"U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry — who spent the Fourth of July on sun-splashed Nantucket even as the chaos from a military takeover rocked Egypt..."

"... drew fire from Republican critics who said it’s a bad time for the nation’s top diplomat to be seen cavorting on an island getaway."

... Kerry, who owns a house and a yacht on the ritzy retreat, was seen yesterday strolling down Federal Street away from July Fourth festivities on Main Street in jeans and a light-colored polo shirt.  Later in the afternoon, Kerry was seen offloading bags from a single-person kayak to a boat in Nantucket Sound after launching from the beach behind his home at 5 Hulbert Ave....

Thanks for the address... I guess. Here:


View Larger Map

Kerry’s staff yesterday insisted he’s fully engaged and has been logging long hours and high miles, including a recent 12-day, 25,000-mile trip to the Middle East and Asia.

This reminds me of the way Hillary Clinton's people argued for her success as Secretary of State — all the many miles flown. I don't really care about the number of days spent traveling as opposed to the effectiveness handling specific matters in the right places and times.

Yesterday he dialed into a meeting with President Obama and members of his national security team in the Situation Room, according to the State Department. Kerry also called foreign dignitaries from Egypt, Israel, Norway, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

He phones it in. How's the cellphone service out in Nantucket Sound? What's it like phoning on a single-man kayak?

“Secretary Kerry has been working tirelessly around the clock since he returned from his 10-day trip and there has not been a moment where he has not been focused on doing everything possible to communicate with his team in Washington and in Egypt, within the administration and with his counterparts around the world,” Kerry spokeswoman Jen Psaki told the Herald last night.

Then he wasn't kayaking properly. Also, you see the message? He needs his vacation. He's earned it.  Not acceptable in a time of emergency in a position of high responsibility. We don't care how hard you worked or whether you're due for a rest. You shouldn't be in the job if you aren't ready to work nonstop. I wrote those sentences before reading this next part:

Former state Democratic Party chairman Phil Johnston said these days the secretary of state can effectively work out of anywhere in the world. “The man’s been working 24/7 for weeks to create peace in the Middle East — I think he’s entitled to a day on Nantucket,” said Johnston. “If there’s anything we know about John Kerry, it’s that he’s a very hard worker. The American people don’t need to worry about that.”

Entitled?  Hard worker? We don't need to worry? #!&* We're entitled to worry.

ADDED: I don't like "The man’s been working 24/7 for weeks to create peace in the Middle East" as a premise for the argument that Kerry's entitle to a vacation, but I could see using it to argue that his work is something we're better off without it.

AND: Meade asked what I meant by "#!&*." Rhymes with Nantucket.