Designated Survivor

Regarding Hillary Clinton's absence from the SOTU, I thought there was a tradition that one senior Cabinet Officer, SecDef, SecState, SecTreas or the AG, not attend to ensure the succession of the government in the event of disaster. Having the most junior Cabinet officer act as the designated survivor could result in Janet Napolitano trying to climb to the presidency by duplicating the efforts of Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets.