WASHINGTON, Aug. 9 — John Kerry is recognized in the Senate more for his expertise on foreign policy and for mounting Congressional inquiries than he is for steering legislation into law.
Mr. Kerry has emphasized investigations, dating to his inaugural months in the Senate when he used his personal staff to compile one of the first reports on the activities of Oliver L. North in providing aid to the contras, the rebel group in Nicaragua.
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It was the first of many investigations. There was an inquiry into corruption in Panama under Manuel Noriega followed by another into Haitian drug trafficking. In 1991, he led a major committee investigation into an international banking and money laundering scandal, and in 1992 he led a select committee, which ultimately determined that no American P.O.W.'s remained captive in Vietnam.
Mr. Kerry's political career grew out of his experience in Vietnam, drawing him to overarching issues rather than everyday legislation.
"One of the unique things is he fought in the war and then tried to end it and really came back to the battle of these ideals legislatively and through political leadership," said Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Mr. Kerry's office has a 10-page list of his Congressional achievements, but as is the case with most senators, they include many failed efforts or ideas that were incorporated into measures that carried the names of others.
His list shows that in 1985 he proposed one of the first bills to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and in 1988 passed a bill to protect dolphins from being caught in fishing nets.
In recent years, he has taken a high profile on other environmental issues, and last year was instrumental in opposing Bush administration efforts to begin oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He failed in a push to increase gas mileage standards, though the Democratic aide said Mr. Kerry impressed his colleagues with his depth of knowledge on that subject.
After leading the P.O.W. panel earlier in his career, Mr. Kerry, joined by a fellow veteran, Senator John McCain of Arizona, helped persuade President Bill Clinton to restore relations with Vietnam. Mr. Kerry has also sought to highlight human rights abuses overseas and was an arms control advocate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/10/politics/campaigns/10RECO.html?ex=1061092800&en=aae22f52f1892aab&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE<
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