Timeline of the Kerry Administration (President Kerry)

2004
The Bush campaign refuses to concede defeat, and recounts are ordered in several states, including Ohio, which Kerry won by less than 1 per cent which was the state that decided the election. By early December, recounts have completed, and the Kerry result stands. The Republicans lose seats in both houses of Congress, with Democratic momentum boosted by Kerry's performance. The Republicans lose seven House seats but retain their majority; in the Senate, several Republicans are defeated by Democrats and the Democrats become the majority party in the Senate.
 * November 2: The Democratic Presidential ticket of John Kerry and John Edwards defeats incumbent President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, with American participation in Iraq and a failing economy seen as key campaign issues. The result is narrow, but the Kerry/Edwards team wins the election by 289 Electoral Votes to 249. Kerry fails to win the popular vote, winning 49.8% of the vote to Bush's 49.2%. In his victory speech, President-Elect Kerry says "A stronger America begins today. A better America begins today. A new America begins today!"
 * December 13, 2004: The Electoral College formally meets and elects John Kerry as President and John Edwards as Vice President.
 * December 15, 2004: Senator Kerry officially resigns from the United States Senate. On December 19, Governor Romney of Massachusetts chooses Lieutenant-Governor Kerry Healey, a fellow Republican, to replace Kerry in the Senate. This is seen as the first major blow to Kerry, who has beeen dealt a slap in the face before he has even been sworn in. Vice-President-elect Edwards is not replaced by the Governor, since he did not seek re-election. He continues as a Senator until his term expires on 3rd January.

2005
There is still, however, criticism about the government's handling of Katrina, and accusations the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, was unprepared and badly organised. FEMA director Thomas Collins and Homeland Security Secretary Susan Collins announce a joint review into FEMA's operations, known as the Collins Review, that eventually results in a stronger and more organised disaster relief strategy across the entire United States. Some of the criticism after the fact is levelled at President Kerry, who is accused, especially by Republicans in Congress, of politicising a tragedy after administration officials make several unrelated comments regarding the disaster.
 * January 5: Kerry announces some of his cabinet nominations. Former ambassador to the UN under the Clinton Administration, Richard Holbrooke, is nominated to be Secretary of State, and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to be Secretary of Agriculture. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is nominated as Secretary of Energy. Former Treasurer of the United States Mary Ellen Withrow is nominated to be the first woman Secretary of the Treasury. In perhaps the most surprising move, Kerry nominates Maine Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, as Secretary of Homeland Security. Other Cabinet nominations are announced in the next few weeks, including Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as Attorney General, New Mexico Congressmen Tom Udall as Secretary of the Interior, Former Hawaii Governor Benjamin Cayetano as Secretary of Labor, Secratery of Labor under the Clinton Administration Alexis Herman as Secretary of Commerce, Texas Congressmen Charlie Gonzales as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Former New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen as Secretary of Health and Human Services,Former North Carolina Governor James Baxter Hunt Jr. as Secretary of Education,and California Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald as Secretary of Transportation. Kerry suffers a setback when his first choice for Defence Secretary, Jack Reed, declines the offer to remain in the Senate. Kerry offers the position to Tony Lake, former National Security Adviser to President Clinton. It is revealed much later that Lake's successor, Sandy Berger, had been considered for the role, while under investigation for removing classified material from the National Archives.
 * January-February: The newly-Democratic Senate confirms all of Kerry's nominees.
 * January 20: At a ceremony at the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, John Forbes Kerry is sworn in by Chief Justice Rehnquist as the 44th President of the United States. Security is tighter than at any Presidential inauguration previously after Kerry recieves a higher-than-usual number of threats. In his inaugural speech, Kerry speaks of "a change in America" and promises to govern "wisely, for all Americans." He promises a thorough review of American policy in Iraq, and announces he will set up a bipartisan commission to study America's options. Notably, former President Bush is not present at the ceremony, normally a given for a Presidential inauguration.
