Obama nominates John Kerry for secretary of state

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ProVobis said:
It’s rumored Obama is picking a Republican (Hagel) for Secretary of Defense and he’s being attacked as well.
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Hagel though has a reputation for being anti-Israel so he’ll fit right into the Obama meme regarding Middle East politics.

So as with Paris Hilton, Kerry is famous for being famous. I am not sure what he has accomplished in his life (snagging a rich woman and living off of her late husband’s fortune is hardly admirable IMO) or in the Senate.

I date back long enough to remember his Hanoi Jane moment and while we can all look back and cringe at some of the things said and done in our lost youth, it does give one pause as to his feelings about our beloved country.

OTOH Hillary has done an abysmal job as Secretary of State and I suspect her legacy will prevent her from becoming President. How much worse could Kerry be than Hill?

Lisa
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Well les see. Obama won re-election, so he gets to choose the person he wants to be Secretary of State.

It’s the way it goes when a member of one of the two political parties wins the WH.

Did you folks expect Obama to pick a Republican for the job?

I have no problem with John Kerry being Secretary of State.

Jim
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It will be interesting to see whether Scott Brown runs in the special election for his senate seat. It worked for him once, but I wasn’t too impressed by the racial tactics he used against Warren in the last election. Still, many people in the state like him.
 
bellasbane said:
It will be interesting to see whether Scott Brown runs in the special election for his senate seat. It worked for him once, but I wasn’t too impressed by the racial tactics he used against Warren in the last election. Still, many people in the state like him.
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I don’t think he will run.

I think he’s burned out from the last election and will probably focus on running for Governor of MA.

Jim
 
bellasbane said:
It will be interesting to see whether Scott Brown runs in the special election for his senate seat. It worked for him once, but I wasn’t too impressed by the racial tactics he used against Warren in the last election. Still, many people in the state like him.
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The criticism of Warren was not about her supposed Native American heritage but her lack of integrity in claiming this heritage when she had nothing but family legend and high cheekbones (hey I’ve got them too but they are from my Scandinavian grandparents). She clearly used this supposed racial identity both to improve her own image and that of Harvard. The idenity politics used so frequently by the Left is the antithesis of what our country was founded upon. E Plurbus Unum anyone?

Warren though keeps up Massachusetts’ image brought about by Barney (I’ve got a whorehouse in my apartment) Frank and Edward (My career is more important than your life Mary Jo) Kennedy. It’s a wonderful state but your voters…yikes what are they thinking?

Lisa
 
_Abyssinia said:
American Secretary of State goes to various countries discussing with world leaders policy and the Secretary of State can have a lot of influence. Hillary Clinton went around the world promoting abortion and gay marriage legislation
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Four years after hearing the mantra “the world is laughing at us because of Bush ('s policies)”

or “hates us,” the “Arab Spring” came along.

But lo, Obama was burned in effigy in Cairo, and Algiers, and Tobruk, and Gaza … could these policies of Obama and Clinton (so hateful in some segments of “Islam”) be why?

Well back when JPII was alive and a younger Ms. Clinton was at the Cairo Conference in the early 1990’s, the Pope and a coalition of Muslim countries kept the UN from forcing abortion on demand on unwilling member nations.

After “taking responsibility” for the Benghazi fiasco that cost four Americans their lives including an American Ambassador who pleaded for help … but whose help was told to stand down … Ms. Hilary resigns. Susan Rice who was making excuses INSTEAD of taking responsibility isn nominated! And has to withdraw in an embarrasing way.

Now we have John Kerry being the potential “face of America”? We’d better be issued free terror insurance. :bigyikes:

John Kerry on health care:

“I’m going to be honest with you – I don’t know a lot about Cuba’s healthcare system. Is it a government-run system?”

Gotta love a leader who is honest, doesn’t know, and asks a question so obvious that you
question whether his Mom ever let him out to play after Home school. 😉
 
RACJ said:
Yet another horrendous Obama appointee. Frankly, I expected no better from Obama than his nominating someone who testified and lied before Congress about “atrocities” committed by his fellow soldiers, comparing them to those of “Jenjis Khan”. 🤷
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Your accusation would seem so over the top … were it not true.

