SFRC Sub-committee assignments: Ahm, Gee, look what Sen. Kerry got

[TayTay]

For the Senate Foreign Relations committee:
Committee on Foreign Relations: Committee ordered favorably reported S. Con. Res. 2, expressing the bipartisan resolution on Iraq.

Also, Senate committee announced the following subcommittee assignments:
Subcommittee on African Affairs: Senators Feingold (Chair), Nelson (FL), Obama, Cardin, Webb, Sununu, Coleman, Vitter, and Hagel.

Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs: Senators Boxer (Chair), Kerry , Feingold, Obama, Webb, Murkowski, Isakson, Vitter, and Hagel.

Subcommittee on European Affairs: Senators Obama (Chair), Dodd, Menendez, Cardin, Casey, DeMint, Voinovich, Corker, and Murkowski.

Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs: Senators Kerry (Chair), Dodd, Feingold, Boxer, Cardin, Coleman, Hagel, Sununu, and Voinovich.

Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics Affairs: Senators Dodd (Chair), Kerry , Nelson (FL), Menendez, Webb, Corker, Isakson, Coleman, and Sununu.

Subcommittee on International Development and Foreign Assistance, Economic Affairs and International Environmental Protection: Senators Menendez (Chair), Kerry , Boxer, Obama, Casey, Hagel, Corker, Murkowski, and DeMint.

Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Democracy and Human Rights: Senators Nelson (FL) (Chair), Feingold, Menendez, Casey, Webb, Vitter, Voinovich, DeMint, and Isakson.

[TayTay]

1. Gee, this is good news, the rotation for this one is for JK.

Right time, right place, right guy, IMHO.

Sen. Kerry is not chairing East Asian and Pacific Affairs for SFRC. He is chairing on Near East and South And Central Asian Affairs. (Ah, I think it's a promotion. Look at the list of countries)

Countries of jurisdiction:

The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA), headed by Assistant Secretary C. David Welch, deals with U.S. foreign policy and U.S. diplomatic relations with Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Regional policy issues that NEA handles include Iraq, Middle East peace, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, and political and economic reform.
http://www.state.gov/p/nea/

Assistant Secretary Richard A. Boucher heads the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs,which deals with U.S. foreign policy and U.S. relations with the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
http://www.state.gov/p/sca/

Whoa, that's new. This is a plum assignment. I thought Dodd would take this. Wow!

[whometense]

2. They will NOT

be cheering this at the White House.

[ProSense]

3. I really like

the implications of this. Great find. Thanks.

[beachmom]

4. Looks like he's in charge of the GWOT. Not bad. Not bad at all. n/t

[karynnj]

5. As it has the vast majority of the biggest problems,

maybe Dodd chose not to have it because he is running. Kerry did make a good point yesterday.

[blm]

10. Would make a good GD post - Look who's in charge of Global War on Terror for Senate.

Expose this administration, Senator Kerry.

[kerrygoddess]

14. Nice.

Thanks Tay Tay

[_dynamicdems]

18. This is really good news. It helps ease the pain a little.

Just knowing he's going to be a thorn in Bush's side makes me smile through the tears.

[Blaukraut]

6. Very good!

Let the asskickery commence, dear Senator Kerry!

[whometense]

8. :-D

Asskickery indeed!! :popcorn:

Welcome back, Prosecutor Kerry.

[Mass]

7. That's great - He wanted that and this has been in the works for a while.

The Israeli papers published it 2 weeks ago, and I could not find confirmation in the US media.

He certainly will be busy. In addition of that, he gets three vice-chairs, one on the East Asian subcommittee, one of the Western Hemisphere --,... and one on the International Development and Foreign Assistance, ....

I am not sure that this has to do with him not running, but Kerry is a big endorsement to get, and he is also a remarkable campaigner, whatever the media will tell you. I am sure that some candidates will make nice with him.

