KERRY FEELS THE HEAT – AT 10:58 A.M. ET:  Even his friends in Congress are expressing dismay at the manner in which John Kerry is handling his job as secretary of state.   He seems to go from one blunder to another, although, in fairness, he is representing a cynical left-wing president.

Members of Congress are particularly agitated at Kerry's handling of the Mideast peace process.  They charge that Kerry puts too much pressure on Israel and too little on the Palestinians.  From The Hill:

As the Middle East peace talks falter, Secretary of State John Kerry is under fire from members of Congress and Israeli officials who say he is being too demanding of the Israelis and too sympathetic to the Palestinians.

The criticism is a potential headache for Kerry as he tries to save negotiations on which he has staked a significant portion of his reputation, while at the same time juggling crises from Ukraine to Syria.

It also echoes longstanding criticisms directed at President Obama, who has also been accused of siding with the Palestinians over Israel.

At the center of the controversy are comments Kerry made at a Senate hearing Tuesday, where he appeared to place greater blame on the Israelis for the breakdown in the talks. He pointed to their construction of new settlements after delaying a release of Palestinian prisoners.

"Unfortunately, the prisoners weren't released on the Saturday they were supposed to be released, and so day one went by, day two went by, day three went by, and then in the afternoon, when they were about to maybe get there, 700 settlement units were announced in Jerusalem, and poof, that was sort of the moment," Kerry said.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that remark was "an unfortunate statement."

He said an earlier announcement from the Palestinian leadership that it was applying for membership in 15 international organizations was the more damaging blow to the talks.

"I think their intent was malevolent," Engel said of the Palestinians bid to join international recognition. "They had to have known that that was going to seriously cause a breakdown in further discussions."

COMMENT:  As my friend Silvio Canto Jr. said on the radio this morning, even Democrats are becoming uneasy about Obama's foreign policy.  It's a policy that seems to punish our friends and reward our enemies. 

Both sides bear responsibility for problems in the Israel-Palestine peace talks, however there's no question but that Kerry has come down hardest on the Israelis.  They're easier to criticize because they're an ally, and won't abandon us.  The Pals might do something crazy.  But allies around the world notice this administration's treatment of America's friends, and they no longer take us seriously.

April 13, 2014