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In December 2008, Kennedy expressed interest in the United States Senate seat occupied by Hillary Clinton, who had been selected to become Secretary of State. This seat was to be filled through 2010 by appointment of New York Governor David Paterson. This same seat was held by Kennedy's uncle Robert F. Kennedy from January 1965 until his assassination in June 1968, when he was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Kennedy's appointment was supported by Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, State Assemblyman Vito Lopez, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former New York City Mayor Ed Koch.

She was criticized for not voting in a number of Democratic primaries and general elections since registering in 1988 in New York City and for not providing details about her political views. In response, Kennedy released a statement through a spokeswoman that outlined some of her political views including that she supported legislation legalizing same-sex marriage, was pro-choice, against the death penalty, for restoring the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, and believed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) should be re-examined. On foreign policy, her spokeswoman reiterated that Kennedy opposed the Iraq War from the beginning as well as that she believed that Jerusalem should be the undivided capital city of Israel. Kennedy declined to make disclosures of her financial dealings or other personal matters to the press, stating that she would not release the information publicly unless she were selected by Governor Paterson. She did complete a confidential 28-page disclosure questionnaire required of hopefuls, reported to include extensive financial information.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Kennedy acknowledged that she would need to prove herself. "Going into politics is something people have asked me about forever", Kennedy said. "When this opportunity came along, which was sort of unexpected, I thought, 'Well, maybe now. How about now?' [I'll have to] work twice as hard as anybody else..... I am an unconventional choice..... We're starting to see there are many ways into public life and public service". In late December 2008, Kennedy drew criticism from several media outlets for lacking clarity in interviews, and for using the phrase "you know" 168 times during a 30-minute interview with NY1.

Shortly before midnight on January 22, 2009, Kennedy released a statement that she was withdrawing from consideration for the seat due to "personal reasons". Kennedy declined to expand upon the reasons that led to her decision. One day after Kennedy's withdrawal, Paterson announced his selection of Representative Kirsten Gillibrand to fill the Senate seat.

United States Ambassador to Japan (2013–2017)

=================

On July 24, 2013, President Obama announced Kennedy as his nominee to be United States Ambassador to Japan to succeed Ambassador John Roos. The prospective nomination was first reported in February 2013 and, in mid-July 2013, formal diplomatic agreement to the appointment was reportedly received from the Japanese government.

On September 19, 2013, Kennedy sat before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and responded to questions regarding her potential appointment. Kennedy explained that her focus would be military ties, trade, and student exchange if she was selected for the position. On September 30, 2013, the committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor. She was confirmed on October 16, 2013, by voice vote as the first female U.S. Ambassador to Japan and was sworn in by Secretary of State John Kerry on November 12. Kennedy arrived in Japan on November 15 and met Japanese diplomats three days later. On November 19, NHK showed live coverage of Kennedy's arrival at the Imperial Palace to present her diplomatic credentials to Emperor Akihito.

Tenure

=================

In December 2013, she visited Nagasaki to meet with survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing of that city. On August 5, 2014, she attended a memorial ceremony for victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima; she was the second U.S. ambassador to attend the annual memorial. This was her second visit to Hiroshima, having visited in 1978 with her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy.

In February 2014, Kennedy visited the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, the site of the large military bases of United States Forces Japan, and was received by protests against the American military presence and placards with "no base" written on them. The protesters are opposed to the American military presence citing various concerns over sexual assaults and the environmental impact of the base. Kennedy subsequently met with Okinawa's governor, Hirokazu Nakaima, who was re-elected in 2010 in opposition to the base. She pledged to reduce the burden of the American military presence in Okinawa.

In April 2015, Kennedy visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which displayed the impact from the 1945 atomic bombing. Kennedy called her visit a "solemn honor" and also planted dogwood trees on a road, participating in a U.S. project to spread 3,000 dogwood trees across Japan.

On August 6, 2015, Kennedy accompanied US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller to the memorial for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan by the United States in World War II. It marked the 70th anniversary of the bombing, and Gottemoeller became the first senior American official to attend the annual memorial. Kennedy was only the second US ambassador to attend. With representatives of 100 countries in attendance, Japanese prime minister Shinzō Abe reiterated Japan's official support for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

On August 15, 2015, Kennedy was named sponsor for the second USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) a Gerald R. Ford class supercarrier named for her father. Kennedy christened CVN-79 on December 7, 2019, the 78th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Traditionally, a person only sponsors one United States navy ship; however, Kennedy is one of the rare exceptions who sponsored two ships.

Kennedy resigned as the United States Ambassador to Japan shortly before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. She formally left Japan as Ambassador on January 18, 2017. In recognition of her service, Kennedy was awarded Japan's Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in 2021.

