WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry brushed aside criticism of Obama administration Middle East policy Thursday, taking exception to assertions Washington has been too passive in the face of surging terrorism in the region. Kerry noted the failure of the United States to secure a continuing military arrangement with Iraq’s government after U.S. combat forces left. “We didn’t have operational theater capacity at the time” of the surge in violence spawned by al-Qaida-inspired Islamic State militants, he said in an interview on NBC. On the broader issue of Mideast policy, Kerry said the administration has been “deeply engaged” in the region and is the largest source of humanitarian…