Why does it feel like a death in the family now that Senator Kerry is no more? I suppose I'm in mourning, because losing JK's voice in the Senate is huge, and not just for us bay staters. So yes, I'm sad, but of course proud as hell of him, too.

With JohnKerry.com gone, we now have a new site to peruse and get to know.

I read this here:

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/02/01/hillary_has_left_the_building

Meanwhile, Kerry was sworn in as the new secretary Friday afternoon in a private ceremony; the State Department refused to disclose the location. Kerry's first day at State will be Monday, and there will be a public swearing-in as well.

There's a lot of enthusiasm at the State Department about Kerry's arrival, but also much uncertainty about how much change he will bring.

"People are hopeful that he can carry on a lot of the strategic direction that Secretary Clinton set forth and that he can bring in his own brand of leadership but also not deviate from the path that Secretary Clinton has put us on," the State Department official said.

he's still a babe...

And he's stayed true to his beliefs, all these years, no matter what hand has been dealt him. Always a man of integrity who never gave up his core vision. The GOP hated him but he never went away.

not being just a pretty face, but those little "extras" never hurt, do they?


What was your experience with him in D.C.? -- We're probably around the same age,

since I was alive and cognizant in that year, myself.

I was with our anti-war group on a bus and we spent the night before in a beautiful cathedral. They let us sleep between the pews and we marched all the way there, and only near the end was the trouble. We'd had to be careful to walk as ordered, although we filled the streets, closely escorted by motorcycle and mounted police, all kinds of people. It was just before another action at the Pentagon, which I did not stay for, but some did and got arrested. We were not in a position to be arrested thousands of miles from home without resources. It was after the Pentagon Papers were finally published and we'd met Ellsberg at our university some time before. We were very much into ending the war and Kerry and VVAW were a big influence for many years back then. Their words held the most weight with us. Respect for all of those men, no matter what shape they were in when they returned. I found D.C. quite intimidating. I liked L.A. better.

Could you even have IMAGINED then, that the country would devolve to where we are now?

I sometimes feel like I'm living in a bad dream, or that my country was replaced

by a "Pod Country" or something while we were sleeping.

and I know what you mean

And now immediately to work:

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/national/john-kerry-sworn-in-kerry-first-trip-likely-to-include-stops-in-israel-egypt-official-says

Secretary of State John Kerry is likely to visit the Middle East as part of his first official overseas trip, wasting no time in demonstrating an urgency for reviving stalled peace talks and addressing political chaos in Egypt.

The full itinerary of Kerry's initial travel schedule was not clear, but a U.S official said the trip would likely include stops in Israel and Egypt.

The trip is expected in the middle of this month, the official said before Kerry was sworn-in on Friday by Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan.

It is marked as a favorite.

That's really amazing... and a good lesson that sometimes things don't work out as planned but something amazing still comes of it