United States Ambassador to Australia (2022–2024)

=================

On December 15, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Kennedy to be the United States Ambassador to Australia. Hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 7, 2022. The committee favorably reported her to the Senate floor on May 4, 2022. She was confirmed by the Senate on May 5, 2022, by voice vote. Kennedy was officially sworn in on June 10, 2022. She presented her credentials to Governor-General of Australia David Hurley on July 25, 2022.

At her arrival press conference in July 2022, she called out a male journalist for speaking over a female reporter.

While ambassador, Kennedy worked to secure support in Congress to pass legislation to allow for the transfer of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia (under AUKUS).

In August 2023, Kennedy suggested the potential for "resolution" and a plea bargain deal, to resolve the extradition proceedings of journalist Julian Assange (an Australian citizen) from the United Kingdom to the United States. Also in 2023, she travelled to Solomon Islands with her son Jack, to witness a recreation of part of the famous 1.2-kilometre (0.75 mi) swim made by her father when he was in the navy and his ship was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer in 1943.

In September 2024, Kennedy announced she would leave her ambassadorial position regardless of the result of the presidential election.

Publications

=================

Kennedy and Ellen Alderman have co-written two books on civil liberties:

-
In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action (1991)

-
The Right to Privacy (1995)

Kennedy has edited these New York Times best-selling volumes:

-
The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (2001);

-
Profiles in Courage for Our Time (2002);

-
A Patriot's Handbook (2003);

-
A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children (2005).

She is also the author of A Family Christmas, a collection of poems, prose, and personal notes from her family history (2007, ISBN 978-1-4013-2227-4). In April 2011, a new collection of poetry, She Walks in Beauty – A Woman's Journey Through Poems, edited and introduced by Kennedy, was published. She launched the book at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum at Columbia Point, Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Citations

Book sources

-
Andersen, Christopher P. (2004). Sweet Caroline: Last Child of Camelot. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-103225-7.

-
Heymann, C. David (2007). American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-74-349739-8.

External links

=================

-
Appearances on C-SPAN
--------------------------------------------------


TITLE: Khaleda_Zia
====================
Begum Khaleda Zia (born as Khaleda Khanam Putul; 15 August 1946 – 30 December 2025) was a Bangladeshi politician who served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and the second female prime minister in the Muslim world after Benazir Bhutto. She was the wife of the former president of Bangladesh and army commander, Ziaur Rahman. She was the chairperson and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) from 1984 onwards.

=================

In December 2008, Kennedy expressed interest in the United States Senate seat occupied by Hillary Clinton, who had been selected to become Secretary of State. This seat was to be filled through 2010 by appointment of New York Governor David Paterson. This same seat was held by Kennedy's uncle Robert F. Kennedy from January 1965 until his assassination in June 1968, when he was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Kennedy's appointment was supported by Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, State Assemblyman Vito Lopez, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former New York City Mayor Ed Koch.

She was criticized for not voting in a number of Democratic primaries and general elections since registering in 1988 in New York City and for not providing details about her political views. In response, Kennedy released a statement through a spokeswoman that outlined some of her political views including that she supported legislation legalizing same-sex marriage, was pro-choice, against the death penalty, for restoring the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, and believed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) should be re-examined. On foreign policy, her spokeswoman reiterated that Kennedy opposed the Iraq War from the beginning as well as that she believed that Jerusalem should be the undivided capital city of Israel. Kennedy declined to make disclosures of her financial dealings or other personal matters to the press, stating that she would not release the information publicly unless she were selected by Governor Paterson. She did complete a confidential 28-page disclosure questionnaire required of hopefuls, reported to include extensive financial information.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Kennedy acknowledged that she would need to prove herself. "Going into politics is something people have asked me about forever", Kennedy said. "When this opportunity came along, which was sort of unexpected, I thought, 'Well, maybe now. How about now?' [I'll have to] work twice as hard as anybody else..... I am an unconventional choice..... We're starting to see there are many ways into public life and public service". In late December 2008, Kennedy drew criticism from several media outlets for lacking clarity in interviews, and for using the phrase "you know" 168 times during a 30-minute interview with NY1.

Shortly before midnight on January 22, 2009, Kennedy released a statement that she was withdrawing from consideration for the seat due to "personal reasons". Kennedy declined to expand upon the reasons that led to her decision. One day after Kennedy's withdrawal, Paterson announced his selection of Representative Kirsten Gillibrand to fill the Senate seat.

United States Ambassador to Japan (2013–2017)

=================

On July 24, 2013, President Obama announced Kennedy as his nominee to be United States Ambassador to Japan to succeed Ambassador John Roos. The prospective nomination was first reported in February 2013 and, in mid-July 2013, formal diplomatic agreement to the appointment was reportedly received from the Japanese government.