In his own words … well …

youtube.com/watch?v=phqOuEhg9yE < Kerry accuses US Troops of atrocities. Without naming a name.

Usually charges that sensational are followed up on. Kerry claimed he knew about these horrendous things, yet named no names (why NOT if it was that wrong for heaven’s sake?) and other than a soundbite that seemed to slander all American servicemen - it gets dropped!

On the other hand maybe Obama is tossing this hot potato of a job into the lap of whomever might emerge to challenge his third term in 2016 (via Michelle by proxy).

I know this makes me look overly suspicious … but I’m not suspicious of everybody.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Well les see. Obama won re-election, so he gets to choose the person he wants to be Secretary of State.

It’s the way it goes when a member of one of the two political parties wins the WH.

Did you folks expect Obama to pick a Republican for the job?

I have no problem with John Kerry being Secretary of State.

Jim
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But the first pick was probably Susan Rice and Obama and the Democrats apparently thought it best to pull out on that per the events at Benghazi.

Also, remember how a lot of people thought McCain was being harsh on Susan Rice? Some people say McCain might have wanted his close friend John Kerry in there.

Speculation.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Hmm, I’d like Hagel for that job,

Jim
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Both Hagel and Kerry are Vietnam War veterans with combat experience. They would be a formidable pair against the neocons, which is something I think Obama would like to have on his side. On the other hand, I would very much like to see Obama nominate a woman for Secretary of Defense and break the glass ceiling on that post, but either way works for me.
 
bellasbane said:
It will be interesting to see whether Scott Brown runs in the special election for his senate seat. It worked for him once,
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That was in 2010 when they poured a lot of money into his campaign, just so he could cast the 41st vote against whatever healthcare bill the House had (with Stupak Amendment) or were to pass.

It doesn’t seem likely the same circumstances would exist now.

Nevertheless the Democrats seem willing to risk giving up a seat in the Senate.
 
bellasbane said:
Both Hagel and Kerry are Vietnam War veterans with combat experience. They would be a formidable pair against the neocons, which is something I think Obama would like to have on his side. On the other hand, I would very much like to see Obama nominate a woman for Secretary of Defense and break the glass ceiling on that post, but either way works for me.
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Hilarious…first you say that Kerry and Hagel have combat experience, thus qualifying them for the job (and tilting at windmills…err neocons???). Then you want a woman nominated when by virtue of her sex, could not possibly have combat experience. So it must be more important to have an appropriate mix of gender, skin color or other identity versus someone who can do the job.

It seems to me that when people are nominated or appointed or even elected because of their chromosomal make up or the amount of pigment in their skin we get the Peter Principle…rising to the greatest level of their own incompetence.

So while being OWMs Kerry and Hagel aren’t being nominated to fill some quota, I cannot believe we couldn’t come up with someone having more recent military experience or diplomatic ability.

Oh and FWIW I wasn’t all that impresswed with Condi Rice in that role either. I suspect she too was nominated for skin color and gender. It seems like only in sports are people rising to the top through actual merit.

Lisa
 
LisaA said:
Hilarious…first you say that Kerry and Hagel have combat experience, thus qualifying them for the job (and tilting at windmills…err neocons???). Then you want a woman nominated when by virtue of her sex, could not possibly have combat experience. So it must be more important to have an appropriate mix of gender, skin color or other identity versus someone who can do the job.

It seems to me that when people are nominated or appointed or even elected because of their chromosomal make up or the amount of pigment in their skin we get the Peter Principle…rising to the greatest level of their own incompetence.

So while being OWMs Kerry and Hagel aren’t being nominated to fill some quota, I cannot believe we couldn’t come up with someone having more recent military experience or diplomatic ability.

Oh and FWIW I wasn’t all that impresswed with Condi Rice in that role either. I suspect she too was nominated for skin color and gender. It seems like only in sports are people rising to the top through actual merit.

