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Subscribe to RSSUpdated at 2:20p.m. ET: President Barack Obama’s choice to be secretary of state, Sen. John Kerry, D- Mass, testified Thursday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, one day after the same committee conducted a fractious hearing with current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over last September's attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.
Unlike Wednesday’s sometimes-contentious hearings, Republicans welcomed Kerry, who is currently the chairman of the same committee, warmly at the outset.
Sen. John McCain R-Ariz. joined Clinton and Sen. Elizabeth Warren D-Mass. in introducing the nominee, with McCain praising him for “exemplary statesmanship” in his work on an accord to allow opening of normal diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1995.
But while the hearing remained cordial, Kerry came under bipartisan pressure on the question of the civil war in Syria in which more than 60,000 have been killed.
Kerry has met several times over the years with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
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McCain, part of a bipartisan group of senators which just got back from a trip to the Mideast and visited camps where Syrian refugees are living, told Kerry they feel “an anger and frustration” and believe that the United States is indifferent to their suffering.
One Syrian teacher told McCain and the other senators, “This next generation of children will take revenge on those that that did not help them.” McCain added, “We are sowing the wind in Syria and we are going to reap the whirlwind.”
He said “We can do a lot more, without putting boots on the ground” – such as a no-fly zone – and he complained that “all I get, frankly, from the (Obama) administration is the fall of Assad is, quote, ‘inevitable.’ I agree, but what about what happens in the meantime?”
Another member of the delegation that toured the Middle East, Sen. Chris Coons, D- Del., complained to Kerry that U.S. humanitarian aid intended for Syrian refugees “has not reached the people on the ground.”
In response to both Coons and McCain, Kerry said “if you have a complete implosion of the state” in Syria after Assad’s fall, it would greatly increase the risk that Assad’s chemical weapons arsenal would fall into the wrong hands.
Kerry also said that “we need to change Bashar Assad’s calculation. Right now President Assad doesn’t think he’s losing -- and the opposition thinks it is winning.” Kerry said the goal of U.S. policy is a peaceful transition to a new government. He said he hoped to confer with the Russian government, a major supporter of Assad, and with others and “increase the readiness of President Assad to see that the die is cast, the handwriting is on the wall….”
Coons told Kerry, “We frankly face a very narrow window to make a difference on the ground in support of the opposition.”
“I get it,” Kerry answered, saying he did not want to “wind up with them (members of the anti-Saddam Syrian opposition) blaming you” for not doing more to remove Assad from power. But Kerry voiced worry about who would control the country if Assad were forced out of power.
Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images
Senator John Kerry, D-Mass., President Barack Obama's nominee for Secretary of State, speaks with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., before he testifies at the Senate Foreign Relations committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Jan. 24, 2013.
The committee’s ranking Republican, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, asked Kerry about Obama’s nominee to be defense secretary, former Sen. Chuck Hagel and his support for Global Zero, a group which calls for the total abolition of nuclear weapons.
Kerry said Hagel would be “a strong secretary of defense secretary” and that Hagel would not weaken the U.S. nuclear arsenal which serves as a deterrent to an attack on the United States.
A world without any nuclear weapons, Kerry said, was a goal “worth aspiring to,” but “we’re not talking about today’s world” and it might take “many centuries” to achieve abolition of nuclear weapons.
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Kerry also addressed Iran's nuclear program.
“The president has made it definitive--we will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” he said in his opening statement to the committee. “I repeat here today: our policy is not containment. It is prevention and the clock is ticking on our efforts to secure responsible compliance.”
He added, “No one should mistake our resolve to reduce the nuclear threat.”
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He said Obama “knows that American foreign policy is not defined by drones and deployments alone. We cannot allow the extraordinary good we do to save and change lives to be eclipsed entirely by the role we have had to play since September 11th, a role that was thrust upon us.”
Referring to the impasse over reducing budget deficits and the growing national debt, Kerry said to the committee members that “the first priority of business which will affect my credibility as a diplomat – and our credibility as nation – as we work to help other countries create order, is whether America at last puts its own fiscal house in order.”
