Romney the Reluctant Presidential Candidate, Another Kennedy Weighs Senate Run, and More

Kerry Tapped:

In case you missed it: In a move that surprised virtually no one, President Obama nominated Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. The president made the announcement Friday. (Read more)

Sen. Kennedy? Edward M. Kennedy Jr., son of former Sen. Ted Kennedy, is considering running for John Kerry’s seat if the senator is confirmed as secretary of state, as expected. “It’s not something he took lightly when he was approached about running. He got the message that he should seriously look at it.’’ Patrick Kennedy, brother to the younger Ted Kennedy, said in an interview Saturday. “Clearly, given our father’s legacy, he could put on a very strong campaign. It’s clearly the best opportunity for the Democrats to hold the seat.’’ Kennedy and Ben Affleck, anyway. (Read more)

Mr. Reluctant: Although he ran for president for what seems like forever, Mitt Romney didn’t really want the job, his son Tagg Romney told The Boston Globe. Romney’s oldest son said the failed 2012 presidential nominee “wanted to be president less than anyone I’ve met in my life.” Tagg added, “If he could have found someone else to take his place … he would have been ecstatic to step aside. He is a very private person who loves his family deeply and wants to be with them, but he has deep faith in God and he loves his country, but he doesn’t love the attention.” Although that does explain his poorly run campaign, it does little to clear up why exactly a man who had no desire to be president ran for the office twice. (Read more)

Final Farewell: President Obama and first lady Michelle were among those who attended the memorial service Sunday for Sen. Daniel Inouye in Hawaii. Obama, who delivered a eulogy for the Medal of Honor recipient and World War II hero Friday in Washington, D.C., did not speak at this service. However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did. “Daniel was the best senator among us all,” Reid told the crowd of about 1,000. “Whenever we needed a noble man to lean on, we turned to Sen. Dan Inouye. He was fearless.” Inouye died last week at the age of 88. (Read more)

Occupy Investigated: The Occupy Wall Street movement was monitored as a possible terrorist threat, according to internal records released by the FBI. In certain documents, the Occupy protests are referred to as “criminal activity” and, in some instances, even as “domestic terrorism.” Documents show that the FBI coordinated with many private companies — banks included — over concerns about the mass movement’s impact. (Read more)

Video of the Day: Is there anything Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker hasn’t done? In addition to helping residents affected by Hurricane Sandy, saving a neighbor earlier this year from a dangerous kitchen fire and recently going on a challenge to live off food stamps for a week to raise awareness about hunger, Booker once put his fist into a gunshot victim’s chest in an attempt to save the person’s life. He recounted the experience during a discussion on gun control on ABC’s “This Week.”