On September 19, 2013, Kennedy sat before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and responded to questions regarding her potential appointment. Kennedy explained that her focus would be military ties, trade, and student exchange if she was selected for the position. On September 30, 2013, the committee favorably reported her nomination to the Senate floor. She was confirmed on October 16, 2013, by voice vote as the first female U.S. Ambassador to Japan and was sworn in by Secretary of State John Kerry on November 12. Kennedy arrived in Japan on November 15 and met Japanese diplomats three days later. On November 19, NHK showed live coverage of Kennedy's arrival at the Imperial Palace to present her diplomatic credentials to Emperor Akihito.

Tenure

=================

In December 2013, she visited Nagasaki to meet with survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing of that city. On August 5, 2014, she attended a memorial ceremony for victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima; she was the second U.S. ambassador to attend the annual memorial. This was her second visit to Hiroshima, having visited in 1978 with her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy.

In February 2014, Kennedy visited the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, the site of the large military bases of United States Forces Japan, and was received by protests against the American military presence and placards with "no base" written on them. The protesters are opposed to the American military presence citing various concerns over sexual assaults and the environmental impact of the base. Kennedy subsequently met with Okinawa's governor, Hirokazu Nakaima, who was re-elected in 2010 in opposition to the base. She pledged to reduce the burden of the American military presence in Okinawa.

In April 2015, Kennedy visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which displayed the impact from the 1945 atomic bombing. Kennedy called her visit a "solemn honor" and also planted dogwood trees on a road, participating in a U.S. project to spread 3,000 dogwood trees across Japan.

On August 6, 2015, Kennedy accompanied US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller to the memorial for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan by the United States in World War II. It marked the 70th anniversary of the bombing, and Gottemoeller became the first senior American official to attend the annual memorial. Kennedy was only the second US ambassador to attend. With representatives of 100 countries in attendance, Japanese prime minister Shinzō Abe reiterated Japan's official support for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

On August 15, 2015, Kennedy was named sponsor for the second USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) a Gerald R. Ford class supercarrier named for her father. Kennedy christened CVN-79 on December 7, 2019, the 78th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor. Traditionally, a person only sponsors one United States navy ship; however, Kennedy is one of the rare exceptions who sponsored two ships.

Kennedy resigned as the United States Ambassador to Japan shortly before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. She formally left Japan as Ambassador on January 18, 2017. In recognition of her service, Kennedy was awarded Japan's Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in 2021.

United States Ambassador to Australia (2022–2024)

=================

On December 15, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Kennedy to be the United States Ambassador to Australia. Hearings on her nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 7, 2022. The committee favorably reported her to the Senate floor on May 4, 2022. She was confirmed by the Senate on May 5, 2022, by voice vote. Kennedy was officially sworn in on June 10, 2022. She presented her credentials to Governor-General of Australia David Hurley on July 25, 2022.

At her arrival press conference in July 2022, she called out a male journalist for speaking over a female reporter.

While ambassador, Kennedy worked to secure support in Congress to pass legislation to allow for the transfer of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia (under AUKUS).

In August 2023, Kennedy suggested the potential for "resolution" and a plea bargain deal, to resolve the extradition proceedings of journalist Julian Assange (an Australian citizen) from the United Kingdom to the United States. Also in 2023, she travelled to Solomon Islands with her son Jack, to witness a recreation of part of the famous 1.2-kilometre (0.75 mi) swim made by her father when he was in the navy and his ship was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer in 1943.

In September 2024, Kennedy announced she would leave her ambassadorial position regardless of the result of the presidential election.

Publications

=================

Kennedy and Ellen Alderman have co-written two books on civil liberties:

-

In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action (1991)

-

The Right to Privacy (1995)

Kennedy has edited these New York Times best-selling volumes:

-

The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (2001);

-

Profiles in Courage for Our Time (2002);

-

A Patriot's Handbook (2003);

-

A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children (2005).

She is also the author of A Family Christmas, a collection of poems, prose, and personal notes from her family history (2007, ISBN 978-1-4013-2227-4). In April 2011, a new collection of poetry, She Walks in Beauty – A Woman's Journey Through Poems, edited and introduced by Kennedy, was published. She launched the book at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum at Columbia Point, Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Citations

Book sources

-

Andersen, Christopher P. (2004). Sweet Caroline: Last Child of Camelot. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-103225-7.

-

Heymann, C. David (2007). American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-74-349739-8.

External links

=================

-

Appearances on C-SPAN

--------------------------------------------------

TITLE: Khaleda_Zia

====================

Begum Khaleda Zia (born as Khaleda Khanam Putul; 15 August 1946 – 30 December 2025) was a Bangladeshi politician who served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and the second female prime minister in the Muslim world after Benazir Bhutto. She was the wife of the former president of Bangladesh and army commander, Ziaur Rahman. She was the chairperson and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) from 1984 onwards.