[Ngo-lwg] John Kerry and Chuck Hagel
Chuck Searcy
chucksearcy at yahoo.com
Sat Dec 22 12:30:36 ICT 2012
The nomination of John Kerry is good news for U.S. veterans, for Vietnam,
and for our efforts here to reduce and ultimately eliminate the
continuing problems of bombs and mines, and Agent Orange, the last two
remaining legacies of the war.
If Chuck Hagel becomes Secretary of Defense that will also a plus for Vietnam and for our efforts.
CHUCK
==================================
CHUCK SEARCY
Project RENEW
Vietnam Enterprise Group
Humpty Dumpty Institute
Veterans for Peace
25 Truong Han Sieu, #302, Hanoi, Vietnam
Mobile: +84 (0) 903 420 769
Email: chucksearcy at yahoo.com
Web: landmines.org.vn
Web: vietnamenterprisegroup.com
Web: thehdi.org
Web: veteransforpeace.org
Skype: chucksearcy
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http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hG9bX7MlcLouTZdGjZ7IJLcYSKCg?docId=CNG.1c9383c4d32989d1cf9d60748477a5f2.651
Obama picks John Kerry as secretary of state
By Stephen Collinson (AFP Agence France-Presse)
Posted on 12/22/2012 8:20 AM | Updated 12/22/2012 8:46 AM
NOMINATED. US Senator John Kerry (R) watches as US President Barack Obama
announces Kerry as his choice for the next secretary of state on
December 21, 2012 in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in
Washington, DC. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN
WASHINGTON, United States - US President Barack Obama Friday
nominated Senator John Kerry as his new secretary of state, as he began
to reshape his national security team for a second term clouded by
overseas crises.
Kerry, 69, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, defeated former
presidential candidate and foreign policy sage, will succeed Hillary
Clinton, who is stepping down after four years as the top US diplomat.
"John's earned the respect and confidence of leaders around the
world," Obama said at the White House as he announced Kerry's
nomination, his first second-term cabinet pick.
"I think it's fair to say that few individuals know as many
presidents and prime ministers or grasp our foreign policies as firmly
as John Kerry."
"He is not going to need a lot of on-the-job training."
Kerry stepped up following the withdrawal of UN ambassador Susan
Rice, the early favorite for the post, who was caught in the political
aftermath of the attack of the US mission in Benghazi, Libya in
September.
Obama said that Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, had played a central role in every US foreign policy debate
for 30 years and that his "entire life" had prepared him for his new
role.
'Well-prepared for the job'
Kerry saw life overseas as the son of a Cold War foreign service
officer, served as a navy officer in Vietnam, and spent years wrestling
with foreign policy issues in the Senate.
Obama said that Clinton had hoped to be at the announcement, but was still recovering from a serious virus and a concussion.
The outgoing secretary of state said that Kerry had been tested "in
government, and in diplomacy. Time and again, he has proven his mettle."
Noting their shared heritage on the campaign trail, she said it was
an "enormous asset" to be able to talk candidly to leaders of fragile
and emerging democracies "as someone who has won elections and also lost them.
The White House had hoped to make a clean sweep by announcing all
nominations to the national security team, including new chiefs of the
CIA and Pentagon at once.
But a crush of political events, including the "fiscal cliff"
economic crisis, has pushed them back. A battle is already raging as
opponents seek to tar former senator Chuck Hagel, a possible pick for
defense secretary.
Kerry, who is well known abroad after acting as an unofficial envoy
for Obama, is expected to win easy confirmation from his Senate
colleagues.
He has recently traveled to the Middle East and South Asia, and met
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad several times as Washington mulled a
diplomatic opening.
He also sought a renewal of Arab-Israeli peace talks before the outbreak of the Syrian revolt.
In May 2011, Kerry went to Pakistan to try to ease tensions after the killing of Osama bin Laden, and in February 2009 he made a rare visit
to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, without meeting anyone from the Islamist
group.
Challenges
As soon as he is confirmed in his new job, Kerry will face a huge
array of foreign policy challenges, including a critical moment in the
Iranian nuclear showdown and what could be the last throes of the Assad
regime in Syria.
Kerry's Senate colleagues welcomed his appointment, including fellow
Vietnam war veteran John McCain, who said: "We have known John Kerry for many years. We have confidence in John Kerry's ability to carry out the job."
Kerry played an important role in Obama's political career, notably
by picking him to give the keynote speech in the 2004 Democratic
convention, at which the then unknown Illinois lawmaker burst onto the
political scene.
He also played Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in mock
debates staged by the president's team ahead of Obama's successful
re-election effort in November.
Kerry narrowly lost the 2004 presidential race to president George W. Bush, after a campaign that included savage attacks on his war service.
He was lambasted by Republicans who accused him of "flip flops" on
the Iraq war, and the Bush campaign ran an ad showing him windsurfing,
with the kicker "John Kerry, whichever way the wind blows."
Kerry will be the first white, male secretary of state for years,
following three women -- Clinton, Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine
Albright -- and Colin Powell.
Kerry first shot to prominence in April 1971 when he testified to the Senate committee he would later lead, and famously asked: "How do you
ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"
Earlier, during his second 48-day tour in Vietnam, Kerry was awarded
three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star for valor for his
work as a lieutenant in charge of dangerous "Swift" gunboat missions in
the Mekong Delta.
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