HAPPY BIRTHDAY HILLARY!

This One’s For You Hillary…

Best Wishes for a Happy Memorable Day!

Madame Secretary delivers Commencement speech at NYU graduation

NY1’s Michael Scotto filed the following report. (video link below)

http://ny1.com/content/top_stories/98997/secretary-clinton-speaks-at-nyu-graduation/Default.aspx

Hillary Clinton was welcomed like a hometown hero at Yankee Stadium.

The former U.S. Senator who is now the nation’s top diplomat returned to New York to pick up an honorary law degree and address 6,000 NYU graduates and some 20,000 guests.

“Does it get any better than this. A graduation ceremony for one of the great universities in the world in the home of the New York Yankees. Nothing could be better,” said Clinton.

Her speech came just months after she left the Senate for the State Department and less than a year after she ended her bid for the U.S. Presidency. The address was light on politics and heavy on references to her new job. She urged graduates to get involved and tackle the daunting list of challenges facing the world.

“The times you are graduating in are, yes, perhaps more difficult and more daunting, but that is when we really rise together,” said Clinton.

Pleased to have Clinton as their Speaker, many of the graduates welcomed Clinton back to New York.

One student, who was clearly a fan, even decorated his cap with a message for the Secretary of State.

“I’m a Hillary supporter. I supported her in the primaries,” said NYU graduate Randy Lesko.

“I miss her as the Senator, but at the same time she’s picking up a very big role that is also going to help the whole nation,” said NYU graduate Emmanuel Maclord Ansah.

Clinton told students she needs their help, too.

“For those of you who are still looking for jobs, we are hiring a new generation of diplomats,” said Clinton.

It was welcome news for graduates facing an already tough job market.

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Thank goodness our girl hasn’t deserted US!

She was my first choice. She was my ONLY choice. How many of you needed a “CHANGE”? How many of you thought just about anyone could be president IF they surrounded themselves with brilliant, competent people? Yes, YOU and Oprah… Thanks a bunch, you silly ignorant, erstwhile people for closing your eyes to the Grandest Theft of another presidency. Playing directly into the hands of power players standing in the wings laughing at your stupidity, patiently waiting for the biggest Power Grab in the history of the World. By WHO, you say? You still don’t know? The WORLD BANKERS if you’re too busy to pay attention because you think you are immune to this financial crisis!

Well, common sense was overruled by impetuosity. The petulance of children wanting something shiny and new. Something that never had value for the price they were willing to pay. Something plastic. Something that would never hold up under the strain and difficulties of the problems facing the next president that would be needing immediate attention. Plastic is not steel and plastic is exactly what you forced us into by having your children take the lead and advising YOU who would be the best choice for the next president of this country.

When I heard Caroline Kennedy announce to the World, her children took her by the hand to hear Obama speak; she then claimed, Obama (HE)..his vision is the closest she has come to hearing a presidential candidate with the inspiration and vision of her father. … I might have beena child myself at the time of the Kennedy assassination but I did pick up a book or two during my formative years when my Dad heavily invested in my unorthodox college education. Having private tutelage is not always representative of privilege and wealth. My father felt children need to be trained to think for themselves. Obviously, somewhere along the way, Caroline has been caught up in her own celebrity and has lost the good sense of the culture and values her mother and father truly represented.

Thank goodness, Governor Paterson did not succumb to the pressure of the gated Caroline community who gave their half hearted endorsements to a another wayward Kennedy grown up around the core values of her Uncle rather than the legacy left to her by her parents.

My Dad was a fanatic about committing cumulative errors because it leads to irreconcilable events. Obama and Caroline are sterling examples of cumulative mistakes. I’m thankful New Yorkers woke up in time and discouraged Paterson doing just that, making a bad situation worse . And I’m happy to say, timing is everything. It wasn’t the time to distract the focus with inane candidates. It was the time to stay focused on the prize and proceed unrelentingly until we prevailed.

We did and were rewarded with Paterson’s appointment of Kirsten Gillibrand , as the next NY Senator. The thrill of victory is sweet for those wonderful New Yorkers who “thought for themselves.”

Hillary to attend Afghan Conference on March 31…

Reuters) – The State Department announced on Monday that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would attend a Conference on Afghanistan next week but did not say whether she would meet Iranian officials there.

State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Clinton would be accompanied by U.S. special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, to the conference, which is set to be held on March 31 in the Dutch city of The Hague.

“The Hague ministerial should reaffirm the solid and long-term commitment of the international community to supporting the government of Afghanistan in shaping a better future for Afghanistan and its people,” Wood said.

