"From 1995 to 1997, Ambassador Burns was Spokesman of the Department of State and Acting Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for Secretary of State Warren Christopher and Secretary Madeleine Albright. In this position, he gave daily press conferences on U.S. foreign policy issues, accompanied both Secretaries of State on all their foreign trips and coordinated all of the Department’s public outreach programs.
Mr. Burns, a career Senior Foreign Service Officer, served for five years (1990-1995) on the National Security Council staff at the White House. He was Special Assistant to President Clinton and Senior Director for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia Affairs. He had lead responsibility in the White House for advising the President on all aspects of U.S. relations with the fifteen countries of the former Soviet Union."
None of which says anymore, or enlightens us anymore than does his tenure as the lead foreign policy advisor to John Kerry in 2004.
You can listen to Kerry's more academic policy speeches during the campaign, look at the change in our negotiating stance and positions, vis-a-vis Korea, Iran and Israel-Palestinian issues since Condi, and see the hand of Nicholas Burns in both places.