We Have The Right To Be Stupid

John Kerry In Germany: 'In America, You Have The Right To Be Stupid' -- Examiner

On Tuesday, at a Youth Connection Berlin conference, John Kerry talked about how freedom of speech allows people in the US to say whatever they want about the government and each other. How they can walk in parades carrying signs scribbled with insults against anything and anyone they don’t agree with, including the president and it's all protected under the Constitution.

Kerry, who spent time in Berlin as a child when his American-diplomat father was posted there, was quoted in this Politico report:

The reason is, that's freedom, freedom of speech. In America you have a right to be stupid — if you want to be. And you have a right to be disconnected to somebody else if you want to be.

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My Comment: I cannot even make this stuff up. We all know what he is trying to say .... but this is not what you want to be remembered for saying on your first trip as U.S. Secretary of State.

At least some are trying to put a positive spin on this.

The video is here.

Will U.S. Secretary Of State John Kerry Restrain U.S. Power

John Kerry And The Restraint Of American Power In US Foreign Policy -- Stephen Kinzer, The Guardian

The key issue facing Hillary Clinton's replacement at State is whether he can temper interventionist instincts with new realism

A couple of months ago, Senator John Kerry showed up more than an hour late for a reception at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. An aide whispered that Kerry's flight home from Dubai had been delayed.

No one knew that Kerry had traveled to Dubai, and no announcement was made afterward. All that is known, even unofficially, is that he was on a private diplomatic mission for President Obama. He has made many of these.

In some parts of the world, especially in the volatile region that stretches from the Persian Gulf to Central Asia, Kerry is already a familiar figure in the corridors of power. He has also established an evidently strong working relationship with Obama. Even the fact that his friends in the Senate brutally crushed his main rival for the job, Susan Rice, who is one of Obama's close and trusted advisers, was not enough to sour the president on his nomination.

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My Comment: What will restrain U.S. power is not Secretary of State John Kerry .... it is America's debt crisis and not having the money to influence world events.

Sen. John Kerry Confirmed As U.S. Secretary Of State

Senate Confirms Sen. John Kerry As Secretary Of State -- ABC News

By an overwhelming vote of 94-3, the Senate has confirmed Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to be the next Secretary of State.

The vote was met with a long round of applause from those in the Senate chamber for the 28-year Senate veteran. He appeared on the floor, greeted by hugs and congratulations from his fellow senators.

Voting against Kerry’s nomination were Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., and Texas Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.

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More News On The Confirmation Of Senator John Kerry As U.S. Secretary Of State

Senate votes to confirm Kerry as secretary of state -- NBC
Kerry gets overwhelming Senate backing to lead State Department -- Washington Post
Kerry Sails Through the Senate as Secretary of State -- New York Times
Kerry is easily confirmed as secretary of State -- L.A. Times
Senate overwhelmingly confirms John Kerry as secretary of state -- The Guardian
Kerry confirmed by Senate colleagues as secretary of state -- CNN
Kerry Wins Senate Confirmation for Secretary of State -- Bloomberg Businessweek
What does the world expect from newly confirmed Secretary of State John Kerry? -- Christian Science Monitor

If It Was Wrong To Bomb Cambodia Without Congress’s Approval, Why Is Bombing Libya Without Approval Okay?

Rand Paul To John Kerry: If It Was Wrong To Bomb Cambodia Without Congress’s Approval, Why Is Bombing Libya Without Approval Okay? -- Allahpundit/Hot Air

Excellent, and not just the Libya stuff. Stick with it for Paul’s questions about how smart it is to be arming the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt when Morsi is already wheezing about Jews controlling the media in official diplomatic sessions with the U.S. If you’re wondering why it fell to Paul to ask this question instead of any of the more senior senators who preceded him, it’s because the Senate was perfectly happy to have Obama act unilaterally on Libya. The Iraq war authorization came back to haunt many of them; no one knew at the time how messy Libya might get. O did them a favor, left and right, by freeing them from a tough vote.

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My Comment: Constitution be damned .... Senator Rand Paul is right in pointing out the inconsistencies .... but he is just one senator. But the real whopper during this give and take between John Kerry and Rand Paul was this one.

Will Sen. John Kerry's Appointment As Secretary Of State Be Blocked?

President Obama and Senator John Kerry. Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Is Hillary's Benghazi Testimony Still Going to Hold Up Kerry's Confirmation? -- The Atlantic

As if the "Where's Hillary?" meme hadn't picked up enough conspiratorial steam, it appears that some continue to believe Sen. John Kerry somehow might not get confirmed as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's successor until Republican Senators successfully drag her to testify about the Benghazi attacks. The murmurs continued in a report from Foreign Policy's Josh Rogin, who in the midst of an otherwise dull roundup on Kerry's transition team continued to float this curious gossip:

The Senate is expected to take up Kerry's nomination in early January, but multiple Republican senators have already said they won't agree to a vote on Kerry's nomination until Clinton testifies about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi. Illness and a concussion has prevented Clinton from appearing thus far.

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Update: Report: GOP senators won’t confirm Kerry until Clinton testifies on Benghazi -- Washington Examiner

My Comment: Short answer .... no .... the Republicans do not have the votes. But .... they can put the spotlight on the Benghazi tragedy and ask the questions (again) that have remained unanswered. On a side note .... where is US Secretary of State Clinton?

President Obama Will Nominate Sen. John Kerry For U.S. Secretary Of State

Obama Picks Kerry For Secretary Of State, Official Says -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Obama plans to nominate Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts as secretary of state, a senior administration official said, succeeding Hillary Rodham Clinton and putting in place the first member of his second-term national security team.

The appointment of Mr. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat and his party’s former presidential nominee in 2004, has been widely expected since last week, when Susan E. Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations, asked Mr. Obama to withdraw her candidacy for the post.

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More News On Sen. John Kerry To Be Nominated For U.S. Secretary Of State

John Kerry to Be Nominated to Succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State -- ABC News
Obama to tap Kerry for State post -- NBC
John Kerry will be nominated for secretary of state, official says -- CNN
Obama nominating John Kerry to be Secretary of State -- CBS
President Obama to nominate John Kerry for secretary of state -- Politico
Obama to nominate John Kerry for secretary of state today -- Washington Post
Obama set to nominate Kerry for secretary of state -- Washington Times
Obama to tap Kerry for Secretary of State -- USA Today
President Obama nominating John Kerry to be next secretary of state -- Boston.com
Obama chooses John Kerry for secretary of State. How might he do? -- Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor

My Comment: No surprise with this nomination.

Sen. John Kerry To Be The Next US Secretary Of State

Photo: Sen. John Kerry. Wikipedia

Source: Obama Has Chosen John Kerry As Secretary Of State -- Chicago Sun Times

President Barack Obama has chosen Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts to be the next secretary of state, a source has told Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed.

His replacement as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will be Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the Sneed source said.

This comes on the heels of Thursday’s announcement that U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice had removed herself from the list of candidates to take over from Hillary Clinton. Rice said that what was sure to be a contentious and lengthy approval process took attention away from more pressing problems facing the nation.

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My Comment: More On Sen. John Kerry later (and I am not surprised by this choice) .... but Sen. Robert Menendez is a horrible choice to head the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (or any other committee) .... but this is how the US Senate operates.

Opposition To John Kerry As Secretary Of Defense Is Starting

My Comment: Ralph Peters can be rough at times. As to what is my take .... I will always remember the insult that John Kerry threw at US soldiers who were fighting in Iraq at the time (2006) .... but then again .... it may be this history and background that President Obama wants in the Pentagon.