Thailand’s army chief announced a military takeover of the government Thursday, saying the coup was necessary to restore stability after six months of political deadlock and turmoil.

Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said in a statement broadcast on national television that the same military commission that had imposed martial law Tuesday would now take control of the country’s administration. Prayuth will head the body, a deputy spokesman said late Thursday.

The army also announced a nationwide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and a suspension of the country’s constitution.

“In order for the country to return to normal quickly, the National Peace Keeping Committee comprised of the army, the Thai armed forces, the Royal Air Force and the police need to seize power as of May 22 at 4:30 p.m.,” Prayuth said.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that he was “seriously concerned” about the developments, and appealed for the military to return Thailand to civilian rule.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said there was “no justification” for the military coup, according to a State Department news release. “While we value our long friendship with the Thai people,” Kerry said in the release, “this act will have negative implications for the U.S.-Thai relationship, especially our relationship with the Thai military. We are reviewing our military and other assistance and engagements, consistent with U.S. law.”

The army has banned gatherings of more than five protesters, and told anti-government protesters to leave the square in Bangkok where demonstrations have been taking place since November.

More: Thailand Army Carries Out Coup, Takes Control of Government

Secretary Kerry stands for those who support the destruction of Israel. He should not be speaking for this nation. He needs to stand down before he brings judgment against us.

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More: Louie Gohmert Warns John Kerry Is Bringing God’s ‘Judgment Against Us’

Mark Levin joins Ted Cruz in stupidly demanding John Kerry’s resignation for using the word “apartheid” to describe what could happen if there is only a one state solution in the Middle East.

And in so doing, he reheats some old Swift Boat lies.

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Did you know that John Kerry is an anti-Semite? Did you know that? The Democrat (sic) nominee in 2004? United States Senator from Massachusetts for all those terms? The man who lied to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971 when he turned on all our brave men and women in uniform fighting in Vietnam, and gave aid and comfort to the Vietnamese-the Communist Vietnamese and the Vietcong? Oh, am I allowed to say these things? Well, it’s true. Now he’s giving and aid and comfort to the terrorists in the Middle East. Let there be no mistake about it - now he’s giving aid and comfort to the Jew haters and the Israel haters in the Middle East. AND NOT JUST THERE! This man is a disgrace, and he should resign, and he won’t resign.

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And I don’s use this word “anti-Semite” frivolously. If somebody happens to disagree with me, that’s fine. But a pattern is evidence. And now Kerry warns that Israel risks becoming an apartheid state like South Africa. No Secretary of State has ever said that about our allies, Israel, ever.

More: Daily Rush Limbaugh & Conservative Video Blog Posts

When Pres­i­dent Barack Obama re­placed Hillary Clin­ton on Feb­ru­ary 1, 2013 with John Kerry as his Sec­re­tary of State, he ef­fec­tively re­moved the last ves­tige of ef­fec­tive U.S. for­eign pol­icy.

This is not to say that Hillary Clin­ton was so great at for­eign pol­icy, but that John Kerry is so in­ef­fec­tual at it. Add to this the pos­si­bil­ity that Obama might fin­ish his sec­ond term as one of the pres­i­dents with the worst for­eign pol­icy record.

More: Russ Campbell’s Blog: Has US Foreign Policy Record Ever Been Weaker?

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What’s odd about it is that for so long, it was Democrats who were thought to lack an understanding of the role identity and values play in politics. I certainly thought that. What I used to say when hectoring audiences of liberals is that, with a few exceptions (such as Bill Clinton), for a long time it seemed that elections would proceed this way: The Democrat would say, “If you read my 10-point plan, I believe you will see that I offer a superior choice to my opponent.” And the Republican would point to the Democrat and say, “That guy hates you and everything you stand for.” Candidates such as John Kerry, Al Gore and Michael Dukakis (sample quote: “This election isn’t about ideology. It’s about competence.”) just didn’t get it.

I think the answer is that Republicans can still play identity politics; the problem is that identity appeals can’t capture a majority of voters for them anymore, at least not nationally (on the local and state level, when they’re appealing to smaller groups of voters, it still works perfectly well). Ironically, it’s because they’re more defined by identity than ever — an identity as the party of old white guys — that they are stymied when they try to figure out how to play identity politics that goes beyond that demographic.

More: The GOP’s Identity Politics Conundrum

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was kidnapped Thursday by armed men and taken to an unknown location, the government said.

“The head of the transitional government, Ali Zeidan, was taken to an unknown destination for unknown reasons by a group” of men believed to be former rebels, the government said in a brief statement on its website.

Gunmen broke into the hotel where the prime minister was staying in the capital, Tripoli, and kidnapped him early Thursday morning, Al-Arabiya, a Saudi news channel, reported.

A former Libyan rebel group, The Libyan Revolutionary Operations Chamber, said on its Facebook page Thursday that it had “arrested” Zeidan after the government allowed the United States to capture Al-Qaeda suspect Abu Anas al-Liby in Tripoli last weekend.

The group said it had seized the prime minister “on the prosecutor’s orders,” and added that Zeidan was “arrested under the Libyan penal code … on the instructions of the public prosecutor.”

“His arrest comes after the statement by (U.S. Secretary of State) John Kerry about the capture of Abu Anas al-Liby, after he said the Libyan government was aware of the operation,” a spokesman for the group said.

More: Government: Libya Prime Minister Kidnapped by Armed Men

US Secretary of State John Kerry named former US ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk as his main envoy in Israeli-Palestinian talks starting in Washington later on Monday and said he was seeking “reasonable compromises” in the tough negotiations.

“It is no secret that many difficult choices lie ahead for the negotiators and for the leaders as we seek reasonable compromises on tough, complicated, emotional and symbolic issues.”

Kerry said Indyk is ‘realistic’ about the difficulties facing the Israelis and Palestinians and US negotiators in the resumption of the long-stalled talks.

At a State Department announcement, Kerry said that “the cause of peace” has been Indyk’s life’s mission.

Kerry and Indyk Jumpstart Israel-PA Talks

More: Democrats Take Aim at Sullivan - News

The Massachusetts Democratic Party are set to attack the Republican frontrunner Michael J Sullivan for the Senate seat vacated by Secretary Kerry. They will hold press conferences to highlight Sullivans opposition to same-sex marriage and his opposition to the assault weapons ban.

“We believe that by shining a light on Sullivan, who is widely recognized as the Republican front runner, we can show that the Republican Party is much like the national Republican Party, out of touch, driven by the Tea Party to take extreme positions, and on the wrong side of the issues for Massachusetts,’’ state Democratic Party chairman John W. Walsh said in a statement Tuesday.

But there is another angle to the Democrats’ strategy. By highlighting Sullivan’s socially conservative positions, they hope to energize the GOP primary electorate, propelling ­Sullivan to victory and thereby ensuring that the Democratic nominee will face the most conservative of the three Republican candidates in the June 25 election.

Democratic Sen. John Kerry, on a smooth path to confirmation as secretary of state, is likely to face friendly questioning when he testifies before the committee that he’s served on for 28 years and led for the past four.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman will sit at the witness table Thursday when he appears before the panel, a month after President Barack Obama said he wanted him to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Clinton is stepping down.
The five-term Massachusetts senator is widely expected to win overwhelming bipartisan support from his colleagues, and that notion was reinforced by the list of people who will introduce him: Clinton, Massachusetts freshman Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican Sen. John McCain.

More: John Kerry, Obama’s Pick for Secretary of State, to Field Questions From Committee He Chairs