Lisa
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I hope you are enjoying the straw-man you have created. What are you planning to get yourself worked up about next? Gays in the military? The 47% moochers? Teacher’s unions? None of those things have anything to do with my post either, so I suppose any of them will do.

I wonder how Tammy Duckworth would respond to your statement that by virtue of her sex, she couldn’t possibly have combat experience. I guess her legs just “fell off” while she was sitting behind some desk during the Iraq War. :rolleyes:

Come to think of it, I think Tammy Duckworth will be a great Secretary of Defense someday. All she needs is a bit more political experience.
 
bellasbane said:
I hope you are enjoying the straw-man you have created. What are you planning to get yourself worked up about next? Gays in the military? The 47% moochers? Teacher’s unions? None of those things have anything to do with my post either, so I suppose any of them will do.

I wonder how Tammy Duckworth would respond to your statement that by virtue of her sex, she couldn’t possibly have combat experience. I guess her legs just “fell off” while she was sitting behind some desk during the Iraq War. :rolleyes:

Come to think of it, I think Tammy Duckworth will be a great Secretary of Defense someday. All she needs is a bit more political experience.
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I’m not the slightest bit worked up about this, I’m just amused with the idea that anyone considers these important positions an opportunity to pay favors to supporters or fill some sort of self imposed quota for color or sex or other physical characteristic that has nothing to do with their qualifications.

All of the reporting about this appointment focuses on Kerry’s “friendship” with Obama, how Obama launched his presidential career at the 2004 Democratic Convention, that he is sophisticated and a “man of the world.” Not a peep about his qualifications to represent America’s interests abroad and little mention of his rather treasonous statements during the Vietnam era.

It just seems to be about favor trading.
Lisa
 
I would’ve loved for Obama to have chosen former Senator Jim Webb, for Sec of Def.

In fact, I hope Jim Webb comes back into national politics, I would’ve voted for him for president without a thought.

Jim
 
I still wanted Chuck Hagel. Being from Nebraska I always thought he was a pretty good Senator. I was suprised he was considered though and he wouldn’t have made it
 
Well, if this administration behaves as in the past, the next Secretary of Defense will be an woman.

Jim
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Well, if this administration behaves as in the past, the next Secretary of Defense will be an woman.

Jim
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Right…much more important to pander to interest groups and have a ‘proper’ mix of genders, colors, and abilities than actual qualifications. Frankly this happens on both sides of the aisle. Ironically the American exceptionalism has been based on allowing people to achieve and be recognized by their merits rather than physical characteristics. Unfortunately another sacrifice to the gods of political correctness.

Really too bad Generals Petraeus and McCrystal were taken down by personal indiscretions. They are both far more qualified than anyone suggested so far.

Lisa
 
My guess is that Kerry will do fine as SoS. He has already had a lot of experience on the international stage.
 
LisaA said:
Right…much more important to pander to interest groups and have a ‘proper’ mix of genders, colors, and abilities than actual qualifications. Frankly this happens on both sides of the aisle. Ironically the American exceptionalism has been based on allowing people to achieve and be recognized by their merits rather than physical characteristics. Unfortunately another sacrifice to the gods of political correctness.

Really too bad Generals Petraeus and McCrystal were taken down by personal indiscretions. They are both far more qualified than anyone suggested so far.

Lisa
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It may surprise you, Lisa, but I agree with you on this. I want the best candidate for such important positions, not one chosen merely on the basis of political correctness. I think a broad range of candidates of both genders and different ethnic backgrounds should be considered, and then the most qualified one chosen. Pundits have been saying that if Obama chooses Hagel for Secretary of Defense, he’ll be criticized for selecting two white men: Kerry and Hagel. To that I say so what, provided they are well suited for the positions. Sometimes, however, there are several equally qualified people for a job, and that’s often when the minority person, based on race and gender, is selected. It would be better if our society got passed any kind of favoritism, but we’re not quite there yet. Another factor in the selection process is choosing someone compatible with the President’s views, that is, someone Obama can relate to politically as well as personally. I know this may sound irrelevant, but it is a fact in hiring for a number of professions.
 
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