The U.S. secretary of State sweepstakes is on. Who’s it going to be? Susan Rice, John Kerry, Tom Donilon or some mystery candidate who will surprise us all. Forget the who for a moment. What does the nation’s top diplomat need to succeed?

Susan Rice was miffed, all right. Her frequent foil, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin – an outsize personality whom she might be screaming at one moment, then laughing with the next – was at it again.

The President should announce his intention to nominate Susan Rice as the next Secretary of State, or move on.

Rumor has it that when Canadians travel abroad, especially in the Middle East and increasingly in Western Europe after the Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq, they tend to wear something authentic to the distant corners of their country to recognize each other as true Canadians in foreign lands.

The United States–which holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month–is doing things a bit differently in the chamber today. About two weeks ago, Ambassador Rice solicited feedback from young people around the world for the kinds of topics and issues they would like taken up by the Security Council.

The United States is doing something out of the ordinary during its month long presidency of the Security Council. On December 21 Ambassador Rice will chair a special session dedicated to voicing the concerns of young people around the world.