Senate confirms John Kerry, a foreign-policy buff who has Obama's trust
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But some foreign-policy analysts in Washington say they expect the White House to keep the same tight reins on top foreign policy issues with Kerry at the State Department as it did during Clinton’s four years.
Others point out that Obama, who in 2009 was not that far removed from a bruising primary battle with Clinton, had to learn to trust his secretary of state and to grow into relying on her for advice – which many White House officials and close observers say he did (Obama acknowledged as much in an appearance with Clinton on “60 Minutes” last Sunday).
But they say Kerry starts out with Obama’s confidence, pointing out that he already served as an informal special White House envoy to both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and in each case at particularly delicate moments.
Kerry’s diplomatic skills were acknowledged when Pakistan, through its embassy in Washington, became one of the first countries to congratulate Kerry on his confirmation as secretary of state.
Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Sherry Rehman, said in a statement that the US-Pakistan relationship has “recently taken an important turn for a more stable trajectory,” and that Pakistan looks forward to working with Kerry “at a time of challenging transitions for our region.”
