Republicans Pan Potential Kerry, Rice Nominations

[Sgent]

Source: Buzzfeed

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans roundly criticized the potential nomination of UN Ambassador Susan Rice to become the next Secretary of State Monday, warning her handling of the Benghazi terrorist attack could make confirmation extremely difficult, if not impossible.

The Washington Post reported the Rice trial balloon as part of a possible nomination of Sen. John Kerry as Defense Secretary, a move that would make Rice an "almost certain" pick to head the State Department.

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"I cannot imagine promoting anybody associated with Benghazi at this point," the South Carolina senator said on CBS Face The Nation, stopping short of threatening a hold or filibuster on the potential pick.

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"Whether fair to her or not, Susan Rice has become the posterchild for congressional suspicions of a coverup of the attack on our consulate in Benghazi," the aide side. "If the President sent up a Rice nomination, you'd just have one more committee holding hearings, asking questions and sifting through documents with a media drum beat on Benghazi - not the start I'd imagine he wants for the second term. If a Kerry nomination comes up, Republicans will probably dredge up every email, document, memo, and diplomatic cable surrounding Kerry's role as unofficial envoy to Bashir Assad, forcing another difficult Obama foreign policy into the forefront - and who knows what embarrassing things we'll find. In the end, while both Rice and Kerry would likely win confirmation in the end, the administration just needs to weigh the costs of weeks of hearings and questions on Benghazi and Syria."


Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/republicans-pan-potential-white-house-push-for-ker

[Fearless]

1. It's not up to them.

They lost. They are irrelevant. Good day.

[amandabeech]

3. The President needs a majority in the Senate.

All it takes are 3 Dems to go AWOL. It's happened before.

I'm not thrilled with these nominations.

Kerry, love him as much as I do, might have a lot of problems getting the cooperation he would need to succeed at the Pentagon. Too many military and vets absolutely hate the guy. They believe the Swift Boaters and they're hopping mad about Kerry's involvement with the anti-war efforts and ** horrors** Jane Fonda. Then there's the issue of his Congressional testimony accusing our military personnel in Vietnam of really horrible behavior. I just don't think that it is practical.

I'd love to see Kerry as SOS if we had a guarantee that his seat would be taken by a Dem.

Again, Dems do go AWOL much more frequently than Reps.

[Fearless]

4. There is no use quitting before we've begun AGAIN

If we don't bring the agenda to them then they are going to bring it to us again. Make them go on the record. Make them show who they really are.

[bucolic_frolic]

14. You're right, they do hate the guy

Here's a Massachusetts connection:

"America in Vietnam is a book by Guenter Lewy about America's role in the Vietnam War. The book is highly influential, although it has remained controversial even decades after its publication. Lewy contends that the United States' actions in Vietnam were neither illegal nor immoral, and that tales of American atrocities were greatly exaggerated in what he understands as a "veritable industry" of war crimes allegations.

The text returned to the limelight during the 2004 US Presidential Election, when it was cited by several groups supporting the reelection of George W. Bush, in contending that Democratic presidential contender John Kerry had betrayed his country for his participation in anti-war activities upon his return from service in Vietnam."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_in_Vietnam

Guenter Lewy (born 1923, Germany) is an author and political scientist who is a professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His works span several topics, but he is most often associated with his 1978 book on the Vietnam War, America in Vietnam, and several controversial works that deal with the applicability of the term genocide to various historical events.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guenther_Lewy

[geek tragedy]

2. Obama needs to stop creating open seats for Rethug takeovers.

Nominating Kerry means Scott Brown makes it back to the US Senate.

[Fearless]

6. Scott Brown lost once he will lose again.

[Cha]

7. Not necessarily.

[Cha]

5. Fuck them and their Benghazi "scandal" Obsession. They're idiots..wind them up and

and out spews BENGHAZI

[David__77]

8. No to Kerry, and especially no to Rice.

But for entirely different reasons than the right-wing scum.

Both Kerry and Susan Rice were wrong on Iraq in 2003, and I think should therefore be disqualified from this role, given that there are leaders who have been consistently right, not falling into the traps of our domestic enemies.

Rice took it further, belittling those who doubted Colin Powell's own lying presentation to the United Nations.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

9. Kerry voted against the Iraq war

[awoke_in_2003]

10. Keep Kerry in the senate...

We cannot afford anymore Scott Brown. Don't say it is guaranteed that a dem will win the special election- Brown got elected to fill Kennedy's vacancy.

[graham4anything]

11. Kerry should stay in the senate-UNLESS JOE KENNEDY would be assured of winning the seat

but this picking a sitting senator for another post is silly.

WE NEED all senators and house and governors to remain in that position.

WE NEED both Mass. senators to serve another 2 or 3 terms

Why rid the senate of two of our best liberals in the senate?

I am strongly against it.

YES, of course John Kerry has earned any post he desires.

BUT WHY is it nowadays people think being a senator isn't enough?

SHEESH, it was good enough for Ted Kennedy to remain there after he gave up being President, come on folks, be honored in the position.

(and Senator Kerry can easily win reelection time and again. This secretary job would be what, 4 years only. Do the math

[silverweb]

12. Call me silly, but...

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]I just kinda think maybe the President sorta knows what he's doing here in terms of nominees as well as strategy.

Of course the rethugs are objecting and lining up obstacles. That's what they do.

Not terribly worried.

[loyalkydem]

13. Don't hate me but

this is totally crazy but what about Colin Powell for SOS. Can you imagine the Republican freak out if the President did that.