John Kerry // Current TV

25-year old female diplomat from Chicago area killed along with six others in Afghanistan

The attack that killed the 25-year old female diplomat and six other Americans,... more

BillCorcoran
added this
1 month ago
|
9 comments

State Department Keystone XL Report Written By TransCanada Hiree

Shocking news. The government has been lying to us. (Is anyone really shocked or... more

MSII
added this
2 months ago
|
28 comments

'We Share Nothing So Completely As Our Planet'

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry Speaks Forcefully on Climate Change. Transcript:... more

coolplanet
added this
3 months ago
|
5 comments

Kerry Pledges To Confront Climate Change: ‘I Will Be A Passionate Advocate’ Of Action

At his confirmation hearing for Secretary of State, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) took a... more

coolplanet
added this
4 months ago
|
32 comments

Kerry to make global warming priority as secretary of state

On Friday afternoon, President Obama nominated Senate Foreign Relations chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State to serve during the president’s second term.

Although his confirmation is expected to go relatively hitch-free, conservatives nonetheless are wary due to Kerry’s impassioned support of arms control, especially given the president’s expected ratification of an arms reduction treaty with Russia. As the president himself predicted on an open microphone, now that he’s been re-elected, he’ll have more “flexibility” dealing with the Russian bear.

But Kerry has another pet issue that should give conservatives pause — climate change.

Following the nomination, the League of Conservation Voters released a statement praising the decision.

“Senator Kerry is a true leader on climate change and other environmental issues and has spent his career advocating for policies that are good for our planet and our national security,” said Gene Karpinsk, the League’s president.

“LCV looks forward to working with Secretary-designate Kerry to combat the climate crisis, reject dirty fuels and build on Secretary Clinton’s extraordinary record of success.”

Nor was the news of Kerry’s nomination lost on the international community. The following statement of congratulations was noted on Twitter:

“Confident @JohnKerry as state sec is good news for #climate. Cross fingers his dedication will make climate a strategic priority. Congrats.” This came from Connie Hedegaard, the European Union’s commissioner for climate action.

Kerry’s senatorial colleague, Democrat Jeff Merkley of Oregon, also sent praises for the nomination via Twitter — and he also emphasized climate change in his message.

“[One] of the most pressing challenges is to reverse potentially devastating climate change. Kerry understands need to tackle this threat head on,” the tweet read.

However, inroads on this issue will mean an uphill battle for Kerry. As noted by Ben Geman, writing for The Hill, “Global negotiations to craft a global climate deal are treading water at best, while bills to impose new restrictions on U.S. greenhouse gas emissions remain moribund in Congress, which doesn’t help the nation’s international leverage.”On Friday afternoon, President Obama nominated Senate Foreign Relations chairman John... more

Vierotchka
added this
5 months ago
|
7 comments

Obama To Name Climate Hawk John Kerry Secretary Of State

In the first serious indication Obama will focus on climate change in his second term,... more

coolplanet
added this
5 months ago
|
61 comments

The Anythings They Say – Neoconservative Bill Kristol

Why isn't he unemployed?... more

mfb1949
added this
6 months ago
|
0 comments

You May be a Romneylan

Unfortunately, political campaigns are becoming easier and easier to predict even if... more

omnipotentpoobah
added this
10 months ago
|
0 comments

Pictures of politicians doing dumb things

By Morgan Miller / current.com On the campaign trail, politicians will do almost... more

rluz
added this
11 months ago
|
0 comments

Can we get that soccer ball back?

Perhaps the windsurfing John Kerry wasn't so bad after all.

morganmiller
added this
11 months ago
|
0 comments

Futbol or football?

If you think John Kerry looks awkward here...

morganmiller
added this
11 months ago
|
0 comments

Senator John Kerry Speaks the Scary, Ugly Truth on Climate Change

There are precious few voices in the U.S. capital these days that are speaking the truth about climate change. Which is what makes Senator John Kerry's speech on the Senate floor today so powerful, and so necessary.

In his speech, which clocked in at nearly 55 minutes, Senator Kerry attacked a "calculated campaign of disinformation" that, he says, "has steadily beaten back the consensus momentum for action on climate change and replaced it with timidity by proponents in the face of millions of dollars of phony, contrived ‘talking points,’ illogical and wholly unscientific propositions and a general scorn for the truth wrapped in false threats about job loss and tax increase.”

The senator from Massachusetts' words were clearly timed to inject some energy into the Rio+20 meetings of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which begin in earnest tomorrow and which are struggling to stay relevant during a time when Europe is barely functioning and the U.S. is moving into election season.

President Obama's decision not to attend the meetings has many diplomats and activists gathering in Brazil questioning the American committment to climate change and the great global environmental challenges.

Senator Kerry didn't mince words in his talk, calling out the "disgraceful" campaign of climate denial as the "conspiracy" that it is, and also placing some blame on the media for its reluctance or inability to bring reason and truth to the climate conversation.

"The media hardly murmurs when a candidate for President of the United States in 2012 can walk away from previously held positions and blithely announce that the evidence is not yet there about the impact of greenhouse gases on climate.”

Over the past decade, Senator Kerry has established himself as one of the very few members of Congress who both understand the severity and urgency of the climate threat and use their position of power to try to do something about it. Kerry's push for a comprehensive climate and energy bill fell apart in 2010, and since then the issue has been essentially dead in D.C.

Senator Kerry also attacked the senseless partisanship that has plagued the climate debates, channeling George H.W. Bush:

“Twenty years ago this month, a Republican President of the United States helped bring together all the world’s largest economies in Rio to confront the issue of global climate change. The President was unequivocal about the mission. George Herbert Walker Bush said simply, ‘The United States fully intends to be the world’s preeminent leader in protecting the global environment,’” said Sen. Kerry.

“How dramatic and sad it is that twenty years later, shockingly, we find ourselves in a strange and dangerous place on this issue—a place this former President wouldn’t even recognize. When it comes to the challenge of climate change, the falsehood of today’s naysayers is only matched by the complacency of our political system…We should be compelled to fight today’s insidious conspiracy of silence on climate change—a silence that empowers misinformation and mythology to grow where science and truth should prevail. It is a conspiracy that has not just stalled, but demonized any constructive effort to put America in a position to lead the world on this issue, as President Bush promised we would and as Americans have a right to expect we will.”

By Ben JerveyThere are precious few voices in the U.S. capital these days that are speaking the... more