Kerry Dismisses Secretary Of State Rumors As "silly Talk"

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) dismissed media reports that he is angling to become America's top diplomat, saying Monday that rumors linking him to the secretary of state post in a potential Obama administration were nothing more than “silly talk.”

With Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) edging closer and closer the Democratic nomination, speculation has already begun in the quadrennial beltway parlor game of picking the next presidential cabinet.

Asked Monday if he had any preliminary conversations with Obama about a potential cabinet post, Kerry said; “Are you kidding? Of course not.”

Kerry--the Democratic nominee in 2004--said any talks at this stage of the race “would be inappropriate.”
Over the weekend, Kerry hosted former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for a two-hour lunch in Nantucket, Mass, prompting the AP to headline a story “John Kerry: Is he angling for secretary of state?”

Kerry endorsed Obama early on in the primary process and has vigorously defended many of Obama’s foreign policy positions, most recently in an op-ed in The Washington Post.

Fellow Democratic Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware and Chris Dodd of Connecticut have also been rumored to be in the running for the secretary of state post, though all parties involved caution it is far too early to begin speculation.