Senate Approves John Kerry As Secretary of State

[ProfessionalLeftist]

Source: ThinkProgress

The Senate this afternoon overwhelmingly voted in favor of approving John Kerry’s nomination to become Secretary of State, with only three Senators — Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Cornyn (R-TX), and James Inhofe (R-OK) — voting against their colleague. Earlier today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee moved forward Kerry to the full Senate unanimously, reflecting the relative ease that Kerry has had in ascending to Obama’s second term cabinet.

Kerry has spent the last twenty-eight years in the Senate representing Massachusetts, all of them serving on the Foreign Relations committee, the last four as Chairman. The closeness in foreign policy vision that he shares with the Obama administration made Kerry one of the most likely choices to take the reins of State for the next four years. The ties between the two during Kerry’s chairman ship was close enough that former Sen. Gary Hart once called Kerry effectively “the congressional secretary of state.”

Kerry is the first of the President’s nominees to be confirmed following his inaugural. Kerry and current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been speaking “almost daily” to prepare him to move into the 7th floor office in Foggy Bottom. Secretary Clinton will be stepping down following her last day on the job, Friday, Feb. 1.

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Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/01/29/1510871/senate-approves-kerry-state/

[MADem]

1. Two from TX and one from OK....the Three Stooges, eh? nt

[gateley]

2. You can only shake your head and roll your eyes. And smirk. Jerks.

[MADem]

8. Indeed....and it's just not surprising, anymore. They're such tools! nt

[lastlib]

3. That is insulting to stooges!

more like Three Wet Turd-Smears!

[MADem]

5. The three Stoolies!!! nt

[Blue4Texas]

13. Drew short straws and took one for the team

Unanimous would have been ... well, without dissent

[MBS]

47. No, the Flat Earth Caucus.

Sen. Kerry's term, I believe. (If not original with him, he used it often, both with relish and utter frustration.)
Having a "no" vote from this crew is an honor, much like being on Nixon's enemies list.

[NBachers]

60. "The Usual Gang of Idiots'

[alp227]

61. Remember the 13 senators who voted against confirming Condoleezza Rice?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022281591

[MADem]

65. Ah, yes, with visions of "Bin Ladin Determined to Attack Within United States" dancing in their

heads, no doubt.

[notadmblnd]

4. when did it switch from Hagel back to Kerry.

Anyway, I'm glad it's Kerry

[MADem]

6. You have your cabinet positions confused. Hagel/DOD. Kerry/SECSTATE. nt

[notadmblnd]

11. thanks for clearing that up for me.

[MADem]

66. Happy to help. nt

[angrychair]

7. Hagel is DOD nt

[karynnj]

9. Kerry for SOS, Hagel SOD - two positions

[DhhD]

10. Three extremist radicals vote against the best interests of their states.

[DainBramaged]

12. I am still concerned with how much the Wingers wanted him to succeed Hillary

[Still Sensible]

14. Inhofe is Oklahoma's shit stain.

He makes Tom Coburn seem sometimes sane... and that is damn hard to do!

[Ian Iam]

17. Isn't he the one.....

who made a huge production of constructing a snowhouse and calling it "Al Gore's New Home?" Twit!

[sheshe2]

15. Kerry will make a great SOS!

The Crud, The Crone and The Ho...voting against!

[TwilightGardener]

16. Even if it was expected, it's good that it's final. Congrats to Secretary Kerry!

[derby378]

18. It'll be a great fit for Senator Kerry

And as for Ted Cruz - oh, Teddy-Ted-Teddy-Ted-Ted, my boy - you are already causing our collective brains to hurt.

[Hard Assets]

37. Don't call him Ted.

He does not even deserve the name Ted.

That name goes only to Edward Moore Kennedy.

Cruz is not even worthy of his given name.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

19. I find it disturbing how easily the minority party got the SoS they sought.

[karynnj]

20. Kerry was always one of the two Obama was considering

There was NEVER a comment from Obama that he preferred Rice. Rice was the favorite of the Washington Post which lobbied for her daily. Kerry has far better ties to the Senate and is better liked by foreign dignitaries. He also is known for his diplomatic personality and skills.

He also is to the left and less hawkish than Susan Rice. (This shows how easily some on the left are manipulated by the right. Kerry is a choice that should have made people here happy.)

[appacom]

32. Emphatically agree!

[LTR]

36. Totally agree!

And an impressive way for John Kerry to cose out a remarkable political career.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

41. I'll judge his success on how we deal with the Iranian straw man.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

40. Less Hawkish?

You mean he didn't support the Iraqi, Afghan, and Lybian wars?

Ok.