 * January 24: Four days after taking office, President Kerry asks the U.S. Senate to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
 * January 30: Iraq holds its first free elections, surpisingly there is little violence and turnout is high across the country. The National Assembly begins to construct a new Constitution. The majority Shi'a population controls the new assembly, leading to violence among the country's Sunni population.
 * February 6: Kerry's home team, the New England Patriots, win the Super Bowl. Kerry personally congratulates them, and later mentions them in his State of the Union address.
 * February 10: The Senate ratifies the Kyoto Protocol 51-50, with Vice President John Edwards forced to vote with the majority to break the tie. With its ratification, Australia is left as the only major industrialised power not to have ratified the treaty. President Kerry signs the treaty on February 13.
 * February 16: The Kyoto Protocol goes into effect. The Australian government continues to hold out, despite U.S. pressure.
 * February 19: Former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush tour regions of Thailand affected by the Asian Tsunami.
 * February 20: The United States and Japan release a joint statement which says that easing tensions in the Taiwan Strait is among their "common strategic objectives". The statement is welcomed by the government of Taiwan, but is condemned by China.
 * February 23: President Kerry makes his first overseas trip, visiting Germany, France, the UK and Slovakia, becoming the first President to visit Slovakia. He attends the Slovakia Summit.
 * February 29: Following discussions with Prime Minister Martin of Canada, President Kerry declares an indefinite halt to the U.S. Missile Shield project, provoking an angry reaction from Republicans who accuse him of being soft on defence.
 * March 1: In a major change to capital punishment in the United States, by a closely-divided vote, the US Supreme Court rules, in Roper v. Simmons, that imposition of the death penalty on persons convicted of capital crimes committed before they were 18 is unconstitutional. President Kerry welcomes the verdict.
 * March 7: President Kerry orders U.S. military prosecutors to prepare the detainees at Guantanamo Bay to face criminal charges.
 * March 15: In a speech to the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Harry Waxman (D-Cal) accuses accusing the administration of having withheld a damaging audit regarding overcharges by Halliburton for services in Iraq (such as charging $27,000,000 for transporting $82,000 worth of fuel from Kuwait to Iraq). The Democratic Senate begins an investigation of certain former Bush Administration officials.
 * March 25: The Pentagon announces that eleven detainees from Guantanamo Bay will be released and repatriated following an 'absence of credible evidence to warrant charges in the United States'. A further seven, including Australian David Hicks, will face trial in June for a range of charges relating to the support of terrorism.
 * April 8: President Kerry, a Catholic, attends the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome.
 * April 30: President Kerry formally endorses a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, repaying Mr. Villaraigosa's support for his own presidential campaign in 2004.
 * May 1: The United States informs Japan that North Korea may have launched another test missile towards the Sea of Japan. The report is now said to be confirmed. The State Department begins negotiations with Korea, despite criticism of pandering.
 * May 2: A State Department report on terrorism shows an increase in the number of people worldwide who have been killed in acts of terrorism. President Kerry calls for action, and proposes an international summit conference to address issues of terrorism around the globe.
 * May 5: In the United Kingdom, Tony Blair's ruling Labour Party suffers large losses at the general election to the opposition Conservatives and particularly the anti-war Liberal Democrats. Blair manages to hold on to power but his position becomes less tenable as the Iraq conflict continues.
 * May 16: Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke visits Iraq and tells U.S. troops to "keep fighting" to liberate the country from the ongoing insurgency. In the same speech, he states the need for a 'dialogue' between the insurgents and the Iraqi government.
 * May 20: Four Guantanamo Bay detainees, including Australian David Hicks, are indicted by a U.S. court, and not by a military commission, for charges relating to support of terrorism. The case is adjourned until July.
 * June 1: On the release of the so-called 'Downing Street Memo', President Kerry blasts the former administration for concealing information about the Iraq war. The President does not directly criticise the Blair government, but his comments increase anti-Blair feelings in the UK, leading many to suggest Blair will resign before the end of 2005.
