Kerry: Washington biggest threat to US

US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Congress that political dysfunction in Washington is the greatest threat to the United States, not foreign rivals.

Kerry, speaking Thursday at the Center for American Progress, a Washington policy group, slammed the 16-day partial government shutdown that ended last week and added that it eroded US standing and influence around the world.
Kerry said, “Make no mistake, the greatest danger to America doesn’t come from a rising rival, it comes from the damage that we’re capable of doing by our own dysfunction and the risks that will arise in a world that may see restrained or limited American leadership as a result”.
The top US diplomat said the partisan paralysis should serve as a “stern warning” for Congress to avoid a similar debacle when the debt ceiling approaches in February.
According to an analysis by the leading rating agency Standard & Poor’s, the shutdown cost the US economy at least $24 billion.