John Kerry

An ebullient Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) made a rare appearance on the House floor Thursday night, shaking hands and chatting with members. At one point, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) walked up to the senator and gave him a hug.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no," Kerry told POLITICO when asked if the hugs were those of congratulations about a forthcoming appointment to Secretary of State. "I told them, I said, 'Nothing is done until something is done.' We simply talked about the fiscal cliff and whether we can get a deal together and ... that was it, I promise you."

As he walked down the hall, Kerry stopped to greet reporters and others gathered outside the chamber. He insisted that his detour to the House was simply to say "hello" and not to clue his delegation about an impending open Senate seat.