Kerry to appear on Bloomberg news this weekend: "“Political Capital With Al Hunt”

[beachmom]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a7LAM1lRJsDs&refer=us

Interesting interview.

A few excerpts:

Senator John Kerry said it may cost the U.S. government more than $2 trillion to fully recapitalize the nation’s crippled banking system.

The federal government should avoid taking full control of banks even as it temporarily assumes a “dominant position” in them through cash infusions, Kerry said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Political Capital With Al Hunt” that will air this weekend.

Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, also said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner needs to move more quickly and aggressively in dealing with the country’s growing financial problems.

“The secretary has to lead and he has to lead now, as soon as possible,” said Kerry, 65, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee.

...

Kerry said Obama’s letter last month to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggesting the U.S. might rethink its plans for a missile-defense system if Iran dropped its quest for nuclear weapons may not have been the best way to approach Russia.

“I’m not sure it’s exactly the way that I would have engaged in it,” he said.

Kerry said there are areas of potential common ground with the Russians, especially on developing a new nuclear arms reduction agreement and winning support on Afghanistan.

“I think there’s a lot of cooperation to be had with Russia and we need to get engaged rapidly to try to find every path we can,” he said.

He is definitely an independent voice in the Congress, isn't he?

[beachmom]

1. And an op-ed by Sen. Kerry on Bloomberg News:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_kerry&sid=a.Ia1h9SiQmw

‘Animal House’ Party Days Are Over for U.S. Banks: John Kerry


Commentary by John Kerry



March 6 (Bloomberg) -- Last week, when American taxpayers learned that a bank receiving Troubled Asset Relief Program funds had thrown a lavish bash and spared no expense to celebrate with the bands Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire, I introduced legislation based on a simple concept: if a company accepts bailout funds from the taxpayer, it can’t waste money on lavish parties, expensive dinners and Tiffany trinkets.

The reaction in some quarters suggests that I had attempted -- like a modern-day Dean Wormer in “Animal House” -- to ban fun of any kind, or that the wheels of commerce and marketing would grind to a halt.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Normal marketing and travel wouldn’t be affected one iota.

I believe we have to insist that tax dollars be spent wisely because, otherwise, Americans will refuse to rescue any business struggling in the most difficult economic times since the Great Depression. And believe me, Americans struggling to hold onto their homes and their jobs are already tired of picking up the newspaper and reading about idiotic abuses of taxpayer money.

Heh. In case anyone forgot, John Kerry's all time favorite movie is ... you guessed it ... Animal House.

[ProSense]

2. Thanks, good article.

I'd love to see this interview.

[Inuca]

3. If you do not get Bloomberg

(I don't), the Hunt interviews are available on their site a couple of days or so later.

[MarjorieG]

4. I trust that man!

Opinions same as we've been reading about the potential in diplomacy for Syria, Iran, Middle East, Russia (probably not acting as admin. on letter, but we really don't know content), and Afghanistan, which could become another Vietnam without good decisions. Appropriate current use of envoys. Need for the recent 17k force.

Same econ arguments, urging Geithner to be bolder, dominant but not takeover of banks, but also that admin. needs leeway to determine health of the banks before bolder, hopefully in near future.

I like having an independent Kerry, also doing his global energy and environment stuff, more than having to do what Biden is doing so wonderfully and graciously with the labor and middle class initiatives, oversight functions. Seem to remember reading a Biden observation that Kerry would prefer that independence, when endless stories surmising about SoS surfaced.