WASHINGTON DC – Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russia that the “window to change course is closing” in what appeared to be a final warning to Moscow that the U.S. was readying severe economic sanctions over the situation in Ukraine.
“Let me be clear,” Kerry said. “If Russia continues in this direction, it will not just be a grave mistake, it will be an expensive mistake.”
Speaking at the State Department one week after foreign ministers from Russia, Ukraine, the U.S. and European Union penned an agreement designed to de-escalate the crisis there, Kerry accused the Kremlin of “a full-throated effort to actively sabotage the democratic effort” in Ukraine. (more…)

Yes Alice, I’ll be right along !

Can you believe that our international diplomacy efforts are now being reduced to Twitter Hashtags ?

The world stands #UnitedforUkraine. Let’s hope that the #Kremlin & @mfa_russia will live by the promise of hashtag

— Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) April 24, 2014

ROFLMAO – Sounds like Arlo Guthrie is writing out the legacy list of Hillary Clinton…

(Via Byron York)  On Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki appeared flustered when she was asked a question concerning one of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s main legacies at Foggy Bottom. It was something called the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, known around the Department by the clunky acronym QDDR, and it was created by Secretary Clinton in 2010 to “provide a sweeping assessment of how the Department of State … can become more efficient, accountable, and effective.”
When Psaki announced that the 2014 edition of the QDDR is now underway, to “build on the foundation established by the 2010 review,” Associated Press reporter Matt Lee asked: “Off the top of your head, can you identify one tangible achievement that the last QDDR resulted in?”
Psaki could not. “Well, Matt, obviously it’s an extensive, expansive process,” she began. Noting that she came to the State Department after the first review was finished, Psaki said, “I am certain that those who were here at the time, who worked hard on that effort, could point out one.” (more…)

When Libya erupted in *rebel* turmoil we were following the details closely because we quickly identified the ideology of the “rebels” as al-Qaeda.   
Over time the entire civil war became a conflict of Justice Minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil (the first defector and self proclaimed head of the rebels) vs. Kaddaffi. 

If it were not for Samantha Power, Susan Rice and Hillary Clinton Kaddaffi would have won the internal war.    The misguided premise of R2P (Responsibility to Protect), a specific Samantha Power construct, is the excuse that was eventually used by the Obama administration to enter the foray and pick a side.  They chose the al-Qaeda “rebels”.
This commission report essentially encapsulates what we have previously outlined.   However, for some reason they totally avoid the mention of Justice Abdel Jalil.
BENGHAZI GATE – The Citizens Commission on Benghazi, a self-selected group of former top military officers, CIA insiders and think-tankers, declared Tuesday in Washington that a seven-month review of the deadly 2012 terrorist attack has determined that it could have been prevented – if the U.S. hadn’t been helping to arm al-Qaeda militias throughout Libya a year earlier.
‘The United States switched sides in the war on terror with what we did in Libya, knowingly facilitating the provision of weapons to known al-Qaeda militias and figures,’ Clare Lopez, a member of the commission and a former CIA officer, told MailOnline.
She blamed the Obama administration for failing to stop half of a $1 billion United Arab Emirates arms shipment from reaching al-Qaeda-linked militants. (more…)

Politico has an interesting summary of the Israeli / Palestinian talk collapse filling in some timelines to the analysis we previously presented.   Even if you are not a global political news junkie it’s worth the read.

While the Politico story doesn’t directly outline the ego of John Kerry as the impetus for the framework, and subsequent collapse, it’s still there and you can catch glimpses of it throughout the article.

Even among senior Obama aides, there’s disagreement about how wary the president actually was all along about taking another shot at the peace process, how much distance he was really trying to keep, and how much of his actions were about humoring an ambitious Kerry’s swing at the history books.

As we previously shared the entire construct of the Kerry spearheaded peace talks originated from Secretary Kerry’s desire to be something legendary, and do something on a grand scale worthy of his own opinion of himself.
John Kerry was not so much interested in the construct of Israeli security, or foundationally finding a substantive ‘two state’ solution; for Kerry -the ideologue- he wanted to carve the mold, and then watch the global media cast the brass bust.
(more…)

Yeah, I probably wouldn’t care about your failing either if your ineptitude did not directly effect my life.   Alas,…. Idjit.

(WASHINGTON)  Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State John Kerry defiantly defended his diplomatic efforts, saying that while ambitious, they were better than doing nothing.

While the purpose of Tuesday’s hearing was to pick through the State Department’s budget, it was Kerry’s record that came under scrutiny as his old colleagues on the committee accused him of taking on too many responsibilities with too few results.

“I think you’re about to hit the trifecta,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told Kerry, naming three of the most complicated issues Kerry took on: the humanitarian crisis in Syria, the Iranian nuclear program and the Middle East peace talks. (more…)

If you’ve been following along you likely know how absurd this is.  

Somehow, in the bizzarro Easter Island land of long faces where John Kerry was spawned, this makes sense to him.   Israel blamed for derailing peace talks Palestinians would not participate in.

WASHINGTON DC – Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday said Israel’s announcement of new settlements in East Jerusalem last week derailed the peace talks with the Palestinians.
Israel first missed the deadline to release the fourth tranche of Palestinian prisoners, Kerry told lawmakers at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. Israel then announced 700 new settlement units in Jerusalem.
“Poof, that was sort of the moment,” Kerry said at a hearing focused on the fiscal 2015 budget for national security and foreign policy priorities. (more…)

SUMMARY of RESPONSE:  “It was George Bush’s fault.  We accomplished something.  Don’t forget to buy my book”.

Later in the program Hillary calls America “sexist”:  Addressing hundreds of women, Clinton said there’s a double-standard for how women are treated in the media and that she counsels young women to be resilient when they face challenges. “Believe me, this is hard-won advice,” Clinton said to laughter.  (link)
 

When you combine the dots of testimony and information, and pull back from the pixels, a clear image begins to emerge.   The character visible in the image is actually the artist, Denis McDonough....   Here’s the High-Def Version:

WASHINGTON – The CIA’s former deputy director disclosed Wednesday that Obama administration officials were alerted the day before they went on national television that a key tenet of their original Benghazi storyline might be inaccurate. But he did not explain why the administration continued to cling to its narrative even after U.S. intelligence debunked reports that the deadly attack was born out of a protest over an anti-Islam video.
In often testy exchanges with Republicans who accused him of a cover-up, Michael Morell flatly denied that he “inappropriately altered and influenced” the infamous Benghazi talking points to downplay the role of terrorism in the attacks. (more…)