Some have already started (Biden, Obama, though Obama's statement had a stupid typo that does not help).

[TayTay]

9. Ah, that's just one committee

The other subcommittee assignments in Finance and Commerce have not yet been published. And Kerry has a full chairmanship for Small Business.

Ah, that's a busy guy and a busy staff.

[Firespirit]

11. I smell...

the building up to a SoS position, if he wants it. He may not, but this position makes him the most qualified person for it. (Of course I'm making a big assumption regarding Nov. 2008...)

That settles it. I am going to work to elect someone who respects him and will listen to what he has to say. Really, truly, listen. Oh, and who wouldn't be averse to giving him power.

[Mass]

12. That was my husband's reaction when I told him the assignement.

He said he was happy Kerry would not spend the last two years having to please the media and run for president, but do useful things and, if the next president had a minimum of intelligence, be SoS in two years.

[Firespirit]

13. This is a good placement for several people, actually

Looks like Feingold is going to be looking at Darfur.

I like Boxer and think she's a good replacement for JK's old post. Not sure about Webb being on the East Asian subcommittee, with his blind spot about Vietnam, but maybe it'll be good for him.

Middle East, of course. Of course!

I also like how JK is the second-ranked member in those other three subcommittees. Particularly the one that deals with international economics and environmental protection. The importance of globalization as an issue cannot be downplayed.

[TayTay]

15. This is true Fire

I also like how JK is the second-ranked member in those other three subcommittees. Particularly the one that deals with international economics and environmental protection. The importance of globalization as an issue cannot be downplayed.

And it dovetails so nicely with that other work in the Finance Committee and on Commerce. (Real nice symmetry in committee assignments. Massachusetts is lucky to have him there.)

[ProSense]

16. OT, but a fascinating article

Climate change seen fanning conflict and terrorism

By Mark Trevelyan, Security Correspondent
Wed Jan 24, 11:21 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Global warming could exacerbate the world's rich-poor divide and help to radicalize populations and fan terrorism in the countries worst affected, security and climate experts said on Wednesday.

"We have to reckon with the human propensity for violence," Sir Crispin Tickell, Britain's former ambassador to the United Nations, told a London conference on "Climate Change: the Global Security Impact."

"Violence within and between communities and between nation states, we must accept, could possibly increase, because the precedents are all around."

He cited Rwanda and Sudan's Darfur region as two examples where drought and overpopulation, relative to scarce resources, had helped to fuel deadly conflicts.

Experts at the conference hosted by the Royal United Services Institute said it was likely that global warming would create huge flows of refugees as people tried to escape areas swamped by rising sea levels or rendered uninhabitable by desertification.

Tickell said terrorists were likely to seek to exploit the tensions created.

more...

[DrFunkenstein]

17. My Thread About Kerry's Vision For Ending The War on Terror

This makes me extremely happy to see that he will have such a direct hand in the economic development of the Middle East, which he rightly placed front and center as part of the long-term strategy for "draining the swamps" of terrorism and injecting hope for the everyday people of the region.

In other words, Kerry will be instrumental in turning the Middle East away from the terrorists and toward more moderate visions for the Arab and Persian world.

Ps - Keep in mind that alot of the non-U.S.-directed terrorism in the world takes place in the Far East, as well.

At the risk of sounding like a complete dork (a risk I take on a daily basis), KEEP HOPE ALIVE!!!

[TayTay]

20. Not a dork, Dr.

An optimist and someone who recognises the truth.

John Kerry is in it for the long haul. And right now, he is really, really where he needs to be on that subcommittee. He will be the point guy when Dodd and Biden are off in primary states. Good, we need a grown up there.

[ginnyinWI]

21. His best years are ahead of him, I'd say

And he'll be remembered as one of the best statesmen of his(our)generation. Doors close, and doors open!! :thumbsup:

[ginnyinWI]

19. Very cool!

He'll be great. Best Senator on the Hill!