Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Kerry Sails Through the Senate as Secretary of State
The Senate confirmed John Kerry as the secretary of state with a vote of 94 to 3 over Ted Cruz, John Cornyn, and James Inhofe. Kerry became the front runner for the job after President Obama's first choice Susan Rice dropped out after strong criticism from republicans after her comments on the Benghazi attack. Kerry has served as the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee during Mr. Obama’s first term and as an interlocutor with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. Kerry has the international qualifications and the support from President Obama as well as a grasp on the wide range of international issues facing the country. Former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, says she expects Kerry to take aim on narrowing the gaps between Isareal and Palestine which I believe is one of the more pressing issues facing the international community and is deserving of his attention. But only time will tell how good of Secretary Kerry will do.
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I agree with Adam that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the biggest issues that Kerry needs to address. I also believe it is important for him to spend him time dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat and the countries in the Middle East where there is political turmoil.
ReplyDeleteI think it is better than Kerry was selected as compared with Susan Rice. I question how much impact we as a nation can have on the Israel-Palestine relationship because it is such a deep-seeded issue, but that certainly does not mean that Kerry shouldn't try.
ReplyDeleteI think it is good that a person who has many relationships with other nations and has dealt with many nations before got the job of secretary of state. I think it will benefit Kerry that he has support from both Obama and the other memebers of congress.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Kerry was a better choice, but I don't know how much of an impact he can have. It is a very important issue, so I supposed it's worth a shot.
ReplyDeleteI think that Kerry was a good choice. I agree that the Israeli Palestinian conflict will be a huge challenge and needs attention. I however have hope. I do not think it is impossible. At this point I think it is good that Kerry has not shared any plans yet. If he feels they still need fine tuning then I would rather wait and get the finished version and I think that shows a necessary caution for a difficult job. I am glad that he is so knowledgeable about what is happening in the international community, and I have high hopes as well as wishing him the best of luck.
ReplyDeleteI hope Kerry is up to the challenge. International relations is an incredibly complex field, but I believe that Kerry is the right man for the job. As Mr. Danson said during class, he has made a career out of international relations, so now he can put his knowledge to good use.
ReplyDeleteKerry certainly seems fitting for the job. And it is quite evident from the vote of 94 to 3 that the Senate believes that as well. His previous connections from both sides of the aisle and the fact that he led the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for the past 4 years seem like great qualifications for the role of Secretary of State.
ReplyDeleteGoing off of the fact that Kerry was approved 94 to 3, I feel that it is very important that the selected candidate receive bipartisan support. According to the article and the unanimous vote, Kerry's popularity among both parties makes him the ideal Secretary of State, in my humble opinion.
DeleteI agree that Kerry is a good choice based on the fact that he focused most of his time on foreign policy affairs while in the senate. When it comes to the Israeli-Palestine affairs I agree with Grace that the amount of change that we can really create is probably minimal because neither side is willing to compromise.
ReplyDeleteKerry was the better candidate for secretary of state due to his qualifications involving foreign policy. And it is reassuring to see that the Senate's vote of 94 to 3 confirmed this. It will be interesting to see how he handles this position.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Kerry was a good choice for this position because of his experience in dealing with foreign affairs and foreign policies. I also agree with what Grace said about the Israeli-Palestine conflict because no matter who was chosen for this position, there still probably won't be much accomplished or done because both sides are unwilling to compromise.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that Kerry was chosen. I don't think that Rice would've been an effective role in the position. I hope that Kerry addresses the Israel-Palestine issue, but I agree that it is a deeply seeded issue and may not have as favorable of an out come as the US hopes to have.
ReplyDeleteI am glad Kerry was chosen over Rice. Yet, he has a lot of work ahead of him with the Israel-Palestine issue and we can only hope that the needed compromise in dealing with this issue will take place under his leadership.
ReplyDeleteJohn Kerry is the type of politician who can get things done in this position, he has worked mainly for foreign policy over anything else and the majority of the country is familiar with him due the 2004 Presidential Election. I agree with you Lauren that Kerry will definitely need to focus on everything that is ahead of him, especially the Israel-Palestine issue.
ReplyDeleteI am very glad that Kerry was chosen for secretary of state. It is a hard issue to overcome but a man with as much expertise in International Relations should help this issue change for the better in a decent amount of time.
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