MORE TO GET EXCITED ABOUT – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  There is major buzz about the convention appearance of John Kerry, former Dem candidate for president, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and leading candidate to replace Hillary at State should Obama get re-elected.  From The Hill:

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) will be defending President Obama’s record on national security when he speaks to convention delegates on Thursday evening, but political observers will be watching the high-profile speech for hints about the senator’s future.

Kerry’s prime-time spot — he speaks shortly before Obama accepts the Democratic presidential nomination — comes as rumors abound that he is in the running for Hillary Clinton’s job as secretary of state. Clinton has said she won’t stay on if Obama wins reelection, and Kerry is said to have long coveted the position.

And while Kerry isn’t up for reelection until 2014, if Republicans win control of the Senate in November, he would lose his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“I think giving him a slot says a lot,” a Democratic strategist close to Kerry told The Hill of the convention speech. “It sends a clear signal that he’s an important player.”

Thursday’s speech could backfire on Kerry if he fails to deliver, however. Obama has an “amazing advantage” on national security over Mitt Romney, Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) said Tuesday morning at an event sponsored by The Hill, but Democrats have “a lot more work to do to” to help Southern voters in particular “understand his role as commander in chief.”

COMMENT:  The best that can be said about Kerry is that we can do worse.  At least he knows where countries are, and speaks French.  He also has the cash to have the job and hold private parties at his own expense.  Beyond that, I can't think of much.

He'd be a better choice than a clown like former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, a GOP turncoat, who's been mentioned.  Appointing Hagel would be a way of flashing a "bipartisan" foreign policy, but no one would take it seriously.  Hagel's wife was a vociferous supporter of Obama in 2008.

My sense is that Kerry already has the job, for one reason.  As the story noted, he's always coveted it, and, as with Hillary Clinton, Obama will probably follow the organized-crime principle of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer.  If Kerry is turned down, he could become an influential foe of Obama in the Senate, and Obama doesn't need more skepticism from within his own party. 

As for Rep. Cooper's statement that Obama has an "amazing advantage" in national security, Cooper is just another delusional Democrat.  Our national-security policies have rarely been weaker, we are losing everywhere, and there are just so many mentions of the Osama bin Laden raid that the public will tolerate.  Obama has no advantage in national security, and I doubt that Kerry can convince independent voters otherwise. 

September 5,  2012