He calls this failure “quibbling”
(Fox News) Secretary of State John Kerry called criticism that no top U.S. officials attended Sunday’s massive march against terrorism in Paris “quibbling” Monday, even as he announced a trip to the French capital later this week for talks on countering Islamist violence.
Kerry announced his plans at a press conference in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, where he had made a long-scheduled appearance at an international investment conference Sunday ahead of President Barack Obama’s planned visit to that country later this month.
“I would have personally very much wanted to have been [in Paris],” Kerry said, “but couldn’t do so because of the commitment that I had here and it is important to keep these kinds of commitments.”
When asked about criticism directed at the Obama administration for not sending a high-ranking official to take part in the march, Kerry said, “I really think that this is sort of quibbling a little bit in the sense that our Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland was there and marched, our ambassador [to France Jane Hartley] was there and marched, many people from the embassy were there and marched.”
Unfortunately, Victoria Nuland was not present in Paris. Instead, she attended a march in Washington, D.C.
Anyhow, it is understandable that Kerry was not able to get away from his commitment. How about Obama? Where was he Sunday? How about Vice President Joe Biden? VPs are typically sent off for functions like this, and especially since the whole reason Obama picked him as his running mate in 2008 was for his foreign policy experience.
Did either even attend the march in D.C.? We know that Biden was actually in Delaware. Obama apparently had to stay in town to visit with the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.
Eric Holder was Paris, and failed to appear for the march.
“I want to emphasize that the relationship with France is not about one day or one particular moment,” Kerry said. “It is an ongoing longtime relationship that is deeply, deeply based in the shared values, and particularly the commitment that we share to freedom of expression.”
“No single act of terror, no two people with  a AK-47s, no hostage-taking at a grocery store is ever going to prevent those who are committed to the march for freedom to continue to march and to ultimately see all people enjoy their rights, to be able to enjoy the protections that come with that freedom,” he added.
Sounds a bit like some excuse making
https://twitter.com/passantino/status/554454870627872769
When you’ve lost the NY Daily News…
Crossed at Right Wing News.
ketchup boy is far too sophisticated to march, even with his French friends. The word “March” sounded too military for Koward kerry’s sensitivities. Besides, jon carry was in India, still looking for his medals and his medical records from his short stay in Vietnam.
Unfortunately Kerry had to cut the presser short due to the arrival of a fresh bale of hay.
Blick,
How was your tour in Vietnam? Secretary of State Kerry has his medals. He was wounded more than once in Vietnam, you pusillanimous puke.
Where are Mr. Cheney’s Vietnam medals? Mr. Bush’s? Limbaugh’s? Good thing we didn’t have to rely on Republicunts.
Good thing we don’t have to rely on you for logic. What possible relevance does Cheney and Limbaugh have to do with this event in Paris? None. Last I saw, they were both private citizens. But you could bet that if this was under Bush, either he or Cheney would have been there.