Rice out...

[karynnj]

20. I agree - Obama played this very badly

I wonder if Rice, and allies mainly in the WP, tried to make her selection a fait accompli and this dovetailed with the Republican anger of her words on Benghazi, which they likely think were designed to kick a real scandal or at least something that diminishes the D argument that Obama has made the ME safer. (In fact, one source questioned why Clinton, Pannetta and Petraeus were all silent and she was sent out even though she was less tied to the actions.)

It does make me respect more how Kerry had no leaks on the VP selection and even after the election, until he opted out in 2007 NONE of his people spoke out against Edwards.

The other thing is that Rice being out, does not make it necessarily Kerry. More significantly than Brown, who would have to commit to 2 elections in 2 years - the second when the SAME argument that he could swing the Senate could and would be used, is that Menendez would chair SFRC and the Senate could use Kerry's voice as the most liberal senior liberal member of Finance, the top environmentalist, and the strong voice for the infrastructure bank which may be the key to a new stimulus and the important infrastructure rebuild.

I suspect it is that Kerry really has an embarrassment of riches as far as his many accomplishments, abilities and skills are concerned. It is also true that Obama knows from the last 4 years that he can use - on an occasional basis - Kerry's solid diplomatic skills. I assume that Obama has to know that Kerry has better skills in dealing with Congress than any other person they are speculating about and his diplomatic skills were called the best that >he had seen? by Ambassador Eikenberry (Afghanistan) - high praise for a non career diplomat from a career diplomat. The only other negative I have read is that Kerry has an independent streak. To that I say, look at his work as a surrogate in the election. Unlike other (Biden 2004), he was excellent in remembering why he was out there - to state OBAMA's policies, not his.