WASHINGTON – The top contenders for the "big three" jobs in President Barack Obama's second-term Cabinet are all white men, rekindling concerns among Democratic women about diversity in his inner circle.

Now that Susan Rice has withdrawn under pressure from consideration as the next secretary of state, Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts is the front-runner for the nation's top diplomatic post. Former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska is Obama's favored candidate to run the Pentagon, and White House chief of staff Jack Lew is likely to be his next treasury secretary if he wants the job.

"The boys' network is alive and well," Democratic activist Donna Brazile wrote on Twitter after Rice withdrew. "The war on qualified women continues here in DC."