U.S. Secretary Of State Kerry Says World Leaders Joked About Buying Him A Meal During The U.S. Government Shutdown

Kerry Says World Leaders Mocked Him Over Shutdown -- Beth Reinhard, Defense One/National Journal

Just how bad was the shutdown for America's image on the world stage? So bad, says Secretary of State John Kerry, that foreign officials joked about buying him meals.

"I have seen how our allies, our partners and those who wish to challenge us or to do us harm are all sizing us up every day," Kerry said at an event hosted by Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank. "What we do in Washington matters deeply…that's why a self-inflicted wound like the shutdown can never happen again."

Kerry added that the shutdown delayed security aid to Israel. "The dysfunction and the shutdown and the simplistic dialogue that came with it didn't impress anyone," he said.

The federal government was mostly shuttered for 16 days after House Republicans refused to sign off on a budget unless it stripped away funding for President Obama's health care law. The impasse was condemned repeatedly by the Democratic leaders and progressive policymakers at the conference.

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My Comment: John Kerry was at a "progressive forum" .... so blaming the Republicans is par for the course. But U.S. relations with many of our allies are deteriorating .... and this deterioration has more to do with U.S. foreign policy than U.S. internal politics.