Poor John Kerry, He Never Gets a Break

Not only is he juggling four highly fragile international crises simultaneously, but in the very small windows of time he has in Washington, he needs to fulfill his constitutional duty by appearing in front of the United States Congress for hearings and briefings.
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AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Watching Secretary of State John Kerry's April 8 appearance in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from afar, you couldn't help but feel sorry for the man.

Kerry has only been in the job for a little over a year, but from where he's standing, it must feel like an eternity. Not only is he juggling four highly fragile international crises simultaneously -- Israel/Palestine, the P5+1-Iran nuclear talks, the Syrian civil war, and Russian interference in Ukraine -- but in the very small windows of time he has in Washington, he needs to fulfill his constitutional duty by appearing in front of the United States Congress for hearings and briefings.

At times, this process can be downright dull and uneventful. After his latest hearing in front of the Foreign Relations Committee, however, he could have only hoped for that scenario. The Secretary was pummeled by Republicans on the committee on virtually every major foreign policy issue that is being covered by the American mainstream media today. And just to make sure that Kerry was on top of political trouble occurring in America's own hemisphere, Sen. Marco Rubio (R - FL) spent most of his time delving into U.S. policy in Venezuela.

Here are some of the juiciest nuggets, shouting matches, and zingers during the two and a half hour hearing.

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