[MBS]

48. + 1000 n/t

[wisteria]

58. I couldn' t of said it better myself. ! n/t

[CranialRectaLoopback]

64. Don't underestimate yourself.

[YvonneCa]

24. That is just SO...

...untrue.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

38. So Susan Rice was just a trial pawn? Ok.

[YvonneCa]

46. No. She was always a valued...

...member of the Obama Administration. And she remains so. She was not nominated.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

52. I wonder why she wasn't nominated.

[karynnj]

55. Because Kerry was

That is all we really know - and unless Obama were to discuss the process publicly at some point, we will never know more.

It seems you prefer Rice just because the Republicans attacked her. (Hey, they smeared Kerry for decades - since 1971. Did you miss the entire year of 2004? Their attacks on him make the attacks on Rice pale in comparison. Even when they attacked him as a young man in 1972, it was FAR FAR beyond anything they did to Rice.)

[CranialRectaLoopback]

63. I prefer neither, actually.

But someone so viciously attacked by the Regressives is certainly a plus in my book.

As for 1972, that Kerry is long gone. That Kerry would have made an excellent SoS.

[YvonneCa]

69. Why do you say...

... a 1972 Kerry would make an excellent SOS?

[CranialRectaLoopback]

71. The 1972 Kerry was, I recall, very anti-war.

The role of the SoS should be exactly the opposite of the SecDef. The SoS should be building coalitions for peace, not coalitions for sanctions or wars.

Nothing in Senator Kerry's hearings even hinted at peace. It was all about sanctions and threats of war and imaginary boogymen of the Islamic persuasion.

[YvonneCa]

78. And that is his exact...

...position and philosophy.

Something to consider...in the hearings Kerry often had to speak to the questioning concern of neocon GOP-types by assuring people that Dems are strong in foreign policy (since GOP always paints us as weak). If they were going to vote to confirm him, they needed to impress their constituents at home.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

79. I suppose that is true, to some extent.

But so long as we act like we are weak on defense we will be perceived as weak on defense.

I do not believe that Democrats must speak like Republicans if they don't believe in Republican policy.

Of course with Senator Reid's cave on the filibuster, we have to worry about Republican obstructionism. For this reason the Democrats would have been better served had Reid not been reelected.

[karynnj]

72. He is in most ways a mature version of that man

Not to mention, he was the only Senator willing to take on the Contra and BCCI investigation.

With Rice, the reason she was attacked was that the Republicans view her words on the talk shows as part of teh "coverup" that let Obama put the country "knowing" what happened in Benghazi until after the election. In fact, everyone knew 4 Americans died and that it was terrorism.

The reasons they hated Kerry, was that in those three instances he stood up against things he thought wrong.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

74. Iran/Contra was a long time ago.

And I would have to disagree with the underlying message that more mature means we should consider war as an option from time to time. Fighting is easy, and, frankly, far more juvenile.

But that's just this immature, middle-aged man's position.

I sincerely hope I am wrong.

[karynnj]

75. Even in 1971, he was not against war ever - in fact, at the hearings

he said that if the US were attacked, he would rejoin. He stayed in the ready reserves when he had the choice not to.

He has always said - and meant - that war should be a last resort. He said in January 2003 that Bush should not rush to war - and that if he did it was not the last resort. Do you remember how often he used that phrase in 2004? Do you have any idea what it means? It means, to Catholics, that it is not a just war.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

77. By he did rush int war. He approved both wars.

And many, many people new that Iraq was not involved. And, frankly, neither was Afghanistan. We were "attacked" by Saudis, not Iraqis and not Afghan citizens. This was also understood by many, many people.

And you know what, real leaders like King and Ghandi understood you don't meet force with force.

[karynnj]

80. Only if you conflate the October 2002 vote - before the inspections - with the Bush March 2003

decision. Kerry, like Biden and most of the SFRC members voted because they wanted to give Bush the leverage to get intensive inspections - which did happen AFTER October 2002 and before March 2003 and found nothing. The vote was wrong because it gave Bush their support - and though it laid out Bush's promises, it had no way to stop him. In fact, the Downing Street memos show that they would have attacked with no resolution. The main thing bad the IWR did was to let Bush say the invasion was bipartisan.

Kerry said throughout 2004 that Bush misled us into war. He was speaking not of the wmd, but that he did few of the things he promised he would do. Bush himself said that the vote was not a vote for war before the vote. He also has repeatedly said that he regretted that vote and he, with Feingold pushed the need for a timeline to get out - that ultimately became first the Democratic position and later was what Bush did - and how we got out.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

84. Regrets are painless. I prefer people with foresight.

[YvonneCa]

56. She was never...

...at the front of the line, IMHO, even though some admin people and some GOP types tried to make it so.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

62. That may very well be true.

[Lordquinton]

34. You meant Majority party

because that's what happened.

