Obama Admin Pulls Kerry Off the Mound

Read this article and tell me the most salient detail?  Here is a snippet of it, which is highly representative of the whole thing...

Susan Rice was sent on her first trip to Israel as National Security Adviser to both pressure the Jewish state to embrace two-state solution plans and try to make Jerusalem amenable to a nuclear deal with Iran. Rice met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today in advance of Thursday’s U.S.-Israel Consultative Group consultations.

“They discussed a wide range of regional and bilateral issues, including the United States and Israel’s close security cooperation, which has been unprecedented under President Obama’s leadership. On Iran, Ambassador Rice emphasized the critical importance of pursuing a comprehensive solution that assures the international community that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. She reiterated that the United States will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, and that diplomacy is the best way to resolve the international community’s concerns peacefully. Ambassador Rice told Prime Minister Netanyahu that the United States will continue intensive consultations with Israel as P5+1 and the EU negotiations continue,” the White House said in a readout of the meeting. “On Israeli-Palestinians negotiations, Ambassador Rice noted that, while we have come to a pause in the parties’ talks, the United States remains convinced that lasting peace can only be secured through direct negotiations that lead to two viable, independent states living side-by-side in peace and security.”

Aside from that laugh line that I bolded above, what stands out?  Trick question, because what stands out is what is not in the article, namely John Kerry.  This is Kerry's domain and he's been all over Israel and related issues since Day 1.  But he's off in South Sudan or somewhere like that.  And Rice has never been to Israel.  Why Rice and not Kerry?

I think that's an easy one.  The Israelis are sick of him.  They probably told him not to come back, may have even denied him a visa.  After that "apartheid" schtick, the Israelis likely sent very clear back channel messages to DOS to stay-the-f**k-away for a spell.