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In reply to the discussion: Report: Obama Picks Kerry For Next Secretary Of State [View all]karynnj
(59,474 posts)First of, Kerry does not have to PROVE anything to anyone - except the Senate, which seems to have pretty genuine respect for him. I assume that some on the right will use the opportunity of the SFRC hearing to try to embarrass him, but there is nothing in his life that has been lived in public since he was 27 that he has not been honest about.
He will be leaving politics and instead of having to answer to the voters of the state of Massachusetts, he will have one boss, President Obama. The only other thing he needs to answer to is the same thing he has always answered to -- his conscience.
Geitner was opposed by the LEFT, because he was one of the key people behind TARP and the other measures taken to avoid a financial crash in 2008. Duncan is NOT a favorite of the teachers' union because he is pro vouchers and pro charter school. As to Panetta, I know less about him other than that he was a Clinton chief of staff - again suggesting he is a centrist.
Van Jones was one of the few people really to the left Obama picked. Obama and the Democrats should have at least waited to get the story on Sherrod. I really don't think they were attacked because they were black. As to Holder, like Rice, he was involved in the bogus scandal the Republicans wanted to blow up into a big story. With Holder, it was fast and furious - on which he did NOTHING wrong. With Rice, it was Benghazi Sunday morning comments that were inaccurate - but not lies as they were what she was told.
With Rice, she is clearly brilliant, however, academic brilliance is not the key trait needed for this. Diplomatic skills and the ability to build relationships with people you don't like. On that, Kerry excels, while she really seems at best average for people who are doing the things she is doing. The assumption that she was the better choice and the choice Obama should and would make was always rather flaky. Even the accounts that suggested it gave her top plus as the fact that she is close to Obama.