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| Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., sits before the committee he has served on for 28 years and led for the past four as he seeks confirmation as U.S. secretary of state, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Kerry, who is likely to face friendly questioning on a smooth path to approval, is President Barack Obama's choice to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton who is stepping down after four years as America's top diplomat. |
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- Sen. John Kerry, President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary
of state, collected pledges of support Thursday and testified at his
confirmation hearing that U.S. foreign policy should be defined by a
helping hand as well as military strength.
The
Massachusetts Democrat discussed Iran, Syria, climate change and a
variety of issues with members of the Foreign Relations Committee at a
hearing that recalled an unusual American life - son of a diplomat, Navy
lieutenant who volunteered for Vietnam, anti-war protester, five-term
senator, unsuccessful nominee for president, and Obama's unofficial
envoy.
The nearly four-hour hearing also
provided an odd juxtaposition as Kerry, a member of the panel for 28
years and its chairman for the last four, sat alone in the witness
chair. At one point, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the incoming chairman
who presided, mistakenly referred to Kerry as "Mr. Secretary."
The
current secretary, Hillary Rodham Clinton, introduced Kerry, calling
him "the right choice." She is stepping down after four years.
The
committee is expected to approve Kerry's nomination early next week,
and a full Senate vote could occur before the month is out.
"American
foreign policy is not defined by drones and deployments alone," Kerry
said in outlining his views.
"We cannot allow the extraordinary good we
do to save and change lives to be eclipsed entirely by the role we have
had to play since Sept. 11, a role that was thrust upon us."
Kerry
spoke out strongly for dealing with climate change, providing food and
energy security and humanitarian assistance. He also spoke of robust
foreign aid, but he insisted that the country must get its fiscal house
in order to lead in the world.
"More than
ever, foreign policy is economic policy," said Kerry, who described
himself as a "recovering member of the supercommittee." That bipartisan
panel failed in 2011 in its mandate to come up with a deficit-cutting
plan.
Faced with Iran's nuclear program, Kerry
said the United State will do what it must to prevent Tehran from
obtaining a nuclear weapon, but he also signaled that diplomacy remains a
viable option.
"I repeat here today: Our
policy is not containment. It is prevention, and the clock is ticking on
our efforts to secure responsible compliance," Kerry said.
The
senator said he was hopeful that the U.S. and other nations could make
progress on the diplomatic front, but that Tehran needs to relent and
agree to intrusive inspections.
"If their program is peaceful, they can prove it," he said.
In
an unexpected exchange, Kerry found himself defending Obama's pick of
Republican Chuck Hagel to be the next defense secretary against GOP
criticism.
Sen. Bob Corker, the senior
Republican on the panel, expressed concerns about Hagel's support for an
80 percent reduction of U.S. nuclear weapons, a major issue for the
Tennessee lawmaker and his home state. The Y-12 nuclear facility is
located near Oak Ridge, Tenn., and any cuts or delays in modernization
to the nuclear arsenal would have an impact on local jobs.
"I
know Chuck Hagel. And I think he is a strong, patriotic former senator,
and he will be a strong secretary of defense," Kerry said.
The
Massachusetts senator urged lawmakers to be realistic, arguing that an
80 percent cut is an aspiration that would be unlikely in the current
climate.
On Syria, Kerry was asked about his
outreach to President Bashar Assad, now an international pariah after
months of civil war and unending violence against his citizens.
Kerry said there was a moment where Syria reached out to the West but that the moment has long passed.
"History
caught up to us. That never happened. And it's now moot, because he has
made a set of judgments that are inexcusable, that are reprehensible,
and I think is not long for remaining as the head of state in Syria,"
the senator said. "I think the time is ticking."
Sen.
John McCain, R-Ariz., a fierce critic of Obama's policy on Syria, said
the status quo is unacceptable with the United Nations estimating that
60,000 have been killed and the heavy influx of refugees in Jordan and
Turkey.
After a recent visit to the refugee
camps, McCain warned that Syrians frustrated with the U.S. response will
be a recruitment target for extremists.
"We
can do a lot more without putting American boots on the ground," McCain
said. "Otherwise, we will be judged harshly by history."
Kerry
said it was imperative to continue discussions with Russia and others
in dealing with Syria but that "I don't have optimism."
Menendez
noted that Kerry, if confirmed, would be the first senator on the panel
in a century to ascend to the Cabinet post. President William McKinley
appointed Ohio Sen. John Sherman secretary of state.
The
job of the nation's top diplomat would be the realization of a dream
for the 69-year-old Kerry, whom Obama passed over in 2008 when he chose
Clinton. When Joe Biden became vice president, Kerry replaced the former
Delaware senator as chairman of the committee.
Obama
nominated Kerry after Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United
Nations, removed her name from consideration following criticism from
Republicans over her initial comments about the attacks on the U.S.
Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
Corker told Kerry, "You've almost lived your entire life for this moment."
The
Vietnam War, a long, bitter conflict that took its toll on a generation
of draft-age American men, played a prominent role at the hearing.
In
his testimony, Kerry alluded to his controversial moment before the
committee some 42 years ago, when the decorated Vietnam veteran
testified about his opposition to the war and famously asked, "How do
you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"
"Today
I can't help but recognize that the world itself then was in many ways
simpler, divided as it was along bi-polar, Cold War antagonisms," Kerry
said. "Today's world is more complicated than anything we have
experienced."
McCain, who also introduced
Kerry, said their friendship took root with their work on a committee
seeking to resolve the status of POWs and missing in action from Vietnam
as well as efforts to ensure normal U.S. relations with Vietnam during
President Bill Clinton's administration.
"Helping
to establish a relationship with Vietnam that serves American interests
and values, rather than one that remained mired in mutual resentment
and bitterness, is one of my proudest accomplishments as a senator, and I
expect it is one of John's as well," McCain said.
The
hearing is the first of three for Obama's national security nominees,
and the least controversial. Hagel will face tough questions about his
past statements on Israel, Iran, nuclear weapons and defense spending at
his confirmation hearing next Thursday before the Senate Armed Services
Committee. John Brennan, the president's choice for CIA director, will
be quizzed about White House national security leaks and the use of
unmanned drones at his hearing next month.
