Steve Clemons has post up about what JK will say about Cuba. Also compliments him.

[beachmom]

http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2009/10/what_is_john_ke/

You can go to the link to see his discussion about Cuba. But I really liked this:

What has been interesting to watch in Senator Kerry's speeches this past year is a tendency to define challenges more clearly than the White House -- to articulate the costs of inaction or poor focus -- and to assimilate different policy alternatives with a candid discussion of opportunities and costs.

Kerry did this the other day at the Council on Foreign Relations with a respectful critique of the administration's Afghanistan policy. He has done the same on US-China policy and on climate change among other issues.

...

My hunch is that Kerry is emerging as a key constructive, respectful truth-teller to the administration, and I hope this holds in US-Cuba relations too.

...

I hope that John Kerry encourages great "strategic depth" and thinking in the White House on Latin America in general -- and that he calls for an end to restrictions on the "human right" of Americans to travel.

...

I really don't know what John Kerry is going to say on November 6th -- but I'm counting on something significant.

I am hoping C-Span will cover the speech and that readers in Boston attend the Boston University conference.

This is the kind of hidden respect many foreign policy thinkers have for him. JK is affecting things, even when we don't see him on the front page of the newspaper.

I didn't know he was giving a speech on Cuba. It is next week at Boston U.:

http://www.bu.edu/pardee/2009/10/20/kerry-delahunt-cuba-policy/

U.S. Senator John Kerry and U.S. Congressman Bill Delahunt will be amongst the speakers at a Boston University conference on “Whither U.S Cuba Policy? A Dialogue Among Policy Makers and Scholars” to be held on Friday, November 6, 2009, at 1.30pm.

[karynnj]

1. Next Friday - but it sounds very interesting

Delahunt is really interesting too. Some of us saw Delahunt with Kerry at the Hyannis rally the day before the election last year. They were very clearly old friends - and they apparently got the MA Republicans annoyed by betting on whether Kerry could beat the amount Delahunt beat Beatty by - which Kerry won.

I like his description here - My hunch is that Kerry is emerging as a key constructive, respectful truth-teller to the administration. It has the right combination of independence and influence. Another place where Kerry really pulled the administration was Honduras. There I actually wonder where a policy would have been without him - as the State Department occasionally seemed somewhat out of step with the President.

[fedupinBushcountry]

4. Yes they did

That was a great rally and Delahunt truly likes the big guy. Also , can't forget Prosense's high five to JK, ah, the memories.

I think a lot of people in DC know that JK is a truth-teller and that is why they try to diminish him. Many know the real John Kerry and it is nice to see Steve Clemons not only rooting for him but giving him the credit he deserves.

[Luftmensch067]

2. Thanks for the heads up about the BU speech!

I probably can't go (even if the public are welcome) since it's during a workday, but I did find this page:

http://www.bu.edu/pardee/multimedia/

So maybe we can watch that and see if they put up video there!

[MBS]

3. oh, thanks for this

So reassuring to know that some people really, truly understand value of Sen. Kerry. "constructive, respectful truthteller" describes JK to a T. . and I think it's the role he was born for.
Keep it up, Sen. Kerry!

And thanks, Luftmensch, for finding that multimedia link! I hope the speech gets up there!