Nice article about soon-to-be (tonight) Amb. to Italy David Thorne & his friendship w/ Kerry.

[beachmom]

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20090816new_italian_ambassador_has_unique_tie_to_john_kerry/srvc=home&position=recent

BOSTON — Italy is about to gain a U.S. ambassador who not only shares a professional relationship with the president of the United States, but also a personal one forged in war and peace with the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

David Thorne, the former college roommate, Vietnam compatriot and brother-in-law of Sen. John Kerry, is being sworn in Monday evening at the Moakley Federal Courthouse in Boston. President Barack Obama nominated him June 25 to the post formally known as U.S. ambassador to the Italian Republic and the Republic of San Marino.

The ceremony will have special meaning for Kerry, who preceded Obama as the Democratic Party’s presidential standard-bearer in 2004 and has been friends with Thorne since they attended Yale University together and decided to enlist in the Navy in 1966. Thorne’s twin sister, the late Julia Thorne, also was Kerry’s first wife and the mother of his two daughters.

More at the link.

[karynnj]

1. That is a nice article

The Boston Globe printed nearly the same article. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2009/08/17/newly_named_ambassador_to_italy_has_longtime_ties_to_kerry/

So, I guess this might mean that Kerry will be in Boston today? When is he supposed to go to Afghanistan?

Kerry introduced him at the confirmation hearing that Sheheen chaired. His comments were very very nice - and start about 84 minutes in - http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2009/hrg090716p.html

(Tay Tay will be happy to know her Senator mentioned correctly that he has been on the SFRC for 24 years, in his 25th year now.)

[wisteria]

2. I thought it was a very nice piece especially coming from the Herald.

And, IMO, what a lovely part of Europe to be and ambassador to. Mr. Thorne certainly is lucky in this respect.

[karynnj]

3. Boston Globe on the swearing in of Thorne

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2009/08/18/from_kerrys_man_at_yale_to_obamas_man_in_rome/?comments=all

Surprisingly the comments are mostly positive. Reindeergirl sounds like she belongs here.

[karynnj]

4. A Lowell blog post on Thorne's appointment and the 1972 race

http://richardhowe.com/2009/08/18/ambassador-thorne/

[TayTay]

5. Nice discussion on that blog

and those folks responding are all good people as well. It's interesting sometimes to be living in this district with folks who remember everything that has happened in the good Senator's public career. Folks around here never seem to forget a thing. They also all seem to have pics, if you press them.

[karynnj]

6. I thought it was fascinating and guessed you might know (or know of)

some of them. The comments were very interesting, especially as I had heard the bigger issues, district shopping, in the various Kerry biographies. The story of Julia reacting to the whatever the noise was was chilling - it really must have been tough for her living with that kind of fear. That the Nixon administration would target a young war hero and his wife as they did is still shocking. The story suggests that Cam, like his brother, is a pilot.

[karynnj]

7. The Globe has a really nice article on Thorne

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/20/ambassador_thorne_combines_love_of_italy_with_broad_resume/?page=2