[CranialRectaLoopback]

39. Because Susan Rice was never considered?

And Moe, Larry, and Curley didn't wage a smear campaign on her while simultaneously singing the praises of Senator Kerry?

Ok

[Lordquinton]

86. And Kerry hadn't been considered for years?

He was the consolation proze that we had to settle for instead of being the most qualified person for the job?

ok

[CranialRectaLoopback]

87. Choosing the most qualified person for the job has rarely been high on a politician's list.

[NYC Liberal]

59. Republicans got Susan Rice? News to me. When does she take office?

Someone should let Senator Kerry know.

[politicasista]

67. +1 n/t

[kestrel91316]

21. I think he'll do well.

[albear]

22. Again, repubes voting against us

What's new? but other Republicans saw the light!

[leveymg]

23. Let's say we treat TX as a hostile country, and Kerry and Hagel can deal with them that way?

Kinda a warm-up act for, say, the Arabian Pennisula-Persian Gulf?

[TwilightGardener]

28. Kerry shuts down the Keystone pipeline to Houston and

Hagel shuts down Ft. Hood and Randolph AFB. I would laugh and laugh.

[leveymg]

31. Regime change comes to Dallas.

[shagnasty]

25. Please do not call the Texans and Okie "Turds"

It is an insult to the stuff that falls freely from my ass to be associated with the elected representatives of the majority of people of Texas and Oklahoma. These senators are elected because the MAJORITY of voters think they are representative of the culture and society they cherish.

So in fairness to all "turds" everwhere lets just label them as "the elected senators" of Texas and Oklahoma.

[patrice]

30. +1 . . . edgy! he, he . . .

[davidpdx]

50. I got it yesterday for making fun of Californians

Even though technically I am one.

[alp227]

45. Compromise: "elected sena-TURDS" n/t

[narnian60]

54. I like that a lot!

[NYC Liberal]

26. Congrats SOS Kerry!

Being opposed by Cornyn and Inhofe, two of the Senate's biggest assholes, should be worn as a badge of honor. Hillary had DeMint and Vitter vote against her.

[Renew Deal]

27. Senior Senator from Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren

John Kerry was the longest serving Junior Senator. I guess Warren is almost the shortest.

[trof]

35. Damn! That sounds good.

Instant promotion!

[politicasista]

42. Her Kerry statements were really nice n/t

[karynnj]

53. I'm sure that Kerry saw the plus side - he had Ted Kennedy as a friend and senior Senator

for decades.

For MA the down side of having two of the most senior senators is that they now will have two of the least senior - I hope both Republican.

[patrice]

29. Glad! of this. Secretary Kerry will be good for our country. nt

[sellitman]

33. This blows the GOP diversity meme out the window.

A male secretary.

[undeterred]

43. I missed having him as President

but I'll be happy to have him as my Secretary of State.

[MBS]

49. " " " " n/t

[YvonneCa]

57. It's a good...

...day.

[George II]

44. Of course, one of the no votes came from the aptly named Jerk Imhofe!

[davidpdx]

51. Wow, a nice overwhelming vote

Congratulations Senator...um I mean Secretary Kerry

[Ian Iam]

68. Next up: Mr Hagel

No, I didn't learn my dialectics from him, but he's a good choice to be Defence Secretary.

[Fearless]

70. The ol' boys club confirms him.

John McCain doesn't have anything to say??

[karynnj]

73. Not a single WOMAN Senator voted against him - even the tea party one from NE

The Republicans were not against Rice because of sex or race. As to sex, only 2 voted against Clinton.

[Fearless]

76. The ol boys club

Is a reference to the fact that groups of people like Senators or millionaires tend to support each other regardless of political affiliation because of the commonalities they share rather than the differences they have. It really has little to do with gender or sex other than the fact that traditionally Congresspersons were white males.

[karynnj]

81. I am completely aware of what the old boys' club is

It is also true that Senators usually confirm their own. It, however, is not always the case that they are voted out of committee unanimously and win as easily as JK did. Note that Hagel will not be like that - or in Bush's years, Ashcroft was not all that easy.

Kerry has earned a lot of real respect even form people who never agree with him.

[Fearless]

82. Exactly.

And not a peep from McCain at all.

[karynnj]

83. Substantially more than a peep out of Mccain

He, along with Warren and Clinton, introduced Kerry to the committee and spoke of the respect he has for Kerry. (by the way, this is not new - he praised Kerry enormously in his book dealing with his years in the Senate including the time on the POW committee. So, it is not just friendship or being colleagues, he genuinely was impressed with Kerry as a diplomat. Now, I doubt he would have picked Kerry as his SOS - their views are too different - but he knows Obama will pick people who agree with him - and of those, Kerry is one he - and other Republicans respect.

Many Republicans praised his handling of the START treaty.

[awoke_in_2003]

85. I see my two senators...

are still acting stupid.