OH, HE FLIES, HE FLIES – AT 8:47 A.M. ET:  John Kerry is going to Paris!  Say it, say it!  Our French-speaking secretary of state will now get some real practice.  I'm so excited to report this.

Apparently stung by the worldwide criticism of the absence of American officials at the Paris anti-terrorism march, John Kerry will do Paris.  From Fox: 

Secretary of State John Kerry called criticism that no top U.S. officials attended Sunday's massive march against terrorism in Paris "quibbling" Monday, even as he announced a trip to the French capital later this week for talks on countering Islamist violence.

Kerry announced his plans at a press conference in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, where he had made a long-scheduled appearance at an international investment conference Sunday ahead of President Barack Obama's planned visit to that country later this month.

"I would have personally very much wanted to have been [in Paris]," Kerry said, "but couldn't do so because of the commitment that I had here and it is important to keep these kinds of commitments."

When asked about criticism directed at the Obama administration for not sending a high-ranking official to take part in the march, Kerry said, "I really think that this is sort of quibbling a little bit in the sense that our Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland was there and marched, our ambassador [to France Jane Hartley] was there and marched, many people from the embassy were there and marched."

Nuland, in fact, attended a march in Washington.

And...

Among the world leaders who did march, under heavy security, were French President Francois Hollande, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Attorney General Eric Holder did not take part, despite being in Paris for meetings on counterterrorism.

Kerry said he is going to France to reaffirm U.S. solidarity with America's oldest ally. He said as soon as he heard about the march, he asked his team what the earliest time was that he could go.

COMMENT:  Huh?  He had to ask his team when he could go?  Did he get a permission note from mama?

Look, Obama didn't care that much to go or send a high-ranking official.  Joe Biden wasn't doing much yesterday.   Obama could have also prevailed upon former presidents to attend.

The president of the United States sent a message.  A terrible one.

January 12,  2015