Nice introspective interview with JK
(Ignore the title of the article, though he does answer a question on that - but it really is about the least interesting thing asked.)
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I think in many ways, it’s part of why I sort of struggled early when it came to running for office in those early years, because I’d never been a precinct captain, I hadn’t worked my way up inside a political party, I never had a mentor in politics, I just sort of crashed my way in from the outside, because I was an activist first, and when you’re an activist you only care about being right on the issues, while in politics you realize how much relationships matter too so you can actually get something done on an issue. I’d like to think that all these years later, I’m still an activist, I’ve just figured out the politics part a little better with some lessons learned the hard way.
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First, the Navy and the military taught me a ton. It’s invaluable. I’d recommend it to anyone. It taught me leadership and teamwork and maturity, and it really opened up my eyes. I was in many ways a young kid not far from college, and I was given command responsibility, and I learned what it’s like to be responsible for other peoples’ lives. That’s a big change. I also learned something really valuable, which is that you don’t lead in anything just by a title. My crew had been together a long time and here I was this young Lieutenant JG assigned to them and their boat, and I had to earn their trust, they didn’t have to earn mine. That’s a powerful lesson, and those relationships have lasted now forty plus years later.
Then there are specific lessons from Vietnam, and those are obviously more complicated, but they’ve been invaluable. I think of them every time I’m traveling somewhere for the Foreign Relations Committee, which is that you can’t just take official Washington at its word, you have to get out there yourself and ask some tough questions, and also try to ask questions and learn from people who are on the front lines, not just the folks at a desk. In foreign policy particularly, Vietnam taught me that you need to test your theory in practice and when you’re talking about putting young Americans in harm’s way, you have to ask ahead of time whether what they’re doing will be sustained by the people who actually call that place home. What’s real, what’s achievable, what’s in our interests – and what’s worth dying for? I do not believe you can take the lessons of Vietnam and apply to broad a brush to other conflicts, but I do believe Vietnam gave me a set of questions that are universal.
<snip>
Second, while technology changes everything every day, don’t underestimate the fact that the most old fashioned virtues still apply more than you ever learn in school. Character still counts. In business, in politics, in life – you can’t work with someone if you don’t have a reasonable expectation that when you shake their hand, you’ve got a deal, or that when you walk out of that room, their word is still good. Being honest and being a person of your word – I’ve seen more peoples’ success or failure determined by those two qualities than by innate smarts or anything you can learn in a book.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2012/07/09/senator-john-kerry-on-growing-the-massachusetts-economy/
Nice interview and a perfect antidote to all the articles that use surface similarities to link Kerry and Romney, when at his heart (soul ?) Kerry is closer to the anti-Romney.
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I loved his initial advice to students.
On a serious note, here are some interesting statements from the SFRC:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The following is a statement by Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, on the first anniversary of South Sudan’s independence.
“Last July 9th, against enormous odds, a new state was born, and a remarkable victory achieved for the people of South Sudan and their newly established government. Two nations emerged: a newly independent South Sudan and a greatly altered Sudan, and both have struggled since. In the face of significant provocation, South Sudan chose to cut off the flow of oil through the northern pipeline and sever its own economic lifeline, possibly for years to come. Sudan, in turn, has waged war on the people of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile and has denied them humanitarian aid. In recent weeks, Sudan has crushed peaceful demonstrations, and arrested and reportedly brutalized protesters. Both countries face accelerating economic crises and need to resolve outstanding border disputes. It has sometimes appeared that each side is betting on the other’s economic demise and political collapse, which has caused talks to stagnate – a strategy that can only lead to mutual disaster.
“We’ve seen both Sudans struggle with the legacies of separation and their own internal challenges. Some of the optimism I felt witnessing South Sudan’s referendum on independence has faded, but it has not been eclipsed. Ironically, for all their bloody history, these two countries share a lot more than a disputed border. Each faces the challenges of diversity as well as economic peril, but they can also embrace the opportunities of development and democracy. In the past year, tensions have increased, fighting in Blue Nile, Southern Kordofan and at times along the border, has continued and both economies have gone into a tailspin. But I take heart from the fact that bilateral talks have been renewed and I’m confident that Sudan and South Sudan can find a way to resolve their differences if they choose to do so. It is their path to find, but the United States remains committed to supporting them along the road to peace.”
http://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/chair/release/kerry-on-first-anniversary-of-south-sudans-independence
Washington, DC – Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) made the following statement today in response to the outcome of the elections in Libya.
“Libya has made an important step forward by holding elections. They are to be congratulated. It is hard to underestimate what an amazing year it’s been for Libyans who went from four decades of autocracy to the green shoots of a democracy of their own choosing.
This is only the beginning of a long process of building a more representative and tolerant political order. A constitution must be drafted, a permanent government elected, and Libya’s many militia groups consolidated into professional security services. The United States and the international community are ready to support the process and look forward to a long-term relationship.”
http://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/chair/release/kerry-statement-on-elections-in-libya
