John Kerry Finds His Special Purpose

For Kerry, a growing prominence on foreign policy stage - washingtonpost.com

Kerry's role over the past week in resolving, at least temporarily, the political turmoil in Afghanistan brought him kudos from Obama, who thanked him publicly and called his successful efforts to persuade President Hamid Karzai to accept a runoff election "extraordinarily constructive." It was Kerry -- pressed into action by the Obama administration while on an unrelated trip to Afghanistan -- who stood by Karzai's side in Kabul on Wednesday when the announcement about the runoff was made. For the first time since 2004, Kerry's face appeared on front pages across the country.