In his opening statement, Kerry showed one brief moment of emotion. His voice shook when he referred to his father, who was a Foreign Service officer. Kerry said he was proud that “the Senate is in my blood – but equally proud that so too is the Foreign Service. My father’s work under presidents both Democrat and Republican took me and my siblings around the world for a personal journey that brought home the sacrifices” that American diplomats abroad make or their country.
During an appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama's nominee for secretary of state Sen. John Kerry faced tough questions. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
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Welcome to the demise of an organized, march in lockstep GOP!! They are now the proverbial cat herd that the DEMS are always accused of being.
The GOP, with their Tea Farty Moron Faction and their non-existent command of fact and truth, and their aging, centrist faction at war with their own conscience between the right thing to do and what the TP-ers want,
are now irrelevant and nothing more than an impediment to progress and a deterrent to prosperity.
Time for them to GO!
We'll see how "irrevellent" The Taxed Enough Already Party is in the 2014 midterms!
As for prosperity...........
"We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
Winston Churchill
@ssmithlg: I bet you the GOP loses 15 to 20 House seats in 2016.
I am not sure if its good news or bad news:
Not much bitching and moaning about Kerry from republicans side. Does that mean kerry kissed sufficient jew butt?
Free Ketchup for everybody ! LMFAO
McCain can supply the beer.
"Does that mean kerry kissed sufficient jew butt?"
How sick bringing religion into everything, how stupid of a racist remark, but not surprising coming from a radical muslim always supporting terrorists who kill Americans.
I could be wrong but I think that Judaism is a religion and not a race. And who is this radical Muslim?
"Not much bitching and moaning about Kerry from republicans side. Does that mean kerry kissed sufficient jew butt?" REALLY Sicktired Lan?
There are currently 12 Jewish U.S. Senators, 1 independent and 11 Democrats.
Ol' Walnuts really has a thing for service men.
if mccain loves this guy so much you better take a real close look at him......
Where is Brown right now??? Is he getting his campaign offices up and running??? After all, it's a sure bet he will be re-elected to the Senate, right? Didn't Rove and Koch promise him that?......................just as soon as they get this pest Kerry out of the way.( Which murphy's law was that one?)
Don't know why I bother coming on this forum. There are so many views that are 180 degrees from one another. Attacking Kerry then others attacking McCain. What is wrong with this country that is being torn apart from the seems by bickering, hateful and bigoted people. You would think there would be a meeting in the middle point that WE are ALL Americans rather then wagging fingers around and blaming one another for our Countries troubles. If you hate each other so much why don't you find a place to live where you get along with one another rather then destroying everything with-in. There is only ONE USA and only ONE World we have to live in So the Left or the Right is not going to fly off to Mars or Alpha Centauri to take up residence. Why don't you just live your lives and NOT trod over everyone! Is that to hard to understand? Grow up.
Anyone McCain endorses has got to be the wrong person. McCain is the sole reason the Tea Party has lost a lot of steam. Sarah Palin endorsed this idiot and the Tea Party was so stupid that they supported her endorsement. We are sleeping with the enemy and that enemy is this Administration.
The GOP/TEA/Dumb FUX NEWS party need their "come to Jesus" meeting soon or they will be extinct...
Yeah I bet it is heating up ? Has anybody asked to see his Tax Records ? I thought so. I rest my case ! LMFAO
Kerry has released 15 years of tax records.
I remember the hearings things he said about our military people that served in Vietnam a years back. Wonder if Hanoi Jane is going to testify on his behave this week and put in a good word for him. Yep He is a good choice for this country. Why are F-16 planes and Abram tanks being shipped to Egypt?
Kerry is just another low life scum politician but if this gets him the hell out of Mass i say confirm him ASAP.
zzzZZZZzzzzZZZZzzzzZZZZzzzzZZZZzzzz ....
Thur 1/24/13 There are So Very Few of Us so WHY does the Swift Boat Veterans want to Tear Us Apart with such
HATE ? It's a Mystery to Me ? Why do they hate John Kerry so much ?
Personally I would WANT a Combat Veteran serving as the Secretary of State. No One repeat No One hates War more than the Veteran.
We American Veterans represent ONLY One Percent of the American Population.
We should be Standing FOR each other instead of ripping each other apart.
SPW in Alaska Drafted July 1969 Airborne All the Way
Steve...thank you for your service.
