring"; and continuing conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan among them. New challenges include China's slowing economy, coupled with its increasing aggressive response to territorial disputes.

So whose names are being talked about to take over State?

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who leads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has emerged as a favorite. Kerry's major strength is deep and longstanding experience on most vital foreign policy issues; he would also likely win easy confirmation by colleagues. But unlike his predecessor, Kerry may struggle to be welcomed into Obama's inner circle.

Kerry's most-cited rival is Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, who, unlike Kerry, already has "inner circle" credentials. She has worked daily for years alongside diplomats from America's allies and foes. However, her controversial role in explaining the Sept. 11 Benghazi attack to the public could prompt a difficult confirmation process. Some Republican aides are already saying privately she shouldn't get the job.

It's also possible a Republican might come forward. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman worked for Obama as ambassador to China before returning to make a failed bid for the presidency. One senior Republican foreign-policy hand describes his work in Beijing as "superb, top-rate."

There's always a chance of promotion from within, such as Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. But what about an outsider? Brookings Institution President Strobe Talbott held Burns' job under President Bill Clinton.

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