Kerry’s three challenges as secretary of state

[Mass]

http://www.dailyprogress.com/opinion/guest_columnists/article_f6509784-897a-11e2-9db5-0019bb30f31a.html

Kerry’s three challenges as secretary of state
...
Obtain adequate funding from Congress.
A primary task for Kerry is securing increased congressional support so the State Department can carry out increased diplomatic missions and the economic aid programs that are essential to sustain a viable foreign policy.

Avoid war in the Middle East.
Kerry’s first diplomatic mission abroad was to the Middle East, with visits to Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and several Gulf states. His agenda: how to prevent Syria’s civil war from escalating into a major Middle East conflict; how to reassure Persian Gulf countries that Washington will not accept a nuclear-armed Iran; how to bolster Egypt’s faltering economy and political stability.

...

» Build support in the White House.

Kerry knows that his success as secretary depends heavily on his relationship with the president and that many of his predecessors failed in that regard.
...
Kerry faces a major challenge in working with Obama’s White House aides, because their primary objective is ensuring that Obama’s foreign policy preferences are implemented. Denis McDonough, the new White House chief of staff, was promoted from a senior position on the National Security Council staff. He and Thomas Donilon, Obama’s top national security adviser (the post Kissinger occupied), have long been confidantes of Obama and will keep a check on the state department’s operations in foreign policy.
Relations between the state department and defense department have often been contentious, depending on the personalities of their secretaries. When Donald Rumsfeld ran the defense department under George W. Bush, the role of Secretary of State Colin Powell was circumscribed both by Rumsfeld’s domineering personality and Bush’s emphasis on military action after the events of September 2001. In contrast, relations between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and two defense secretaries, Robert Gates and Leon Panetta, in Obama’s first term were good.
Kerry is well-qualified to serve as Obama’s secretary of state, but he needs to have the president’s confidence as he works to restore America’s diminished influence abroad.
...

Interesting piece, with which I agree totally.

[MBS]

1. another challenge

(OK, not a 4th challenge, just a specific detail to add to Mass' #3 above ): A specific challenge for Sec. Kerry will be working with Susan Rice as National Security Advisor (= the Prediction of the Day from the Chattering Class, and actually predictable from the moment that JK was nominated as SoS).

Reassuring to reflect, though, that Sen. Kerry is a seasoned veteran of this kind of Internecine Stuff (if he can handle 40-odd years of incestuous and highly personal MA politics and emerge victorious, he can handle anything); that (judging from his earlier generous statements) he's almost surely anticipated this scenario (yes, he would have been generous to her anyway, because that's who he is, but his generosity also happened to be a savvy political move); and that, I suspect and hope, he and Chuck Hagel will work in synch with each other as a synergistic, effective team to counterbalance more hawkish folks like Rice.

Kind of OT, but I watched Primary Colors on TV this weekend; as I watched that movie (I also had read the book some years ago), I was impressed once again how that book/movie just nailed the Clintons. And it reminded me once again what a rare treasure Secretary Kerry is: a survivor of 40 years of politics, with his integrity, principles , idealism , patriotism still intact.
Bravo, Secretary Kerry. Thanks for all you have done, and are continuing to do, to make this a better country and a better world.

[Mass]

2. Yep, this one too

assuming the chattering class is correct. It drives me nuts when somebody writes "according to an administration official familiar with the president’s thinking.". This is not good reporting. In addition, Fox says that the appointment is not imminent because they have to find another job for Donilon (which seems to suggest he is not ready to leave). So, I would take this with a grain of salt.

But at the very least, somebody in the White House has a huge crush on her (and I do not mean Obama), because how many articles are they going to leak to the Washington Post with about 0 sourcing.

[wisteria]

3. My thought is she is not qualified for this position either, but someone really wants her around

and in a powerful position. I certainly have no voice in the choice for NSA, but if I did, I wouldn't go with her.

[MBS]

4. " " "

intellectually qualified, I think, but as for temperament. . with the SoS thing, I came to really dislike her whole M.O.