White House praises Carter but no announcement yet on def secy

The White House today praised Ashton Carter, who is believed to be the next defence secretary, but said President Barack Obama has not taken a decision on it yet.
Refusing to comment on media reports that Obama has decided to nominate Carter as his next defence secretary, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that he is someone who meets most of the criteria to lead the Department of Defence.
Carter is the former Deputy secretary of Defence and served in Pentagon in various capacities in the Obama Administration.
"I don't have any personnel announcements to make today, but as soon as we're in a position to start making those announcements, we'll be sure to let you know," Earnest told reporters when asked about media reports in this regard.

"Carter is obviously somebody who has generated a lot of headlines today. He is somebody who previously served the administration as the deputy secretary of Defence, a position that he filled very, very ably. He was confirmed by the United States Senate into that position in September of 2011 by unanimous consent," he said.
"So this is an indication that he fulfills some of the criteria that we've discussed in the past. He's somebody that certainly deserves and has demonstrated strong bipartisan support for his previous service in government. He is somebody that does have detailed understanding of the way that the Department of Defence works," he said.

Earlier in the day, CNN reported that Carter will be Obama's choice as the new secretary of defence, barring any last minute-complications.
Republican Senator John McCain said Carter is well qualified.
"He's well-respected over here, but we'll want to go through the process. I don't think he'll be allowed to make any major decisions. They're made in a tight circle in the White House," he said.