Hillary Clinton won an overwhelming backing from a powerful Senate panel on Thursday, to be the Secretary of State in the Obama administration, in what could be seen as an endorsement for her 'smart power' formula to start a new phase in the US foreign policy.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 16-1 to clear the 61-year-old former first lady's nomination as the
top diplomat of the country.
Formal conformation by a full Senate can only be held after Obama's inauguration on January 20.
Committee chairman John Kerry said Clinton "did an outstanding job" in her testimony before its members, when she promised to pursue