Senator Kerry has always excelled at Q and A...

[YvonneCa]

...sessions following his many public presentations. Today, at his SOS confirmation hearing, he surpassed even his previous testimony.

EXCELLENT job, Secretary Kerry!

[karynnj]

1. He was exceptional

I had CSPAN on and after the hearing ended, they continued to show the aftermath. Among other things, Vanessa came over with her little son, who got a hug and kiss from his grinning granddad.

[YvonneCa]

4. I was so glad to see him make the case for his nuanced approach...

...to foreign policy...as opposed to the 'black and white' policy wielded by GWB for eight years that ruined our reputation in the world. The questions he fielded gave him the chance to discuss and make the case for how our energy policy, our economic success and tools of soft power were ALL linked in how the US should respond to our neighbors around the world.

He was just fantastic. I will have to watch it a couple more times, just to understand all of what he said. And I missed seeing his little grandson...so I want to see that. Being a grandparent is just one of the best things in the whole world.

BTW, saw a tweet about "Is this the capstone to his career or a step to run again for the Presidency? "

[karynnj]

20. Link to photo of Vanessa and the 9 month old baby

http://features.rr.com/photo/0c3G1Ca9joeUz?q=John+Kerry

[YvonneCa]

21. He is SO cute! Those little...

...cheeks! They remind me of my grand-daughter. Thanks, karynnj.

[beachmom]

2. Yeah, he was awesome, and just so completely schooled the hacks on the committee.

Corker with his bizarre attack on Hagel, Johnson with his George Costanza like attack on Hillary, Rubio and his seemingly weed induced rant on how nobody is doing what HE would do which would all turn out perfectly, McCain who tried to rehash Benghazi, too, while expressing outrage on Syria even though he wasn't very specific on what exactly he would do, and finally the true nutball on the committe, Rand Paul, who claimed we funded bin laden (hello, there is NO evidence of that) and started berating Kerry that the bombing campaign of Cambodia was JUST LIKE Libya. Sheesh, so much idiocy, they had no chance against Kerry's cool knowledgeable answers.

For those who missed the hearing, some links:

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/kerry-calls-out-gop-senator-out-for-missing

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022251602

[YvonneCa]

5. GREAT post, beachmom! I am so glad...

...that you and others here saw this like I did. Don't know what I'd do without my DUJK buddies...

[Mass]

7. Yes, I saw that .

I was however surprised by Flake. A RWer certainly, but he probably caused Menendez and Rubio's heads to explode with his comments on Cuba.

[beachmom]

9. I missed that, only what Menendez said at the end.

What did Flake say?

[Mass]

11. That the way to bring democracy to Cuba was to authorize travel.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/24/john-kerry-live-blog-secretary-state

Arizona Republican Jeff Flake says he supports the Obama administration's easing of restrictions on travel to Cuba.

"If we really want a get-tough policy with the Castro brothers, we should let them deal with spring break once or twice," he says.

The crowd chuckles. But the idea of American college students performing spring break on Cuban shores is horrifying.

[patrice]

27. Thanks for the links!

[whometense]

3. I really enjoyed this tweet:

Christopher Hayes ‏@chrislhayes

Amazing theme of Kerry hearing is how scared, anxious, and neurotic the most powerful nation on earth is.


Reply: Chris Kuusela @kuusela34

@chrislhayes he sounded like a knowledgeable father calming down and schooling a bunch of prattling children

[YvonneCa]

8. That is so true...

...AND really funny. He is very much the image of the 'knowledgeable father' these days. But what else would one expect from someone who was elected, but not inaugurated...

Sorry...I just have to say that every so often.

[whometense]

12. No need whatsoever to apologize -

it's only what ALL of us are thinking today!

[YvonneCa]

14. Thanks. I shook the hand of...

...a President in 2004. I can't explain it any other way.

[wisteria]

28. I know what you mean.

It is hard. But, I remember seeing him on that December day and him saying there are other ways to serve. I really believe his is happy where he is. But, I will never forget or wonder what might of been, and what should have been.

[Mass]

6. I was so happy when he went after Barasso who was afraid taking care of climate change was bad for

Last edited Thu Jan 24, 2013, 03:08 PM - Edit history (1)

us.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/01/24/1492061/kerry-pledges-to-confront-climate-change-advocate-of-action/

I would respectfully say to you that climate change is not something to be feared in response to — the steps to respond to — it’s to be feared if we don’t. 3,500 communities in our nation last year broke records for heat … and we had a derailment because of it. We had record fires. We had record levels of damage from sandy, $70 billion. If we can’t see the downside of spending that money and risking lives for all the changes that are taking place, to agriculture, to our communities, the ocean and so forth, we are ignoring what science is telling us. I will be a passionate advocate on this not based on ideology but based on facts and science, and I hope to sit with all of you and convince you that this $6 trillion market is worth millions of American jobs and we better go after it.

