Senator John Kerry Opposes Nomination of Dr. Condoleezza Rice for Secretary of State

Senator John Kerry Opposes Nomination Of Dr. Condoleezza Rice for Secretary of State

Contact: David Wade or April Boyd
Wednesday, January 19, 2005

I appreciate Dr. Rice's willingness to stay late last evening to have an exchange with the committee on the critical foreign policy and security questions before us.

"After serious consideration, I have decided to vote against this nomination. Dr. Rice is a principal architect, implementer, and defender of a series of administration policies that have not made our country as secure as we should be and have alienated much-needed allies in our common cause of winning the war against terrorism. Regrettably, I did not see in Dr. Rice's testimony any acknowledgment of the need to change course or of a new vision for America's role in the world. On Iraq, on North Korea, on Iran, to name just a few of the most critical challenges, it seems to be more of the same.

"I hope I am proven wrong. I hope the course will change. And I hope that the administration will recognize the strength of a foreign policy that has bipartisan support. I am prepared to work with Dr. Rice and others in the administration to try to reach agreement on policies that will truly strengthen our security and restore America's credibility on the world stage. And I am confident colleagues on both sides of the aisle are prepared to do so as well.

http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/cfm/record.cfm?id=230708