Interesting RS post about Pope, Guantanamo...

[YvonneCa]

...with Kerry mentioned:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/12/pope-francis-offers-to-help-the-u-s-close-guantanamo-prison/

[karynnj]

1. and today we learned more of what was done in Rome -- on Cuba

Andrea Mitchell was saying the opening of Cuba (and freeing Gross) has been another thing Secretary Kerry has been at the heart of. (Amazing to remember that just a month ago, "pundits" were questioning if Obama would drop Kerry and Hagel and a NYT article that suggested Kerry was floating out in space. This is just another example of how blind they were to who REALLY has been at the heart of every second term foreign policy success.)

This has the possibility of being more than Cuba - improving our relations with South and Central America -- something Kerry has made an effort on with all his trips there -- made harder by this burden of Cuba policy and then Snowden's accusations.

It is interesting that where people thought the second term could have successes in the ME, though not likely a peace treaty, at this point there are hints that it could be greatly improved relations with Latin America, China (even beyond climate change as that was just part of the agreement) and climate change. Throw in the brokering of the Afghani election and the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons that could have been up for grabs, there are a lot of successes being made in a world where everything seems simultaneously to be blowing apart.

It is still to early to see if anything will be successful against ISIS, as a DIPLOMAT, Kerry has been key in getting a huge coalition, most importantly including the region behind the US -- and has been instrumental in influencing the Iraqi government to take rel positive steps. These are accomplishments, but we entered a terrible deteriorating mess here.

In light of all this, all I can say is the NYT and other media are blinded by their own world view and have still not gotten over Kerry getting the job over their favorite. Obama certainly has ample reason to be very satisfied that he selected an outstanding SoS - who really may be the best secretary of state since George Marshall.

[YvonneCa]

2. I completely agree with...

...all you say here. Some in media choose not to pay attention but others, IMHO, purposely ignore his actions, influence, and successes on purpose because they support a different agenda and foreign policy.
I love that Kerry and Obama are shaking up the foreign policy established way of doing things. The previous policy was not working, and not just in Cuba. The involvement of the Pope is pure genius!