John Kerry wins Diplomat of the Year award from Foreign Policy magazine

[MBS]

I can't think of anyone more deserving.
From the intro: (A leader from the Middle East said), "that he had never seen any negotiator from any country more tenacious,more committed, more tireless in his pursuit of an outcome" than SoS Kerry". .
Oh, yeah. Full video here, included the intro I just cited as well as comments by diplomats from US and UAE

[MBS]

1. Thomas Donilon's introduction. .

"John is courageous , he is tenacious, and as unusual it may seem to use a word like this in our nation's current discourse, John is a thoroughly decent,honorable individual, and he is recognized as such around the world."

Oh, yeah. Exactly right.

[MBS]

2. The UAE ambassador was great, too

great joke at the end (about 15 minutes into the video)
don't want to spoil it, but he talks about an "upcoming vacancy". . pretty funny

[karynnj]

3. One remarkable thing in Kerry's own comments was that he credited the entire State Department as

deserving the award. There have been others who think to credit the many many people - at many levels that contribute to the final result, but none that I can think of as sincerely and giving more well defined credit. I can think of a few who could learn that this is best thing to do.

Now, I am genuinely bowled over by this award and particularly by the comments that Yusif and Tom shared with all of you. I’m very grateful to David and to Foreign Policy for this award. I admire enormously what Foreign Policy does, and we need more, frankly, thinking and cutting-edge ideas about how we’re going to deal with a very, very complicated world. But let me make this absolutely clear, and it is not – it’s not talk, it’s real: I am accepting this award on behalf of the entire United States State Department. And that is because, as Bill knows, there is nothing that we do – not a phone call, not a meeting that I go to, not a decision that I reach that doesn’t depend to a great extent on the advice and support and input of colleagues at the State Department.

It is a team effort in every sense of the word, and I can’t tell you how in New York when we do the United Nations and I have 66 meetings in the course of a week, I go – it was 70-something the year before – I go from meeting to meeting and the microphones are there, the tables are set up, the right people are introduced, the interpreter booths are there. It’s a really remarkable bit of organization, and that happens again and again in repetition and repetition. And Ambassador Pete Selfridge is here; he’s our chief of protocol. (Applause.) In about one week, a little more than a week, we had an India security dialogue – the Security and Economic Dialogue with Penny shortly thereafter. We had President Xi arrive, we had the Pope arrive, and then we went to the week in UNGA with some 100-plus heads of state. Pete Selfridge and his people never missed a beat, and thank you, Pete, for an extraordinary job. (Applause.)

(I hadn't seen or read the introductions - that you include - which I look forward to watching. ) It is so good to see him getting the credit both for his incredible abilities, but also for the genuinely good person he is.

[MBS]

4. yes, exactly.

He is a class act.
Such a refreshing change from those many politicians who try to hog all the credit when it's not due, and run from accepting responsibility for things that ARE their fault.