Comparing and Contrasting Sec. Hillary Clinton and Sen. John Kerry - Essay Example

?Comparing and Contrasting Sec. Hillary Clinton and Sen. John Kerry The United s of America has long been known for its foreign policies and themethods by which these policies are made known to other parts of the world. The stand of the United States on foreign relations is embodied in the persona of the Secretary of State. A government position that is unique unto itself because the person who holds this post in effect, represents the president of the United States and the interest of the country overseas. Due to the highly delicate nature of this post, the scrutiny that potential candidates for the position undergoes whether via senate confirmation hearings or just public perception is of the utmost importance when it comes to the effectiveness of the person assigned to the job. The Secretary of State post is one that is not one that can be considered to be traditionally filled in by men. Throughout history, this post has been filled by various notable political names of men and women in the country. The most recent assignment to the post is former first lady and New York Senator Hillary Clinton. She left her post at the end of January 2013 and is expected to turn over the reins of power to long time Massachusetts Senator John Kerry at the start of February. Turning over the post from a woman to a man actually has some people wondering about the similarities and differences between the two people and how those qualities might affect their work as Secretary of State. This paper aims to compare and contrast Sec. Clinton from Sen. Kerry in terms of how their history as a person, political beliefs, and how the State Department has or will be affected by this change. I propose, that incoming Sec. Kerry will actually bring forth a notable change in the way that the State Department promotes the U.S. foreign policies and interests abroad that shall be a far cry from that of Sec. Clinton. It is interesting to note that both Sec. Clinton and Sen. Kerry received both attended Yale University at one time or another. Sen. Kerry received his Political Science degree from Yale University in 1966 (bio.com “John Kerry”) while Sec. Clinton received her Law degree from Yale in 1973 (bio.com “Hillary Clinton”). Therefore one can deduce that the political beliefs of these two notable U.S. political figures found itself being shaped and molded within the hallowed halls of this ivy league university. Both Sec. Clinton and Sen. Kerry are active members of the Democratic Party of the United States and have served as senators during their time in active politics. Sen. Clinton was elected to represent the people of New York in the senate halls of Washington D.C. in the year 2000 (bio.com “Hillary Clinton”) while Sen. Kerry began serving the people of Massachusetts as their senator in 1984. He won his reelection bids in 1990, 1996, 2002, and 2008 (bio.com “John Kerry”). Even though both had a failed run for the Democratic presidential nomination, it seems that Pres. Barack Obama has an unquestioning belief in both of them to have appointed them both to the office of Secretary of State, the little president position as some call it, where they are required to represent both the president and the country across the seas as envoys of foreign relations. While both Sec. Clinton and Sen. Kerry have some notable similarities in their political history and educational background, the two also have some marked differences that one should take note of. The first being that Sen. Kerry actively served in the Vietnam war before entering into political office. It is believed that this field experience will greatly help the incoming secretary as he navigates the treacherous waters of national security and U.S. foreign policies. Democrat Sen. Chris Coons recalls one meeting that Sen. Kerry had with the politicians in Islamabad that could quite possibly set the tone for his run in the State Department. Sen. Coons recalls (Associated Press “John Kerry Touted as Successor to Hillary Clinton”): Senator Kerry was about to show up and negotiate on behalf of the administration. And it was clear that both the diplomats and the military folks we met with viewed him as a real man of credibility and experience who was likely to contribute meaningfully to those negotiations. On the other hand, Sec. Clinton's image overseas is described by some as more people to people. She encourages independence and less U.S. influence in the decision making process of other nations. Rather than influence peddling, she merely makes the U.S. stand on certain political issues known to those concerned but leaves them to make a decision that they will be comfortable with in the end (DifferenceBetween.com “Difference Between John Kerry and Hillary Clinton”). Since these two people have markedly different people skills and management styles, it will be easy to see how different their work at the State Department shall be. After all, Sen. Kerry comes to the job with both wartime and peace time experience while also resting on the experience of being the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman (Associated Press, “John Kerry Touted as Successor to Hillary Clinton”). But, both Sec. Clinton and Sen. Kerry agree that the time for military action in foreign relations is a thing of the past. As Sen. Clinton put it (Lee,Kristen “Parting Words for Hillary Clinton: 'John Kerry Has Some Very Large Manolo Blahniks to Fill”) : “... the complexities of today's world demand the use of "smart power," rather than military might or diplomacy alone. And she said the U.S. is stronger than it was four years ago, declaring with a dismissive wave of her hand that “all the declinists are dead wrong.” However, their management styles will definitely vary as their life experiences in relation to foreign relations dictates their actions. Sen. Kerry will be expected to have a better grasp of foreign relations and its importance to the United States since he has more work related experience in the field than Sec. Clinton. These differences, no matter how small, will serve to help repair the damaged image of the United States overseas over the coming years. Since the United States is now viewed as a weak and divided country, no longer as the mighty super power that it once was, the work of Sen. Kerry as Secretary of State in rebuilding and redefining the image of America as a world leader in these turbulent times of the 21st century will be of the utmost importance not only to America, but the rest of the world. Works Cited Associated Press. John Kerry Touted as Successor to Hillary Clinton, 17 Dec. 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2013. bio.com Hillary Clinton, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. bio.com. John Kerry, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. DifferenceBetween.com. Difference Between John Kerry and Hillary Clinton, 24 Dec. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. Lee, Kristen. “Parting Words From Hillary Clinton: 'John Kerry Has Some Very Large Manolo Blahniks to Fill'”. Daily News. 31 Jan. 2013. Web. 1 Feb. 2013. Article URL's: http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-john-kerry-and-vs-hillary-clinton/ http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/hillary-clinton-calls-departure-bittersweet-farewell-speech-article-1.1252536 http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/americas/john-kerry-touted-as-successor-to-hillary-clinton http://www.biography.com/people/hillary-clinton-9251306 http://www.biography.com/people/john-kerry-10673562 Read More