 * June 13: President Kerry announces an additional 40,000 U.S. troops will be sent to Iraq in an effort to quell the violence. His plan is heavily criticised by many Democrats, who claim Kerry is only exaspering the situation. Recently-elected Senator Barack Obama publicly calls for a complete withdrawal by December 2006.
 * June 21: Another seven Guantanamo Bay inmates are indicted by the U.S. court system for terrorism-related charges.
 * July 1: Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O' Conner unexpectedly announces her retirement from the Supreme Court.
 * July 19: President Kerry nominates Martha Craig Daughtrey of the 6th Court of Appeals to serve as O'Conner's replacement.
 * July 23: Several Guantanamo detainees, including Australian David Hicks, are tried by a U.S. court. Though many are not so lucky, Hicks is found not guilty and returned home, where he begins to speak out against his treatment at Camp X-Ray and causes severe embarrasment for the Australian government.
 * August 29: Hurricane Katrina devastates the U.S. Gulf Coast. At least 1, 836 people are killed, and most of southern North America is affected by the disaster. President Kerry appears on TV and announces a massive humanitarian and rescue mission, and directs FEMA to begin rescue and cleanup operations. Kerry is reported in a number of sources to have taken "personal charge" of the Katrina aftermath effort, and is praised by some for visiting the devastated region immediately.
 * September 3: Chief Justice William Rehnquist dies. Two days later President Kerry withdraws Daughtrey as O' Conner's replacement and nominates her as Chief Justice. The move to nominate her to Chief Justice draws tremendous praise.
 * September 18,2005: Angela Merkel's CDU wins a narrow victory in the German Federal election.
 * September 22,2005: Angela Merkel is elected by the German Parliement as Germany's first female chancellor.
 * September 29: Martha Craig Daughtrey is easily confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as America's first woman Chief Justice.
 * October 3: President Kerry nominates Sonia Sotomayor of the 2nd Court of Appeals to replace O'Connor
 * October 5: Former Mayor of New York Rudi Guilani becomes the first Republican to suggest a Presidential run in 2008, announcing he is considering a run.
 * October 19: Saddam Hussein begins his trial for war crimes in Iraq.
 * October 28: Lewis "Scooter" Libby, an aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney, is indicted on five counts: one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of making false statements when interviewed by agents of the FBI, and two counts of perjury in his testimony before a grand jury. The charges all relate to his involvement in the Valerie Plame affair.
 * December 5: Sonia Sotomayor is confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice.

2006

 * January 15 Michele Bachelet is elected Chile's first woman President.
 * January 16 Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's first elected woman president and Africa's first elected woman head of state.
 * February 11: Vice President John Edwards creates a minor storm and plenty of material for late night talk-show hosts when he introduces President Kerry at a fundraising dinner but forgets his name. The incident is minor, and blamed on fatigue (Edwards hadn't slept for two days), but it is a Quayle-esque moment that alters Edwards' public image somewhat.
 * March 18: President Kerry sends a series of bills to Congress with the intent of regulating the healthcare industry, the first steps towards greater health coverage for many Americans. Republicans instantly attack the bill and a fierce debate ensues, echoing Bill Clinton's attempt to do much the same thing early in his term. House Speaker Dennis Hastert accuses Kerry of attempting to undermine America's free-market economy. Other Republicans express similar concerns.
 * April 14: President Kerry announces that Camp X-Ray will close by the end of the year, and that all remaining inmates will be transferred to the civilian prison system.
 * April 23: The. U.S. House of Representatives rejects all the Kerry healthcare measures.
 * May 22: After the bloodiest day of violence in Iraq since the beginning of the war, the White House announces a bipartisan committee, consisting of four Democrats, four Republicans and chaired by former U.S. commander in Iraq General Ricardo Sanchez (called the Sanchez commission). It will hand down its final report in January 2007.
 * June 16: President Kerry sends a bill to Congress to increase the minimum wage and to link it to inflation. The Republicans immediately condemn the bill as anti-business.
 * July 2: In a close and contraversial election, Andrés Manuel López Obrador is elected President of Mexico.
