Great article about Kerry as SoS on CNN w/ lots of nice pics

[beachmom]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/07/politics/labott-kerry/index.html

Here's a taste of the article:

Having coveted the secretary of state job for his whole career, Kerry is like a kid in a candy store. In the three months since taking office, Kerry has traveled just short of 70,000 miles and visited 20 countries in 37 days. He has breathed new life into the Middle East peace process, worked with President Barack Obama to broker a rapprochement between Israel and Turkey, traveled to press China for more support reining in North Korea and pushed for the first nonlethal direct aid to Syrian rebels, while helping to unite the fractious political opposition and working with Turkey, Jordan and Israel on contingencies should the United States get more involved in the crisis.

And breaking overnight and this morning, he's done some great work:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/08/us-syria-crisis-conference-idUSBRE94612S20130508?irpc=932

Russia and the United States agreed to bury their differences over Syria and to try to convene international talks with both sides in the civil war to end the carnage that is inflaming the Middle East.

Visiting Moscow after Israel bombed targets near Damascus and as President Barack Obama faces new calls to arm the rebels, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Russia had agreed to try to arrange a conference as early as this month involving both President Bashar al-Assad's government and his opponents.

An East-West disagreement that has seen some of the frostiest exchanges between Washington and Moscow since the Cold War has deadlocked U.N. efforts to settle the Syrian conflict for two years, so any rapprochement could bring an international common front closer than it has been for many months.

You know, Kerry is not in the news a lot, but it's pretty clear he is doing important work that might add up over the next four years to some major breakthroughs.

[karynnj]

1. Wow

That is an impressive list when put together. Most of these problems are thorny knots that have gotten progressively worse - even calming them down is a real accomplishment. To me what is impressive is that he is that he is talking to everyone, pulling all sides somewhat closer together than they were.

This article convinces me that Kerry was the right person to be Secretary of State and that there is a real chance that in that job, he can make a real difference - more than he could as Senator.

I am really impressed with the start he has made in the Middle East. That Turkey and Israel are mending their relationship is a big deal - and it is obvious that he played (and is playing) a role here. Both Israel and the Arab world have made some baby steps - for the first time in 4 1/2 years and that is impressive. The fact that the Arab League is publicly speaking of "land swaps" is important -- as are reports that Israel has quietly stopped building settlements. Here is a link to a Haaretz (a left leaning Israeli paper) report on Kerry's meeting in Rome with Tzipi Livni.

[div class="exerpt"]

Kerry and Livni praised the Arab League delegation's decision last week to accept shifts in Israel's border as part of a long-standing offer of universal recognition for Israel in the Arab world — if Israel withdraws from territory it conquered in the 1967 war.

Kerry said the Arabs "want to keep the process going" and have asked for more meetings.
<snip>
Livni said peace was in the interests of Israel and the Palestinians. She praised Kerry for "recreating hope" after years of stagnancy.

"Some of us lost hope and this is something we need, not just as a vague idea, but something which is concrete," she told reporters.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/kerry-to-return-to-mideast-for-a-new-effort-on-israeli-palestinian-peace-1.519934

[wisteria]

2. Thank you so much for posting and updating us on Secretary Kerry's impressive start, n/t

[JI7]

3. maybe not US Media which focuses more on stuff like araias trial

but he gets a lot of coverage in the foreign media.

and he really is loving the job and it just seems to fit him perfectly.

[politicasista]

4. Good luck to him

Last edited Thu Jun 6, 2013, 08:37 PM - Edit history (2)

Hope he is getting some support. CW the last two days isn't helping him much. Team Obama (Obama and Press. Sec for that matter) needs to step it up and smack down the media spin and set the record straight once and for all.

That said, he is been getting some positive feedback at the President's diary page.

[karynnj]

5. I'm way less worried than when he was Senator

His effectiveness is not that impacted by the beltway media. Yes, I wanted to throw something at the tv when Chris Hayes and Joan Walsh were all giddy and suddenly saying this is the most important job. It isn't - and that is why Rice didn't immediately take her name out of consideration.

Only history will TRY to say who influenced the President more. It also is pretty odd given that the SAME people are still speaking of Hillary as "iconic" and "a rock star", In the US political system, she is. However, the story is now that she did NOT influence policy - where in fact, we know she did on Afghanistan. Here, the articles have flipped this - and suddenly it is more important to be in DC with Obama.

As to who Obama will listen to more, I suspect on any issue it will be the one with the more promising, believable alternative. I also don't think that they will be always opposing each other. Sometimes the best ideas are the result of serious people - with different pieces of information and world views build on each other's ideas. Both are positioned in such a way that they will have their opinion heard. Kerry is in the cabinet - so he will be at meetings on issues other than foreign policy as well as those on foreign policy.

Back to Clinton, she is being called a great SoS because of her extensive travels and the goodwill they bring. As a SoS, she was a big deal when she visited countries - but ANY SoS is for many countries. As to diplomacy, she wasn't that diplomatic. Not in the Middle East, not in Pakistan, not in Latin America and not in Russia. No matter how diplomatic, hard working and sincere a US diplomat is there will be some times when it will be impossible to get countries to do what we want. It simply may not be in their interest.

At this point, what I see is that many are impressed at the passion that he has to try to solve possibly impossible problems. That is the Kerry we know. Many are saying that he can fail -- and he has said that himself. However, I suggest that you listen to the AJC post that I linked to in the J Street post. The AJC is not some liberal Jewish group - it is very establishment and has typically agreed with anything Israel was doing. The applause there was hard won - and important. Look at the incredible email that Jstreet send to its list. They also sent another email if you signed the petition requesting people show the videa to their friends, family, synagogue. I have been a member of JStreet for years and this is as excited as I have seen them. (One interesting additional piece of information is that Israeli leaders recently met with some of them when they were in Israel last month. This never happened before.)

I am proud our SoS has put his heart, incredible energy and his intelligence and skill behind
trying to move the needle on this. It is more likely to fail than succeed, but how low the probability of a more peaceful solution before it is not worth it. Given how low the cost is and how great the reward, it could be pretty low and worth the effort.

In Syria the chances are far less - here, in one interview he spoke of how in good conscience, they had to try.

[politicasista]

6. The Senate is really crazy now

(Bless Lautenberg's soul )

Haven't been watching the political shows because of the overhyping of the fake scandals and the NBA playoffs are on, but whenever things get ugly here (not here), spend some time lurking at The Obama Diary.

It's Pro-Obama, but there is some rational (some Pro-Kerry) people there, and Hayes is bad, mainly because he bashes folks for no reason. So glad his ratings are in the toilet, most of the cable networks for that matter. You would think the recent tragedies would remind them what's really important, and people are suffering, but that doesn't faze them one bit.

Do agree with you about history and HRC and will check out the AJC. Looks like he also had a nice visit to Ethiopia. Hope he and Rice can do some good there. Hope their is some more Middle East progress. Wish his statement got more play yesterday. It was a good one.

Well said.

[Mass]

7. As you say, any history will say

but I am shocked that Chris Hayes, who is normally a reasonable guy, would be giddy that Rice and Powell would be the most influential people in the room. Rice and Powell are liberal neo wilsonian and will be more ready to intervene for what they consider as good causes than Kerry, Biden, or Hagel.

The major problem that I see is that Hagel and Kerry, who, though far from perfect, are less interventionist and more realist because of their experience, are busy putting out the fires their predecessors have created or have been unable to kill. So, while NSA is not necessarily the most influential job, it may end up to be the person who is the most influential for defining foreign policy by default. I really hope Obama will continue to be strong when it comes to avoid new conflicts, because it is certain Rice would like to do something in Syria.