Sen. Kerry is in line to be the next SFRC chair, but he would make a great Sec. of State

[ProSense]

Kerry has the breadth of foreign policy experience and knowledge on a broad range of international issues that would make him a perfect choice for Sec. of State:

Making America More Respected in the World

Helped Spread Democracy and Human Rights Throughout the World. John Kerry was a leading advocate for democratic elections in the Philippines, serving as an elections monitor as part of a Senate delegation that uncovered the fraud that led to the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos. He was a strong proponent of U.S. participation in the NATO intervention that put an end to the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. He worked with the United Nations and Cambodian government officials to facilitate the creation of the genocide tribunal in Cambodia that will prosecute key members of the Khmer Rouge. He sponsored the Code of Conduct of Arms Transfers Act, which prohibited U.S. military assistance and arms transfers to nations that do not adequately protect the human rights of their citizens. And he co-sponsored bipartisan legislation which imposed sanctions on Burma's military regime for detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and repressing her National League for Democracy party.

Fought Global HIV/AIDS. John Kerry authored major elements of the Global AIDS and Tuberculosis Relief Act of 2000, legislation which at the time provided the most money ever for fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world. He sponsored the bipartisan U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2002, comprehensive legislation that was unanimously approved by the Senate and became the foundation of the global AIDS legislation that was passed by congress and signed by President Bush.

Fought International Crime, Corruption and Drug Trafficking. John Kerry chaired the landmark hearings that uncovered the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) scandal - the largest banking corruption scandal in modern times. He led hearings which provided evidence that Haitian military officials were involved in drug trafficking to the United States. He also led hearings on corruption and drug trafficking by Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, and introduced legislation requiring the Reagan administration to cut off foreign aid to Panama because of drug-related corruption within its government.

Uncovered Government Corruption. John Kerry went on a fact-finding mission to Nicaragua and presented his findings to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Based in part on John Kerry's groundbreaking findings, the committee reached a consensus decision to investigate the Contra guerillas and their connection to drug trafficking in the United States. The resulting investigation uncovered the Iran-Contra scandal, a scheme that diverted profits from illegal arms sales to Iran to support the Contra guerilla fighters in Nicaragua.

John Kerry on Energy and Global Warming

John Kerry advocates a responsible, forward-looking energy policy that would reduce our dependence on oil; increase the energy efficiency of our buildings, homes, and appliances; increase the amount of clean, renewable energy used to create electricity; and make our cars and trucks go further on a gallon of gas. He has championed and introduced legislation on a number of measures to improve fuel economy and to require the use of more clean renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Kerry has been a champion in leading the fight to defeat the Bush Administration's polluting energy bill, which was hatched in secret by the Cheney Energy Task Force in 2001. In addition, Kerry has been a leading voice for the need to take immediate significant steps to combat global warming. He was a participant in the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio and a delegate to the 1997 Kyoto and 2000 Hague climate talks.

• Kerry Offers Post-Kyoto Global Climate Change Approach
  
  
• Senator Kerry, in Bali, Says U.S. Taking Lead on Climate Policy
  
  
• For U.S., Policy Discord Plays Out at Bali Climate Change Talks
  
  
• EU raises voice for higher ambition at Bali
  
  
• Bush signs bill repealing HIV immigration ban
  
  
• Sen. Kerry (D-MA), Lebanese P.M. Fuad Abdul Basset Siniora, Egyptian P.M. Ahmed Mahmoud Nazif and others discussed Iraq and the future of the Middle East. (Video)
  
  
• History Repeating Itself: Kerry-Brokered Cambodia Tribunal Set To Begin
  
  
• Washington at Work; The Senator Pursues 'Untold' M.I.A. Story
  
  
• Kerry Amendment, also known as U.S. moneylaundering laws and sanctions.
  
  
• As a senator, John Kerry was a tenacious investigator and exposed BCCI, an international criminal bank, and its murderous clients. The experience should serve him well in dealing with the international threats we face today.
  
  
• Iran-Contra

Still, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is a great position.