Former Democratic nominee John Kerry has reportedly positioned himself to become the Obama administration's secretary of state.

The Massachusetts Democrat has inarticulately voiced eagerness to replace Condoleezza Rice as the future secretary of state, AP cited Democratic sources as saying.

The Secretary of State position is widely considered to be the most crucial cabinet post as it would most likely inherit daunting foreign policy challenges from the eight years of the Bush White House.

"He (Obama) needs somebody he could work with closely to try to rebuild, repair, restore America's image and alliances overseas and to make a new effort to reach out to countries not only in the Muslim world but all around the world from South America to Russia to try to fix what has been broken in the past eight years," Political Journalist Robert Dreyfuss told Press TV correspondent Mike Kellerman.

Obama began the complex task of selecting a presidential team on Thursday two days after his landslide victory against Republican rival John McCain.

No appointments are expected until next week. Illinois House of Representatives Democrat Rahm Emanuel is a potential candidate short-listed for the White House chief of staff position.

The new administration will take office on Jan. 20 amidst the most gloomy financial crisis in the century and two failed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - both of which have left a lurid mark upon America's world standing.

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