However, being a veteran does not mean that you are an honorable person or that you can lead the State Department.
Personally, I think what John Kerry did when he came home was despicable. I do wish that he would apologize for his actions. There are many veterans who rightfully feel that Kerry turned his back on them for political gain. His "Christmas in Cambodia" garbage was proven false and he testified under oath to things that he did not witness. I do not like this selection, however elections have consequences and there are certainly worse picks.
USAF Veteran - OIF
sir thank you for your service. here is mr kerry's problem he was on a patrol boat in the delta for 3-4 months. combat i don't think so. he has 2-3 purple hearts which resulted in his shortened tour. the only issue is that there are no records that he was ever treated or evacuated for any of those wounds. punji stick nicks that required nothing more than first aide if that was what they were did not in the 1st cav get someone awarded a purple heart. give him the benefit of maturity but his testifying in front of congress as to criminal acts by servicemen, acts he had no first hand knowledge of and his throwing vn medals over the fence at the wh frankly were enough for me.
John Kerry seems to like war well enough. War was his springboard to the national stage during the Vietnam era.
He also voted FOR the war in Iraq all the while declaring that "there is no doubt that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction" until his political opportunism got the better of him and all of a sudden he becomes a dove. A quick google of "john kerry wmd" shows just how bad of a choice this guy is for SoS
I can't bring myself to ever trust him again.
I hold Jane Fonda in higher regard than this silver spoon politician. At least when Hanoi Jane was in Honoi waving her North Vietnamese flag she was in the right uniform. While the rest of us were slugging it out in the mud this prema donna was just over for a photo op and working on the military angle for future political plans. He run his mouth in congressional hearings helping the North Vietnamese more than Hanoi Jane ever did..he is a slimy left wing commy lovin politician and an elitist...he represents the northeastern liberals well but not the rank and file workig class. This piece of traitor trash should never be put in the position to send our young people to war..
We align diplomacy with military might,meaning if you don't agree with us we
might use military force to get you to do so,or even eliminate you,but only as a
last resort,first we will try using our economic power in the world using
economic sanctions.So don't try to resist,we will bend you to our will either
way--this sounds something like God Himself would do,because it is the sin of
Genesis chapter 3: man committing the sin of pride,man believing he can be like
God knowing good and evil,when the Bible teaches nothing is equal to God.Even
Jesus the man deferred to God.It's dangerous because the Bible says the meek,the
humble shall inherit the earth.
Al...If all the world followed the path of Jesus, to the best of their abilities, this world would be at peace.
As it is however, we are sinners. We are conflicted souls with a part of God that we see in our desire to help others, in the awe we feel at both natural and artful beauty, in our willingness to sacrifice for those we love, etc.
However, we are also sinners and this is inherent in our nature. We put other things above God, whether it be money, wealth, power, family, pride, and everything in between. Sin is not just the hate, lust, greed, etc....it is putting idols above our God.
Seeing the human nature that we exist in, expecting a perfect world is not possible. Expecting a world devoid of sin can only happen when God wills it into being. Standing up for the poor, the oppressed, and the weak is about the best us humans can do. This means at some points putting yourself in harms way to end suffering in places like Iran, Syria, Sudan, Bosnia, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq, etc.
Peace on Earth, is not possible until all believe in their heart that Jesus Christ is Lord. Until then, we must come to terms with a painful and fallen world, but one that has hope because of God's grace.
What a crock, Obama and his "Change" and "Forward" slogans. He picks one of the oldest, least respected buffoons that he can find to fill the post. With Iran and North Korea popping off like they are, this is a horrible and embarrassing pick.
AL, least respected by whom?
Seems both the left and right are for him. Apparently, the majority of the people in Ma also had no problem.
Looks like you're on the short bus my friend.
Chip, I'm talking about the lack of respect by other countries, not the dolts in Congress. As a matter of fact, the respect for our entire country is for crap because of the lack of leadership. The world sees us as a weakened and falling nation because we can't even take care of our own let alone the other messes around the world.
Just look at our leadership. Old baggy men and sea-hag looking females run our country along with a president that looks like his daughters can beat up. All they do is point fingers and play the blame game, race card, gay this and gay that...It's embarrassing.
