After Retirement
Kennedy retired from the military in June 2000 after 31 years. During the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Kennedy was critical of George W. Bush's proposed military policies, especially as they related to the status of women in the armed forces. According to General Kennedy: "If Mr. Bush becomes president, his campaign platform says he will move us back to a much earlier time." In other matters of military policy, it has been reported that Kennedy opposed the now repealed "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.
In 2002, Democrats actively sought to recruit Gen. Kennedy to challenge U.S. Senator John Warner, a Republican from Virginia. Kennedy passed on the race.
Kennedy endorsed Senator John Kerry for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination in September 2003, and served as an advisor to the Kerry campaign. She sometimes was mentioned as a possible nominee for Secretary of Defense in a Kerry administration.
She endorsed military veteran candidates Eric Massa and Patrick Murphy in 2006. In 2007 and 2008 she endorsed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator Barack Obama in their respective campaigns for the presidency. She was discussed as a potential vice presidential choice for the Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama.
In June 2010, she was appointed as chairwoman of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, a committee which is appointed by the United States Secretary of Defense and which reports to the United States Department of Defense.
General Kennedy is currently serving as co-chair of the Platform Committee of the 2012 Democratic National Convention.
Read more about this topic: Claudia Kennedy
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