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
a new era of "smart power" diplomacy to deal with major problems while insisting that the use of military power will also "sometimes be necessary".
Senior Republican Richard Lugar joined the majority of the committee in voting for Clinton's nomination. Another
Republican David Vitter was the only one to oppose.
Kerry noted concerns raised by the Republican members about potential conflicts of interests between Clinton's job
and the charitable foundation of her husband and former president Bill Clinton.
"As we go forward, I'm confident that Senator Clinton is going to give those full consideration," said Kerry.