John Kerry Criticizes Trump On Israel/Palestine And Raises Possibility Of Running For President In 2020

The Jerusalem Post has quoted comments from John Kerry in a conversation with “a close associate of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Hussein Agha, for a long and open conversation about a variety of topics.” (Photo with the article is of Kerry meeting with Abbas while he was Secretary of State in 2016). This included criticism of Donald Trump, and during the conversation Kerry said he was considering running for president again:

During the conversation, according to the report, Kerry asked Agha to convey a message to Abbas and ask him to “hold on and be strong.” Tell him, he told Agha, “that he should stay strong in his spirit and play for time, that he will not break and will not yield to President Trump’s demands.” According to Kerry, Trump will not remain in office for a long time. It was reported that within a year there was a good chance that Trump would not be in the White House.

Kerry offered his help to the Palestinians in an effort to advance the peace process and recommended that Abbas present his own peace plan. “Maybe it is time for the Palestinians to define their peace principles and present a positive plan,” Kerry suggested. He promised to use all his contacts and all his abilities to get support for such a plan. He asked Abbas, through Agha, not to attack the US or the Trump administration, but to concentrate on personal attacks on Trump himself, whom Kerry says is solely and directly responsible for the situation.

According to the report, referring to the president, Kerry used derogatory terms and even worse. Kerry offered to help create an alternative peace initiative and promised to help garner international support, among others, of Europeans, Arab states and the international community. Kerry hinted that many in the American establishment, as well as in American intelligence, are dissatisfied with Trump’s performance and the way he leads America. He surprised his interlocutor by saying he was seriously considering running for president in 2020. When asked about his advanced age, he said he was not much older than Trump and would not have an age problem.

In a report on the conversation, Agha said that Kerry appears to be “crazy about things,” very energetic, and someone who is yearning to help realize the dream of peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Kerry explained, according to the report, that even in the Republican Party they do not know what to do with Trump and are very dissatisfied with him and that patience and breathing time are needed to get through this difficult period.

Considering the ages of other possible candidates including Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden, Kerry’s age might not be a problem.

6 Comments

  1. 1
    SocraticGadfly says:

    Oh barf on Kerry 2020.

  2. 2
    Ron Chusid says:

    It could actually help Sanders. Right now polling shows Sanders and Biden leading the race. Biden does have a lot of support. Having Kerry in the mix could divide the more establishment vote, making it easier for Sanders. Plus if it does come down to an older establishment Democrat winning, I would prefer Kerry over Biden as president.

  3. 3
    Jim says:

    John Kerry is colluding with a foreign power to get elected. That is the same thing the Democrats accused Trump of. How is this any different?

  4. 4
    Ron Chusid says:

    This just shows he mentioned the possibility of running with a representative of a foreign government. That isn’t collusion.

    The accusations from Democrats (most of which are unproven, and some of which appear to be fabricated) go much further than this, with the most extreme accusations from Democrats (again unproven) claiming that Trump worked with Russia to alter the election results. At very least we do know that Trump’s son and son-in-law did meet with Russians who offered information on Clinton, although the Russians did not have any actual data to given them and appear to have only used the offer to entice them into coming to the meeting. There is also no evidence that Trump himself knew about the meeting, although it is hard to believe he knew nothing about this.

  5. 5
    Joseph Auclair says:

    Democrats will need to do better than field a hack, someone perceived as just another swamp thing, or a demagogic outsider socialist to beat Trump in 2020.

    Even Oprah would do better.

    And, not having honeymooned in the Soviet Union, she might even do well running to Bernie's left.

  6. 6
    Ron Chusid says:

    Sanders would make a strong candidate, as the polls verify. Being an outsider is a huge plus. He is hardly demagogic, and being a Democratic Socialist hasn’t hurt him at all–despite the attempts at red baiting by Democrats.

    I doubt Kerry has much of a chance at the nomination. I’d prefer an outsider, but as more mainstream Democrats go, he is certainly not a hack, and certainly preferable to the 2016 nominee.

    Oprah might do well politically but she is hardly qualified to be president–not that Trump is either. I doubt she will go to the left. My fear is that, not being involved in politics, she would wind up with traditional mainstream establishment Democrats running her administration if elected. That said, I don’t really know much about Oprah’s political view. If she comes out speaking against US interventionism then I’ll give her a look.

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