We have become a pathetic visual to the entire world.
i switched to mustard along time ago because of Kerry and his wacky wife
I say ole sport, do you have any grey poupon!....lol
Funny that Obama nominated the one Democrat who dodges his fair share of taxes. Freakin hypocrites!
what do you mean, one?
would just one or preferably more democrat voters please ask a progressive congressperson or maybe the vp or president about a study that is referenced in a msn money opinion article this date which says if there are no changes by 2025 100% of tax receipts will be needed for interest on the debt, ssn, medicare and medicade.
If it ticks off the Koch Brothers tea party republican clone politicians. I fully support it. Good luck on your travels for America Kerry.
The poor Koch brothers. Instead of a 20% tax cut, they got a 4.6% increase in taxes. And they invested 400 million to buy the white house.
Need any more proof elections have consequence ?
no as we progressively go from broke to bankrupt even those that don't pay attention but vote will get it.
Damn you liberals sure have anger issues. Get help!
It is the third most powerful position the United States government has. Of course Senator Kerry would relish it. It would make his Martha's Vineyard resume pretty huge. Why not? I'm all for it but advocate less use of a check book. Also, hurry with the Senator Chuck Hagel nomination.
Go SF, gag. But the other team represents Washington, DC. lobby land.
He could the poster boy for several things:
Married Money (not once but twice)
Anti-American agitator
Tax evader
Etc, Etc....
A fine fit for the Obama admin.
Kerry is 2x wealthier than Romney. Funny info nobody cares about.
I care. I'm going to email him and see if I can get a loan.
During the 2004 election that was a topic always brought up. The truth is the same tactics that made sure Kerry did not get elected worked on Romney during 2012. It is funny how people forget the political theater used only 8 years ago.
Kerry got his money the old fashion way, he married the widow of a wealthy republican.
RedonoKelly...
Maybe no one cares because it's a petty and irrelevant point.
I could have said "Oh Baby" to that kind of money. Both of my wives were poor. Until they married me. Then I was poor.
This should be an incredibly contentious nomination. I don't care about Benghazi or Susan Rice, I want to know why we are handing North Africa over to aggressive, anti-American Islamists backed by Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood. I want to know why we backed the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, backed the Al Qaeda-backed "rebels" in Libya (who appear to have helped AQIM in Algerian in the terrorist attack last week that has been so conveniently wiped from all media attention), and why we appear to be backing the Al Qaeda supported "rebels" in Syria. I want to know why we are doing everything possible to avoid helping the French fight AQIM in Mali, and appear to be offering no help to the fledgling Iraqi government as they are under radical Muslim assault. I want to know why we are even considering negotiating with Iran and the Taliban, but won't meet with the Israeli PM.
We are turning North Africa and the Middle East into an Islamist hotbed, and it will take many, many years, likely numerous wars, and tens of trillions of $s to undo it. Well Mr Kerry, let's hear about it.
Oh yes, it should go "smoothly"
You will have to check with the US Department of controlling the entire planet earth. They should know.
Thoughtful comments steve, but don't expect any thouthful answers.
farideh... It would be thoughtful if there wwere some facts to back up that tripe but as usual, it's more empty rhetoric.
Steve, there is a adobe 113 page report done in 2004 by USAID that can be googled. They predicted that Wahhabi style of Islam would grow there in the Sahara desert region. Afghanistan and Iraq had more importance attached during the last ten years.
" For more than two centuries, Wahhabism has been Saudi Arabia's dominant faith. It is an austere form of Islam that insists on a literal interpretation of the Koran. Strict Wahhabis believe that all those who don't practice their form of Islam are heathens and enemies. Critics say that Wahhabism's rigidity has led it to misinterpret and distort Islam, pointing to extremists such as Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. " http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/analyses/wahhabism.html
i want to know if this administration is going to help these africans and french,knowing they opened this "pandoras box" and are now looking the other way. hows obamas "unecessary war" looking? you people supporting him and saying obama-4 dead,bush-4000(have there been NO deaths in the three years of obamas part in iraq,or not?). africa will be alot harder to secure then the middle east was,hows 10-15-20 yrs in africa sound to you knuckleheads,huh? and syria too? at the same @!$%#ing time? you think he should ignore those people he put in harms way? keep supporting an idiot and that's what you look like!