Republicans: Put John Kerry on a plane (Kerry vacations while Egypt burns)

Boston Herald ^ | July 5, 2013 | Chris Cassidy, Gayle Fee

[abb]

U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry — who spent the Fourth of July on sun-splashed Nantucket even as the chaos from a military takeover rocked Egypt — drew fire from Republican critics who said it’s a bad time for the nation’s top diplomat to be seen cavorting on an island getaway.

“It doesn’t look good, and I think it sends the wrong message” said Republican strategist Brad Marston. “If I were advising him, I’d already have him on a plane.”

As first reported on bostonherald.com, Kerry, who owns a house and a yacht on the ritzy retreat, was seen yesterday strolling down Federal Street away from July Fourth festivities on Main Street in jeans and a light-colored polo shirt.

Later in the afternoon, Kerry was seen offloading bags from a single-person kayak to a boat in Nantucket Sound after launching from the beach behind his home at 5 Hulbert Ave.

Republicans pounced on the image of the vacationing secretary of state and sought to use it as a symbol of what they deem a big Obama administration failing — the inability to convey a clear message on foreign policy on hotspots like Syria, Turkey and Egypt.

“I would think the secretary of state would interrupt his vacation and at least send a very clear signal — even by flying back to Washington for a day or two — that on our Independence Day we are very concerned about the freedom and democracy that we hope is instilled for some period of time in the Arab World,” said Patrick Griffin, a New Hampshire-based GOP strategist.

Added Republican operative Ford O’Connell: “Egypt’s in a very fragile place, and the U.S. needs to be out front doing what it can to return Egypt to civilian rule. Having the nation’s top diplomat vacationing on Nantucket doesn’t send the right message to the international community.”

Kerry’s staff yesterday insisted he’s fully engaged and has been logging long hours and high miles, including a recent 12-day, 25,000-mile trip to the Middle East and Asia.

Yesterday he dialed into a meeting with President Obama and members of his national security team in the Situation Room, according to the State Department. Kerry also called foreign dignitaries from Egypt, Israel, Norway, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

“Secretary Kerry has been working tirelessly around the clock since he returned from his 10-day trip and there has not been a moment where he has not been focused on doing everything possible to communicate with his team in Washington and in Egypt, within the administration and with his counterparts around the world,” Kerry spokeswoman Jen Psaki told the Herald last night.

Former state Democratic Party chairman Phil Johnston said these days the secretary of state can effectively work out of anywhere in the world.

“The man’s been working 24/7 for weeks to create peace in the Middle East — I think he’s entitled to a day on Nantucket,” said Johnston. “If there’s anything we know about John Kerry, it’s that he’s a very hard worker. The American people don’t need to worry about that.”

[abb]

What difference does it make?

[Timber Rattler]

Kerry’s staff yesterday insisted he’s fully engaged and has been logging long hours and high miles, including a recent 12-day, 25,000-mile trip to the Middle East and Asia.

So he spends two weeks flying around the globe and grandstanding for with discernible purpose, but when a real crisis breaks out, he dials it in and then sneaks off for his vacation on his yacht?

Nice.

[0.E.O]

“It doesn’t look good, and I think it sends the wrong message” said Republican strategist Brad Marston. “If I were advising him, I’d already have him on a plane.”

To do what?

[nuconvert]

Please, keep him as far away as possible.

[Timber Rattler]

for

"with no"

[Postman]

Precisely. The Rats have turned the job into a showcase for their understudy turds such as Shrillery.

[abb]

John Kerry vacations during Egyptian coup | Boston Herald

[2ndDivisionVet]

Haven’t the Egyptians suffered enough?

[Venturer]

I would rather have Kerry anywhere but giving our country away in a crisis. He may not be where he should be ,but he is where he belongs.

By the way why pick on Kerry when we have a President who took a 1000 million dollar vacation to Africa while he furloughed nurses at Walter Reed.

[Jim Noble]

This is what one of the things that bothers me about the GOP.

They do not articulate (probably because they have no idea) why we should care about the latest Arab mob doing what Arab mobs do. They presume most Americans care about Egypt, when they clearly do not. They attack John Eff'in Kerry for going on vacation (his life is a vacation) with no concept of what he should do instead.

When the reboot comes and both current parties are destroyed, it will be in no small part because of pointless political sniping like this.

[BitWielder1]

"Dang, I have to work too? On a holiday? I got this post so I could tell OTHERS what to do."

What he should do is to make sure American personnel are out of harms way or adequately protected.
Any other action, like grandstanding or opening his mouth in public on any subject, is likely to make matters worse.

[don-o]

The American people don’t need to worry about that.”

There we have it - the BIG LIE that the left has successfully messaged beginning with the New Deal.

We got this - nothing to see here - move along.

[Jim Noble]

that on our Independence Day we are very concerned about the freedom and democracy that we hope is instilled for some period of time in the Arab World,” said Patrick Griffin, a New Hampshire-based GOP strategist.

What an idiot.

First of all, "freedom" is the worst possible thing to be granted an uncivilized, cult-following, sullen and hostile population. The less free the Arabs are, the better off the world is.

Second of all, "democracy" is a terrible evil, as our Founders well understood. Look at how far the US has fallen since universal suffrage was achieved between 1919 and 1965.

We should be minding our own business. If Arabia is in revolt with mobs killing each other, well?

[Diogenesis]

...we have a President who took a 1000 million dollar vacation to Africa while he furloughed nurses at Walter Reed.

And a US Congress that WHORES and STEALS
(no SEC laws for them)
as it ignores criminality and keeps the borders open,
while it installs Sharia [eg. Moslems exempt from ObamaCARE]
and while it ARMS al Qaeda (ignoring 911)
first with MANPADs, and now with WMD.

[freeangel]

“So he spends two weeks flying around the globe and grandstanding for with discernible purpose, but when a real crisis breaks out, he dials it in and then sneaks off for his vacation on his yacht?”

The rest of this sterling, committed administration does the same. Hell, they’re not even going to answer the 3AM phone call. So , what difference does it make, who doesn’t answer when they’re just following the bosses leads?

[Biggirl]

.....Sadly until we attack again on our soil.

[stevem]

Kerry knows it’s just a seasonal thing. We are now in Arab Summer.

[Future Snake Eater]

After the crap we had to listen to about Bush being at his Crawford ranch, we’re supposed to just roll over and accept this crap?

I don’t think so.

[Biggirl]

“Second of all, “democracy” is a terrible evil, as our Founders well understood. Look at how far the US has fallen since universal suffrage was achieved between 1919 and 1965.”

But give that period CREDIT because you got more conservative voters out of that.