And it was interesting how he treated a few GOPers like kids who need to learn their lesson.

[beachmom]

10. Especially Rubio!!!

As in, why don't you stay after class, and I'll explain it all to you again. REEEAAAL SSLLOOOWWW.

Gawd, that guy is so not presidential material.

[whometense]

13. hahaha:

dihoppy ‏@dihoppy

"@word_34: Shorter #JohnKerry to #Rubio "Study North African/Middle Eastern history you twerp""

Followed by David Shuster and 1 other

[beachmom]

16. OMG! Exactly!! nt

[JI7]

22. Rachel Maddow has said that Rubio might be another Rick Perry

they appear to be good on paper but when you hear them they just don't seem to have much there. she was too nice to just say they are dumb but that was pretty much what she was saying.

[beachmom]

17. More on climate change here:

http://grist.org/news/kerry-comes-out-strong-for-clean-energy-in-nomination-hearing/

[YvonneCa]

19. I have been wanting him to be the person to...

Last edited Thu Jan 24, 2013, 09:59 PM - Edit history (1)

...make the public case for climate change/energy policy ever since I heard him speak to the Council on Foreign Relations back in 2005 (or 6). Several years ago.

I am so glad to hear him tying foreign policy to economic and energy policy issues. He makes the case very well and in a way that is easy to understand. As SOS, he will have a platform to do this that will reach more people. That makes me VERY happy.

[ProSense]

15. I thoroughly enjoyed that.

Even knowing how that Senator Kerry is extremely knowledgeable, I was still impressed.

Bravo, soon-to-be Secretary Kerry.

[YvonneCa]

18. So was I. I learn so much by listening to...

...his answers on foreign policy. I hope this hearing helps the public know him better and helps them to understand what Dems and President Obama are trying to do...FP-wise...to make the world a safer place.


And to make us 'stronger in the world.'

[Inuca]

23. Could not watch :-(

just snippets here and there... Thanks all for the comments. I am really looking forward to this new national security/FP team.

[MBS]

24. here's the CSPAN link

http://www.c-span.org/Events/Confirmation-Hearing-for-Sen-John-Kerry-as-Secretary-of-State/10737437516-1/

[patrice]

26. Thank you, MBS.

[Mass]

25. He certainly will need all his skills next month

as his schedule is very heavy, if the media are to be believed.

I certainly hope the president will offer him half the positive support he is currently giving to Secretary Clinton.

BTW, this confirmation hearing made me appreciate Liz Warren more. She actually was able to talk about Kerry, not about herself and knew things about him. She was also much warmer than I would have imagine.

[wisteria]

29. I think the Clinton support is a thank you to Bill,

Last edited Sat Jan 26, 2013, 11:58 AM - Edit history (1)

and recognition that H. Clinton wore herself out doing this job.

But, I would like Pres. Obama to talk up Kerry more. I really did not like his commentdurin the dual interview, that he wished Clinton would stay on, and then not giving a nod to Kerry. I am beginning to think the President might be intimidated by Kerry's extensive knowledge and expertise in foreign affairs.

[karynnj]

30. That and the fact that how she is viewed doing her job reflects on his own legacy

This is win/win for both Obama and Clinton. Saying that the world is safer because of all she did means HIS administration has made the world safer. I think Obama will give Kerry support if doing so helps Obama - and there is a very good chance of that. It is important for Obama that Kerry succeed because otherwise, it is his foreign policy that fails.

I doubt Obama is intimidated by ANYONE's expertise. As President, he has to have many people who know more about their nitch than he does. (This is even true of Senators.) A good example is that he likely knows little on banks and financing compared to Geitner and Lew. The difference there might be greater than in foreign policy, where Obama has more expertise.

If I remember right, Obama has not always done a lot to give Clinton a high profile - especially in the beginning. I do wish that Obama would have given Kerry at least a few minutes to speak when he announced him, but the timing may have been very tight as it was right before Obama left on vacation. Kerry will get to say anything he would have said today in the Senate.

I would not be surprised if Kerry keeps a low profile as he meets with leaders next month. High profile meetings lead to expectations of immediate results -- and there are no easy solutions.

I also think that he is in the position many of who worked in big organizations recognize - following a designated "star". This was always something to avoid as any initiative, no matter how vague, mentioned by the star becomes a negative if it can't or isn't done and if done, is credited as started by the "star". Especially will the parts of the media wanting Clinton as President it is clear this could happen. However, I think we have all seen times in the Senate when something Kerry was instrumental on is not credited to him - and he seems content that it happened. (like when he took his name off the Katrina help bill to get Republican votes)

However, if he is able to do any of the big things that need doing - climate change (where Clinton had little interest), the Middle East, Iran, or India/Pakistan/Afghanistan, Obama will be considered among our best foreign policy Presidents and Kerry an outstanding SOS. (Even if it is Obama and 2 great SOSs does it matter?) There are other more doable things like getting better relations with Russia that are possible too.

