[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
==================================

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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