John Kerry Cracks on Gingrich, the Rapture at Fletcher School Ceremony

Senator John Kerry joked about Newt Ginrgrich and the Rapture, but also got serious to talk about the future of the Middle East Saturday at Tufts.

Kerry, a Democrat who represents Massachusetts, was the keynote speaker at the Fletcher School of Law class ceremony Saturday at Tufts.

Beneath a tent on Fletcher Field, Kerry poked fun at Republican presidential hopeful Gingrich, spoke of the impact of the killing of Osama bin Laden and gave supportive words toward President Barack Obama's comments on Israel during a recent speech on the Middle East.

Scroll through the videos on the right to see what he had to say.

Here's a few excerpts from some of his key talking points:

The Rapture Might Not Be Such a Bad Thing for Newt: "I guess everyone here has heard that biblical experts expect the world is going to end at 6 o'clock tonight. After this week that's not a minute too soon for Newt Gingrich."

On the Future of Diplomacy in the Middle East: "Going forward we have to fundamentally change our relationship with governments in the entire region and beyond...for 10 years we focused too much on leaders rather than people."

On Osama bin Laden: "The killing of Osama bin Laden was a huge blow to al Qaeda and it's message of violence and hatred, but in reality the potential death blow to al Qaeda...has probably already occurred in Tunisia and Egypt."

On the Impact of the Cold War on Diplomacy in the Middle East: "We lost the battle with the hearts and minds in those countries."

On Obama's Israel Speech: "I thought it was a strong speech, and it charts the course for America as we try to get the parties back to the table. I believe the President said what needed to be said, not what everyone wanted to hear. Believe me, I sat there during the speech and watched the faces of ambassadors for many of the countries of the Middle East -- This was not what they wanted to hear."