As to saying he will miss HRC, that is personal and does not in any way reflect on the qualities of the successor. Back when they were more normal, I went to lots of work goodbye luncheons where even when the successor were known, they were often not mentioned. He is just saying thank you.

[MBS]

32. I hope it's that straightforward,

but I confess that I share Wisteria's and Mass's concerns.
However, JK is going to do such a fabulous job that his achievements and his all-around class that everything else will fade into unimportance.
I just loved that SFRC resolution for him yesterday. Seeing his remarkable achievements and qualities of character out there for all to read, and approved by the whole committee: it was very heartening, not to mention richly deserved.

[Mass]

33. Her email was great too.

Isabelle,

I was looking forward to spending many years as understudy to my friend and senior senator, John Kerry.

That time has been cut to about three weeks.

But as much as I'm going to miss him in the United States Senate, I know I speak for so many of us from Massachusetts when I say how proud we are to be sending him off as our Secretary of State.

John Kerry is having a thank you event for our constituents on Thursday night in Boston. I'll likely still be here in Washington casting votes, but in my place, I'd like to send him well wishes from thousands of people across Massachusetts and around the country.

Will you join me? Send your thanks and congratulations to John Kerry now.

Click here to sign the card.

For more than two decades, John has been fighting for hard-working families. He has fought tirelessly for the expansion of children's health care, greater support of small businesses, and protecting our environment.

And he's shown just as much commitment to helping families around the world. During his time on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he's made more than 90 overseas trips, working for free elections in the Philippines, AIDS relief in Africa, and assisting with diplomatic interventions in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sudan.

John Kerry is a true statesman, and he will be an extraordinary Secretary of State. I'm deeply grateful for his support, his encouragement, and most of all, his leadership. His work every day for all the people of Massachusetts and our country has been truly remarkable.



http://my.elizabethwarren.com/page/m/2852d53f/4586f71b/6b757f7d/66b54002/121370790/VEsC/Please join me in thanking John Kerry for his wonderful work in the United States Senate, and wish him well as Secretary of State.
]
Thank you for being a part of this,

Elizabeth

[MBS]

31. what you said.

I also want Obama to be as effusive about Kerry as he had been about Hillary. (He SHOULD be, dammit)
Very impressed with Warren's comments, for just the reasons you said: her comments were real, about real things that JK has done, and , remarkably for a politician, they were, as you said, really about KERRY and not about her. A sign of self-confidence, and class.
(In contrast, can you imagine, say, Chuck Schumer, ever making a remark about anyone and not having it really be about him? )

[Mass]

34. Boston Globe article

Pretty good as BG goes, even if there is still a little bit of snark.

http://bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2013/01/30/senate-foreign-relations-committee-recommends-john-kerry-confirmed-setting-senate-vote/OS1pbXalhhS3GDG29htN4N/story.html

The Senate confirmed President Obama’s nomination of Senator John F. Kerry to be secretary of state on Tuesday, handing the Massachusetts Democrat a redemptive career victory that ensconces him in an elite echelon of national leadership nine years after his failed bid for the presidency.

The 94-to-3 vote was the final hurdle for Kerry, whose nomination roared through the Senate after Obama’s first choice of UN Ambassador Susan Rice ­encountered stiff GOP opposition and never got off the ground.
...
Kerry maintained a strict radio silence about his prospects for the top diplomatic post in recent weeks, as speculation swirled about his long-standing interest in the job and as Rice’s prospects flamed out. In the last week, a security detail began accompanying him. On Tuesday, just hours before the vote, he was finally beginning to publicly look ahead, reporting that he attended a breakfast meeting about the Middle East, where Israel, Syria, Iran, Egypt, and other volatile diplomatic problems await. Northern Africa, China, and North Korea will be high on his agenda as well.

In addition to his diplomatic role, the career lawmaker will face significant administrative challenges, such as the security failures in Benghazi, Libya, that contributed to the violent deaths of four Americans last year, including the US ambassador to Libya. The State Department has a budget of about $50 billion, more than 50,000 American and foreign employees, and nearly 300 embassies, consulates, missions, and other posts around the world.
...
The Massachusetts congressional delegation also issued a flurry of congratulations — including a House member campaigning to succeed Kerry. Representative Edward J. Markey of Malden.

“Going from Hillary Clinton to John Kerry at the State ­Department is like the Red Sox going from Ted Williams to Carl Yastrzemski,’’ Markey said, “both possessing hall of fame talent and passion for the job.’’