John Kerry thinks the US is an "international pariah"

While at the Davos "World Economic Forum" in Switzerland, John Kerry sharply criticized the foreign-policy of the Bush administration. The overriding theme of his comments was that American policies are isolating the United States in the international community. Story from the AP.

DAVOS, Switzerland - Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry slammed the foreign policy of the Bush administration on Saturday, saying it has caused the United States to become "a sort of international pariah."

The statement came as the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee responded to a question about whether the U.S. government had failed to adequately engage Iran's government before the election of hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005.

Kerry said the Bush administration has failed to adequately address a number of foreign policy issues.

"When we walk away from global warming, Kyoto, when we are irresponsibly slow in moving toward AIDS in Africa, when we don't advance and live up to our own rhetoric and standards, we set a terrible message of duplicity and hypocrisy," Kerry said.

The United States did not "walk away from global warming, Kyoto" for no particular reason. They did not ratify Kyoto because Kyoto was flawed. The restrictions placed on emissions had exceptions for countries like India, China and other developing nations. That was the reason the U.S. Senate passed a resolution saying that the Senate would not ratify such a treaty.

"We don't advance and live up to our own rhetoric and standards?" I am so glad he did not win the presidency. For a US politician to make such statements while outside the country is disturbing. A sitting US Senator associating the United States with "duplicity and hypocrisy" is just as problematic.

"So we have a crisis of confidence in the Middle East - in the world, really. I've never seen our country as isolated, as much as a sort of international pariah for a number of reasons as it is today."

Kerry said the government needs to use diplomacy to improve national security.

"We need to do a better job of protecting our interests, because after all, that's what diplomacy is about," he said. "But you have to do it in a context of the reality, not your lens but the reality of those other cultures and histories."

Kerry criticized what he called the "unfortunate habit" of Americans to see the world "exclusively through an American lens."

His condescension flows like rain. Beyond his statements and where he gave those statements, this gets even better. While giving these remarks, John Kerry was sitting next to Mohammad Khatami (the leader of Iran preceding Ahmadinejad). I guess we didn't pass the global test.

Hot Air has video of Kerry's remarks.