With all those smart people in one room, you'd think one of them would know how to use a video camera. Oh, well. There's audio.
Senator Kerry spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday on climate change and foreign policy. As often happens, the Senator was introduced as Senator Kennedy, which gave him the perfect opening to tell his Teddy story, which is pretty funny even if you've heard it (more than once) before. The Senator briefly mentioned the Red Sox win, then got straight to his comments on the connection between foreign policy and climate change, the isolation of the US that is the result of the Bush years, and the opportunities to come, beginning with the upcoming Bali conference.
Oh, and there were sound effects, which is another reason you really have to hear this. I think that's the first time I've heard the Senator do his impression of an escalator. I wonder if he does Cagney. If I find out, you'll be the first to know.
There's also a transcript of the Senator's prepared remarks, which were excellent. But JK really shines in the Q&A, and yesterday was no exception. The Senator is a great extemporaneous speaker, and he really seems to enjoy this format.
There was one particularly intriguing question from Marlene Sanders, who, although she has the fascinating distinction of being the first female journalist to cover the war in Vietnam, is obviously not a KV reader. She inquired of the Senator why he wasn't speaking out against the Bush administration's policies or if he was simply not getting the proper media attention.
MS: "Marlene Sanders, former television journalist.We're happy to have you here and hear your views. We've missed you, and I think a lot of people expected you would be an outspoken critic of the administration, but we haven't heard very much from you and I'm wondering whether you've backed off or you're not getting coverage."JK: "On what?"
MS: "On everything they're doing. Have you not been getting coverage or have you backed off?"
I think the Senator was a little taken aback by that, quite honestly. I know I was. Certainly, he's one of the most outspoken critics of the administration, so perhaps the media coverage of administration critics is even worse than I thought. If Marlene Sanders isn't aware of what the Senator's done in the past three years, then that does say something about the state of our media, doesn't it? So, the Senator explained that he's not let up in the least and brought her up to speed on some of what he's been doing. Like leading on the opposition to the war and getting a Dem congress elected. He was also kind enough to not inquire of Ms. Sanders why she hasn't had her TV and internet connected in the past three years. You know, she seems like an awfully smart woman, maybe she just needs pointed in the right direction.
Senator Kerry mentioned his Faneuil Hall speeches, so I'm going to repost this one just for Ms. Sanders. I know it's not been that long since I posted it, but it is my favorite.
John Brademas (IN-3) commented on the Senator's "brilliant analysis", and noted that it makes the case for educating the American people on the environment. "Do you have any idea what's happened to enviromental education in this country?"
In his reply, JK mentioned Second Nature, the organization he and Teresa founded in 1995 to train teachers how to teach about the environment. He also lamented the lack of focus on this very critical issue.
Listen to the Q&A. And if you're not familiar with the CFR, you should pay them a visit.
The CFR's mission statement:
The Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials,business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.Pretty important stuff.
