Reply #27: Actually, if you look at the Obama bio, Kerry went to Illinois

[beachmom]

and did an event or two with Obama. It was clear to the reporter who wrote the bio, that Kerry was looking at Obama with admiration right away. Now surely somebody (Durbin?) suggested he go to IL to see him, and then it was also true that staffers fielded several different people to possibly be in the keynote spot narrowing that field down .... BUT, I do think we should give Kerry the lion's share of the credit being the final decision maker, and doing so having met and watched Obama at work.