🚀 go-pugleaf

The Senate approved one of its own to become President Obama�s 
second secretary of State in a near-unanimous vote on Tuesday.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) sailed through the chamber on a 94-3 
vote, with Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) joining Texas Sens. Ted 
Cruz (R) and John Cornyn (R) in casting the only �no� votes. 
Kerry�s approval to replace Hillary Clinton was a foregone 
conclusion after Republicans urged Obama to nominate him in lieu 
of his ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice.

�I don�t know too many people who have oriented their whole life 
to be better suited for secretary of State,� Sen. Bob Corker 
(Tenn.), the top Republican on Kerry�s Foreign Relations 
Committee, said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who will be replacing Kerry atop 
the committee, echoed those sentiments.

�I can think of no one better to take on the challenges of this 
position,� he said. �John has already built strong relationships 
across the world. � He will need no introduction to the world�s 
political leaders.�

The Senate vote capped a whirlwind day for Kerry, whose 
nomination was approved by his committee in a unanimous voice 
vote a few hours earlier. Kerry�s colleagues on the Foreign 
Relations Committee, which he�s chaired since Joe Biden became 
vice president four years ago, gave him a standing ovation and a 
committee resolution honoring his service as chairman.

The resolution �commends the long and distinguished service of 
John F. Kerry, whose exceptional skill as a lawmaker is matched 
only by his commitment to an America that is, in President John 
F. Kennedy�s phrase, not �first but, first when, first if, but 
first period�; and extends its best wishes for his continuing 
service to the Nation.�

The rare show of bipartisan support will not extend to the rest 
of Obama�s second-term national-security picks, however. Six 
Republicans � including the three who voted against Kerry � have 
vowed to oppose former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) for secretary 
of Defense. Members of both parties have raised questions 
regarding the choice of John Brennan to take over the CIA 
because of concerns over his record on drone strikes as Obama�s 
top counterterrorism adviser.

Tuesday�s vote opens up the Kerry seat for Massachusetts Gov. 
Deval Patrick, a Democrat, to appoint an interim senator on 
Wednesday.

Patrick�s former chief of staff, William �Mo� Cowan, and 
Victoria Kennedy, widow of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), are 
considered front-runners for the pick.

Patrick has set the special-election primary date for April 30, 
and the general election for June 25.

Rep. Edward Markey (D) is running for the seat and Rep. Stephen 
Lynch (D) is widely rumored to be considering a bid, setting 
Democrats up for an unwanted primary race. And while no 
Republican has yet announced his or her intention to run for the 
seat, former Sen. Scott Brown is also expected to try to return 
to the Senate after losing to Elizabeth Warren (D) in November.

Kerry, who turns 70 this year, was first elected to the Senate 
in 1985 after coming to national attention for protesting the 
Vietnam War as a decorated veteran and serving as a district 
attorney and lieutenant governor in Massachusetts. He was the 
Democratic nominee for president in 2004, ultimately losing to 
George W. Bush.

Kerry is the son of a U.S. diplomat and has long been eyeing the 
secretary of State job. He was not Obama�s first choice for the 
post but was nominated after Rice withdrew from consideration 
amid withering Republican criticism for having initially linked 
the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, 
Libya, to a protest gone awry. Her comments were based on 
talking points provided by the intelligence community.

Kerry will deliver his farewell address to the Senate on 
Wednesday. He�s expected to be sworn in at the State Department 
on Friday, Hillary Clinton�s last day on the job, and begin his 
tenure Monday.

http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/congressional-
delegations/279917-senate-approves-sen-john-kerry-for-secretary-
of-state

--
Are you obligated as an armed civilian, to defend unarmed 
liberals while you are both under fire by foreign agents of the 
outlaw Obama administration?

No.  Shoot the liberals immediately so they can't stab you in 
the back while you are defending yourself, then return a 
controlled rate of aimed fire.  ��

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