Is the Secretary of State of USA the second most powerful after the president of USA?

Question

The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet.

Answer 1

No, it goes to the Vice President and then the Senate majority leader and then to the House majority leader.

The Secretary of State also has no power over the military.  The Secretary of Defense does.

Each Secretary has a specific job with a specific issue and I think Obama will pick a good cabinet once elected in November and I think Hillary will be on it.

Answer 2

Historically, I'd say yes, but our current VP has changed things around a bit.

Answer 3

I don't know about the second most important, but an effective Secretary of State can be a huge asset for the country. An effective Secretary of State can develop strong working relationships with many world leaders. This can help avoid wars and many other types of conflict.

In theory, I would say that an effective Secretary of State could actually be more powerful than the President. But in order for that to happen, the person would have to be given a great amount of trust and the room to do their job. And most importantly, they would have to be given unlimited access to all the relevant intelligence information.

Answer 4

Speaker of House is 2nd most powerful.

Senate majority leader is 3rd most powerful

Secretary of State has no real power.  She/he cannot sign anything for the USA.  She/he is a spokesperson for the president to other nations.

Answer 5

No.  The 100 members of the US Senate belong to the most powerful club in the world.  The Secretary of State has only as much power as the president gives to him.  The Senate has its power from the people of the US.