 * July 5: North Korea test-fires a nuclear missile, prompting fears of a potential nuclear conflict in Asia.
 * July 16: After Israeli troops invade Lebanon in retaliation for the kidnap of an Israeli soldier by Hezbollah fighters, Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke is dispatched to the region as part of an attempt to secure a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
 * July 24: Peace talks break down in Lebanon and Biden returns to the U.S., in the Kerry Administration's first serious foreign policy disaster. The violence in Lebanon continues to rage until August, when a UN resolution takes effect and a brokered cease-fire begins.
 * July 28: The Supreme Court rules in League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry rules that the 2003 Texas redistricting plan ochrestrated by then house Majority Leader Tom Delay is unconsititutional and strikes down the entire plan as partisan gerrymandering.
 * September 19: A military coup overthrows Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Washington severs diplomatic ties with Bangkok, but they are re-established within eight weeks of the coup.
 * October 9: North Korea reports a successful nuclear test.
 * October 13: South Korea's Ban Ki-Moon is elected as the next UN Secretary General.
 * October 17: The U.S. Census Bureau shows the United States population to have reached 300 million.
 * October 25: The Supreme Court of New Jersey effectively legalises gay marriage. While not supporting gay marriage, President Kerry endorses the move as a victory for states rights and for equality, and begins a review into federal policy on civil unions.
 * November 5: Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death. The decision is said to profoundly worry John Kerry. Kerry reportedly spends hours at a time on the phone to Iraqi authorities, in an attempt to get the Iraqi government to commute the sentence.
 * November 7: In President Kerry's first midterm election, the Democrats regain control of the majority of the nation's governorships 28 Democrats to 22 Republicans. The Democrats win control of several governorship winning Arkansas, Massachusetts,New York,Idaho,Nevada,and Ohio losing Illinois and Michigan. In Congress, the Republicans lose control of the House of Representatives by 239 to 198. The democrats however lose two house seats in Georgia, one in Texas and one in South Carolina. One of the most surpising Democrat gains is a House seat gain in Idaho. In the Senate, the Democrats now control 53 seats and the Republicans 45, with one Independent (Bernie Sanders). The Democrats lose a senate seat in Maryland but win in Pennslyvania,Virginia,Ohio,and Montana and Arizona. The Senate thus passes to the Democrats, as Sanders caucuses with them and Vice President Edwards has a casting vote. The election brings with it several firsts, Keith Ellison of Minnesota becomes the first Muslim in congress, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Hank Johnson of Georgia become the first Buddists in congress, Nevada becomes the first state to have with more than one rep. to have all female delegation in the U.S. House and a woman governor(the state's first) Alaska and Illinois also see the election of their first woman governors. Massachusetts also elects it's first African American Governor. After the election, House Speaker Hastert announces he will retire and resign from the House and is replaced by a Democratic woman veteran in the special election that follows. Bringing the majority to 240.The Democrats victory in retaking the House is seen as a personal victory of the White House and the Kerry Administration.
 * November 13: Following the devastating Republican loss, Rudy Guilani announces he is forming a Presidential exploratory committee.

2007

 * January 3: The 110th congress takes office and Nancy Pelosi is sworn in as the first woman Speaker of the House. Within the first 100 hours the house passes a wide range of Pelosi;s 100 Hour Plan new ethics rules ,a minimum wage increase,Enact all recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission,Grant federal funding to a wide variety of stem cell research projects, reduce prescription-drug prices for seniors by requiring Medicare to negotiate rates with pharmaceutical companies,Cut interest rates on student loans in half,and End large tax subsidies for large oil companies, for the reasons outlined above and also to help foster energy independence. All are signed into law over the next few weeks by President Kerry.
 * January 23: President Kerry gives his fourth State of the Union address.It is his first with a Democratic house. President Kerry began his address by recognizing new House Speaker Pelosi:“ And tonight I have a high privilege and distinct honor of my own as the first president to begin the State of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker." The Republican Response is delivered by Maryland Senator Michael Steele the first African American to do so.
