CAMBRIDGE - U.S. Sen. John Kerry fielded questions ranging from mass transit to foreign policy to the current economic crisis here Monday night in a town hall meeting.

The forum took place at Lesley University's Prospect Hall near Port Square. Kerry, a Boston Democrat, attended the event following the special convocation ceremony at Harvard University for U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy.

After opening remarks, about 35 members of the audience lined up at microphones to pose questions to the Bay State's junior senator. The questions varied, but more than one focused on the current economic crisis and the Wall Street bailout proposal that Kerry supported. Kerry defended his vote on the bill and blasted President George W. Bush's administration for their failed stewardship of economy.

"The decision has been made, and I happen to agree with it that the downside would be catastrophic," he said, referring to what would happen if Congress hasn't passed the bailout. "I'm not in favor of letting it all cascade down."

But Kerry turned his attention to Bush's administration.

"I hate that we're here," he said. "I hate it because it represents such a flagrant abuse by this administration by just letting the fox guard the chicken coup and not caring about it. And we're picking up the pieces."

Kerry also said that he hopes that the incoming attorney general, Eric Holder, will investigate wrongdoing in the private sector that has led to the current financial crisis.

"When our new attorney general gets in there," he said, "I'm looking for some prosecutions."

Other questions ranged from the country's policies toward Afghanistan and India, to job loss to mass transit and climate change. As the incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerry said climate change will be a top priority. He also noted that he spoke with former Vice President and Nobel prize winner Al Gore on Monday about the issue. He is already planning to visit Russia in the upcoming weeks, then Georgia, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"Great December visiting spots," he joked.

On foreign policy, Kerry also said that the country's mindset towards fighting terrorism and its causes must change. The "War on Terror," a term created by the Bush administration, "is just a misnomer," Kerry said.

"This is a global counter insurgency and until you understand that it is a counter insurgency and not a way, you can't begin to have a strategy," he added.

In his opening remarks, the Democrat emphasized his willingness to hold these town halls just after the election - addressing a criticism he faced from Republican challenger Jeff Beatty this year that he doesn't spend much time in Massachusetts. It is inevitable, he said, that over the course of a re-election campaign some voters will say he doesn't visit with voters in the Bay State often enough.

"I hate it when you run for re-election, in some community they inevitably say to you, well we only see you in election time," he said. "And I don't know where they are the rest of the six years or five and a half years. But it's inevitable, so I'm going to start flagging it for people. The election was one month ago...I'm here in Cambridge having a town meeting and I hope people understand that this is something we do regularly."