Can someone explain why John Kerry just did a longish announcement, when what he says means nothing, and holds zero weight, seeing as he will be replaced in about two weeks time.

I just don't get what he is still doing, or why anyone internationally pays any attention to him at all.

Is he supposed to give up his job before the confederacy of dunces arrive to replace him?

No, but why should he come out with this longish speech, which in two weeks or so, could just be totally altered.

He is acting as if his word actually means something still, when it doesn't, just like Obama, he is a lame duck so to speak.

Well you're the one who said "the world unites" to condemn this person as if that's at all what's happening. No, she's just a boring racist who got fired after people called her out. Not people deciding it's some major global event as you claim.

Obama administration prepares sanctions, retaliation for Russian election meddling

He has a right to defend his administrations actions in regards to Israel against and incoming president calling them out as wrong. Especially as the vast majority of the world codemns building settlements in the west bank, something Trump should take note of.

Israel is an important ally to the west but they should be treated with kid gloves because of it. Trump is going to regret his actions these past few days.

I think Trump is very unwise to be attacking his own country and statesmen on Twitter like this and bigging up a foreign country who is acting controversially. The very least he could do is maintain a diplomatic silence before he is inaugurated.

He is just pretending to be relevant - which he isn't anymore.

The lame duck Obama administration will be out of office in 3 weeks - no one really cares what their position is on anything anymore.

How can they prepare to do anything of any note whatsoever, when they are basically just keeping everything ticking over for Trump, and are just the middleman for him, and what he will want to do?

He might have a right, but it doesn't mean that his opinion matters one jot now, his opinion carries as much weight and importance as mine on this or any other matter, i.e. none.

If he wanted to give the world his opinion, then put out a simple press release, that way, anyone who is still bothered by what he says, can run with it, and those that are not, don't have to do anything with it.

There simply was no need for a press conference, it was just him stroking his own ego really, trying to think what he says means anything anymore.

He's writing history. This is what we tried to do - look how wonderful we were, and look why we didn't succeed. He ignores the logic of the situation - that after Lebanon, and then Gaza, turned into a hostile missile base, and the militant terrorists took control in both, the 2 state settlement became impossible for a generation.

its the same with punishing Russia for interfering to install Trump. The purpose is to act, and then force Trump to undo the action - which will further suggest Trump as a Putin puppet.

It would be amusing to watch a racist moron attempting to invoke the defence that they were simply expressing an evolutionary truth. Especially as 60% of republicans are creationists.

wonder how much backtracking we will see from Trump over this

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016...n-hacking.html

even trump mouthpieces like Kaleigh McEnany last night are accepting it has happened now and that a Trump administration would have to respond

and for all the trumpers who are going to try to deny or deflect i suggest you watch this video from about the 4.10 mark and remember she has been one of Trumps most delusional and devoted supporters for the last 18 months

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSy0W1Ip06I

Trump or Clinton. Either way the money men will get their new cold war.

America is an oligarchy.

Now that made me laugh!

I don't understand why he should keep silent until the takeover is complete, if he sees something that he feels is wrong, is he not entitled to say so at the time??

Perhaps so, if he manned up and argued his case in a proper interview or press conference.

But bleating on Twitter is so pathetic.

There is a very good reason why his 'proclamations' are limited to Twitter, of course:

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-dru...ce-comes-idiot

Twitter is just a medium by which he can get what he wants to say out asap, unlike other past Presidents, who had to relay their message to the press pool, who then put his message out themselves, all he is doing, is simply cutting out the middle man so to speak.

Past presidents didn't respond to every single slight because they weren't giant orange man babies. He shouldn't even be on Twitter. He should be learning the job. He shouldn't be aware of criticism. All his attention should be focused on learning how to do the job he's woefully under qualified for.

He's president elect of the United States, he isn't a private citizen just shooting the breeze on Twitter. People are really going to have to hold him to a higher standard than 'some guy with an opinion'.

Using Twitter or any other media system is fine. It's what Trump posts there which is the problem.

There has always been an understanding that 'you only have one president at a time'. The incoming president tends to keep schtum and let's the outgoing president get on with things (unless the outgoing president does something particularly egregious). Trump though suffers from social media incontinence and can't keep his mouth shut. Now, of course he can say what he wants, no one seems capable of stopping him, but the problem is, the more Trump says, the more he reveals his staggering lack of intellect or grasp of the issues. Not that this fact has done him much harm up till now.

I've no doubt he is going to be a catastrophically awful president, but he's likely to be hugely entertaining, albeit in a totally frightening way.

I'd argue someone who is about to take on what he's about to he shouldn't be using any form of social media. He should have a team who tweets for him now. Like other grown up world leaders or even prominent political figures do.

With one ill-thought out Tweet he could undermine years of diplomacy and damage international relations. Just look at his Tweet about the phone call with the Taiwanese leader. The fact he's a month away from being President and he doesn't understand that is frankly terrifying.

Twitter has been around for a decade - it is hardly new technology (and in fact could be said to be dying as it has yet to find a sustainable business model and subscriber numbers are not exactly growing - they even dropped at the start of this year).

As others have been saying he should not be responding to such slights leaving it up to his staff.

Agreed.

Being given direct access to the mess inside Trump's head doesn't exactly inspire confidence. He should probably filter his tweets through at least one properly functioning intellect.