 * January 25: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Ca) announces his Presidential campaign.
 * January 28: Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee announces, several weeks after leaving office, that he will run for President. His announcement is overshadowed, however, by John McCain's very public announcement of his candidacy on The Late Show with David Letterman.
 * February 13: Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney announces he will run for President. The announcement is said to rattle some White House officials, since President Kerry is also from Massachusetts.
 * February 15: Rudi Guiliani announces his candidacy for President.
 * March 6: Lewis Libby is convicted of four of the five counts for which he was indicted. He is sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000.
 * March 22: Vice President John Edwards's wife Elizabeth announces that her cancer has become malignant. The Vice President and his wife make a joint TV appearance followed by a long interview with Diane Sawyer in which Edwards states he intends to remain Vice President but doesn't rule out standing down at the 2008 election, saying he will make a decision closer to the convention.
 * April 18: The Supreme Court rules in Gonzales_v._Carhart that the Partial Birth Abortion Ban act of 2003 in a 6-3 ruling is unconstitutional. The majority ruling delivered by Chief Justice Daugherty says it is unconsitutional because it does not include a provision for health of the mother and places an undue burden on the women. It is seen as a major victory for the Kerry Administration.
 * April 21: Secratery of Transportation Juanita Millender McDonald dies.
 * April 24: President Kerry annonces Florida Congresswoman Corrine Brown will replace McDonald as Transportation Secratery.
 * April 26: Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore formally announces his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President.
 * May 6: Segolene Royal is elected as the first woman President of France in a narrow upset over Nicolas Sarkozy by a margin of 52 to 48. Shortly after she declares victory President Kerry calls President-Elect Royal to congratulate her on her historic victory. President Kerry makes a televised statement that evening from the White House calling "her victory a momentous occasion for France and a historic day for the women of the world" and calling "Segolene Royal a role model and an inspiration for women across the nation and the entire world."
 * May 15: In a major televised debate between GOP presidential candidates, the Kerry administration is heavily criticised by all candidates for its failure to secure long-term stability in Iraq. Candidates Guilani and Romney are particularly scathing. Romney says "This President was elected largely due to criticism about the Bush Administration's strategy in Iraq. And since he's been elected, nothing has changed. He promised everything and delivered nothing."
 * May 25: Segolene Royal takes office as France's first woman president in an inaguration cermony attended by President Kerry and other leaders from around the world including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chilean President Michele Bachelet, and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
 * June 10 and June 17: Segolene Royal's Socalist Party wins the French legislative election with a very narrow victory of only 295 seats or six seats above the threshold required for a majority.
 * June 19: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg resigns from the Republican Party, fueling speculation about an independent run for President or that he will replace Vice President Edwards on the Democratic ticket in 2008.
 * June 24: Tony Blair steps down as Prime Minister of the UK and is replaced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown.
 * July 29: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's LDP suffers a devastating and historic defeat in the House of Councillors election resulting in the opposition DPJ taking control.
 * August 1: The I35W brige in Minneapolis collapses. President Kerry issues a statement expressing deep sorrow for the citizens of Minneapolis and calls for prayer for the people of Minneapolis. Secatery of Transportation Corrine Brown along with Governor Mike Hatch, Minneapolis Mayor R.T Ryback and Congressman Keith Ellison ,and Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman and other Minnesota officals hold a press conference at the site.
 * August 2: President Kerry announces that all bridges with simalir designs as the one in Minneapolis that collapsed will be immeditatly inspected. President Kerry offers the assistance of the Federal goverment and offers to assist in the recovery effort.
 * August 6: First Lady Teresa Heinz Kerry visits Minneapolis and tours the collapse site and visits with the victims families.
 * August 7: President Kerry declars a state of emergency in Minneapolis and annonces he will visit the site in a few days.
 * August 8: French President Segolene Royal goes on vacation in the United States with her family to Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.
