This seems to be the general feeling from MA papers: sorry that you leave, but you'll be a great Secretary.
Posting that in part because somebody was wondering why people in MA were not tweeting their happiness to see Kerry become SoS. It is largely because we feel sorry he leaves, even as we are happy to see him become SoS. I know it is hard to understand for those who live in the Tweeter world. If it is not tweeted and retweeted, it must not be true, but this is the general feeling we see.
http://www.enterprisenews.com/breaking/x1671798553/OUR-OPINION-A-new-job-for-Sen-Kerry
Like many of his constituents, we greet U.S. Sen. John Kerry’s nomination to be the next secretary of state with mixed feelings.
Kerry has served Massachusetts in elective office for 30 years, in the U.S. Senate since 1984. He has steadily grown in knowledge and public respect.
But foreign affairs has always been Kerry’s passion. He first came to national attention soon after returning from a tour of duty in Vietnam when he became one of the most articulate young critics of that war. In 1971, he gave riveting testimony to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, a committee he has chaired since 2009.
He has been near the center of every foreign policy debate of the last three decades.
Kerry is more than qualified to serve as secretary of state, and it’s no secret that he has long coveted the position. We appreciate having had him as our senator. We congratulate him on his appointment.
Yet we do so with reservation. America’s gain is Massachusetts’ loss. If Kerry is confirmed, and all indications are that he will be, Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren will become our state’s senior senator mere weeks after taking office. And depending on the newly-elected senator, Massachusetts may have two rookie legislators representing it in a time of fiscal uncertainty.
Our citizens will lose a strong advocate in the Senate, someone who could and would cut through the federal bureaucracy on behalf of his constituents and our elected officials. During budget negotiations, Kerry and his staff knew how to deliver to the state, in spite of that body’s discouragement of budgetary earmarks. On Capitol Hill, clout matters.
This isn’t to say that Warren isn’t up to the job. She’s more than proven her willingness to be an advocate for the people she represents, but she and the next senator-elect won’t have the power Kerry earned over 28 years in office.
Kerry’s expected confirmation also means the return of the contentious campaign season – a mere six weeks after it ended. Gird your loins, Massachusetts.
While our loss is America’s – and the world’s – gain, we can’t help but wish Kerry well. Safe travels, John Kerry.
Read more:
http://www.patriotledger.com/opinions/editorials/x1671798553/OUR-OPINION-A-new-job-for-Sen-Kerry#ixzz2GS6KjDaW
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