 * August 11: Segolene Royal visits President Kerry in Nantucket and has a private lunch with President Royal and holds a humorous but also briefly serious press conference President Royal remarks that while her and President Kerry may not always agree the U.S. is still an ally. President Kerry remarks that France and the United States will continue to work together but will make sure that France's concerns are heard an taken into conisderation in foreign policy.
 * Also on August 11, Mitt Romney wins the Iowa Straw Poll, with Mike Huckabee coming in second. Rudi Guilani fares poorly, as does Jim Gilmore.


 * August 12: President Kerry visits Minneapolis and tours the collapse site and visits with the victims families and meets with Minnesota Governor Mike Hatch,Senators Amy Klobuchar and Norm Coleman, Congressman Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor R.T Ryback and other Minnesota officals to discuss recovery efforts. Transportation Secratery Corrine Brown joins the Preisdent Kerry on the trip.
 * September 5-9: The APEC Forum is held in Sydney, Australia, with President Kerry visiting that country for the first time. During the proceedings, the satirical TV program The Chaser's War on Everything causes a security scare by infiltrating the secure zone in a fake Canadian motorcade and disembarking with a comedian dressed as Osama bin Laden outside the hotel where Kerry is staying. Kerry is reported to be 'mildly amused' by the incident; the same cannot be said for the Australian government.
 * Also during APEC, Kerry meets with Australian Prime Minister John Howard and opposition leader Kevin Rudd. Kerry and Rudd find common ground quickly on matters such as climate change and Iraq. Rudd informs Kerry that he plans to remove Australian troops from Iraq in a 'staged withdrawal'. Kerry and his aides do not comment publicly on that issue.


 * September 9: Actor and former Senator from Tennessee Fred Thompson declines to run for President.
 * September 10: In an address to the nation Kerry announces that troops in Iraq will return to pre surge levels by the end of December due to a reduction in violence and increased stability. He announces the first troops will start coming home by the end of October. Kerry also announces that thousands more troops will come home by March of 2008.
 * September 12: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigns and leadership elections are called.
 * September 26: MP Yasuo Fukuda is elected the new leader of the LDP and thus the new Prime Minister of Japan.
 * October 3:President Kerry signs a bill expanding and renewing the SCHIP Program in a public ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.
 * October 16: Kerry's home state of Massachusetts elects Democrat Niki Tsongas in a special congressional election to replace Marty Meehan who retired to become Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. She became the state's first woman elected to the House in 25 years.
 * October 22-23: President Kerry declares a disaster area in southern California as 500,000 people are evacuated following massive wildfires around Los Angeles and San Diego. Kerry later visits the sight and is photographed with a young boy whose parents lost their home. The photograph of Kerry offering the boy his jacket is front-page news across the nation, though critics say the photo is a staged event designed to distract from obvious failings in FEMA's response to the disaster in some areas.
 * October 28: First Lady and Senator Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is elected Argentina's second woman president but is the first to be elected. Her Husband President Nestor Kirchner had several months before declined to run for reelection.
 * November 6-7 French President Segolene Royal makes a state visit to the United States. President Royal address a Joint Session of Congress and gets an overwhelming standing ovation at her arrival. Royal express that although her and the current adminstration may not always agree she is open to working with the United States. She also discuss the need to establish fair trade and that both administrations must work togther to do all that is nessacery to prevent Iran from getting nucleur weapons. Later President Kerry holds a joint press conference in Mount Vernon, Virginia. They discuss topics including Lebanon, energy, Afganistan, violence in the Middle East.
 * November 24: In Australia, the conservative government of John Howard, who had been a key ally of the Bush Administration, is resoundingly defeated at the polls by a resurgent Labor Party led by former diplomat Kevin Rudd. Labor wins 25 seats from the government. The downfall of Howard is celebrated by opponents of the Iraq war, as he is seen by many as one of the three major supporters of the war, the others being Bush and Blair, and all three are no longer in office. Rudd promises national reconciliation. One of his key policies had been a phased withdrawal from Iraq. President Kerry, upon visiting Australia for APEC, had met with Mr. Rudd and the two had apparently got on well, signalling a new direction in US-Australian relations.