Clinton and Holbrooke are expected to provide details of a review of U.S. strategy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is set to be released by the Obama administration before the Dutch conference.

Earlier this month, Clinton said Iran’s foreign minister also would be invited to attend The Hague conference, setting up her first chance to meet a senior official from Tehran in her new role as top U.S. diplomat.

Last week U.S. President Barack Obama sent a video message to Iran’s government and people in which he said Washington wanted to have “constructive ties” with Tehran.

In an about face from President George W. Bush’s isolation policy of Tehran, the Obama administration has said it would like to engage Iran on a range of issues, from its nuclear program to assistance in stabilizing Afghanistan.

Wood said he knew of no meetings planned between Clinton and the Iranians, but also did not rule it out.

Iran has said it would be interested in attending the meeting in the Netherlands but has not yet said who could be there.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attended several conferences aimed at stabilizing Iraq, where Iran was also invited.

Rice exchanged pleasantries with Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki at those events but never had substantive talks with him.

Hillary leaving Sunday for Asian Tour..

WASHINGTON – Hillary Rodham Clinton departs Sunday on her first foreign trip as secretary of State, a visit to four Asian capitals that will feature talks on climate change, the economic crisis and the North Korean nuclear threat.

Clinton’s eight-day mission will take her to Japan, Indonesia, South Korea and China. The far East “was a logical choice for her to focus on,” and “signals that the U.S. recognizes the growing importance of Asia,” said Paul Stares, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.It also made sense, Stares said, because other senior Obama administration officials have already traveled to Europe, the Middle East and South Asia.

In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country where President Barack Obama lived as a child, Clinton may lay the groundwork for a presidential visit later this year, Stares said. Visiting Jakarta is also “part of this attempt to reshape the United States’ image in the Muslim world, said Rodger Baker, director of East Asian analysis at Texas-based Stratfor, an intelligence company.

In China, Japan and South Korea, Clinton will focus on the future of the “six-party” talks about North Korea’s nuclear program, said Michael Green, a former senior director for Asian affairs in National Security Council. Russia and North Korea round out the six nations in the talks.

“I think it’s very important that she’s on listening mode,” said Green, who was among experts briefing Clinton at a Feb. 4 dinner.

Clinton will hear that Tokyo and Seoul, in particular, are still dismayed by what Green says was the Bush administration’s “dramatic shift from a very hard-line policy” to a gentler approach, with little to show for it.The governments of Japan and Korea “believe that we just don’t think we can denuclearize North Korea and we’ll be happy to contain the problem,” he said. “That’s a serious matter. Clinton this week cited “North Korea’s attitude in the last weeks” and said her talks will help “determine the most effective way forward.”

Hillary Clinton highlights Asia, China in first major speech

NEW YORK, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) — In her first major policy speech as U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday attached great importance to developing stronger relations and having closer cooperation with Asian countries, in particular China.

Addressing an audience at Asia Society New York Headquarters on the eve of her four-nation Asian trip scheduled to start on Sunday, the first foreign visit since she was sworn in on Jan. 21, Clinton said that Washington is committed to a new era of diplomacy and development in which Washington will use “smart power” to work with historic allies and emerging nations to find regional and global solutions to common global problems.

“In making my first trip as secretary of state to Asia, I hope to signal that we need strong partners across the Pacific, just as we need strong partners across the Atlantic,” she noted, calling Asia “a contributor to global culture, a global economic power, and a region of vital importance to the United States today and into our future.”

The secretary of state’s destinations include Japan, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea and China.

The United States and the Asian countries need to support and help each other in dealing with the gravest global threats today, which include financial instability and economic dislocation, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, food security and health emergencies, climate change and energy vulnerability, stateless criminal cartels and human exploitation, said Clinton.

While giving the audience a brief rundown of the key issues she will be addressing during her Asian tour next week, Clinton devoted much of the time to the U.S.-China relations.

The United States doesn’t see China on the rise as an adversary, said Clinton. To the contrary, the Obama administration believes that the United States and China can “benefit from and contribute to each other’s successes.”

Washington also believes it is “in our interest” to work harder to build on areas of common concerns and shared opportunities with China, she added.

“You know very well how important China is and how essential it is that we have a positive cooperative relationship,” said the top U.S. diplomat. “It is vital to peace and prosperity not only in the Asia-Pacific region but worldwide.”

“Our mutual economic engagement with China was evident during the economic growth of the past two decades, it is even clearer now at economic hard times and in the array of global challenges we face from nuclear security to climate change to pandemic disease and so much else,” she noted.

“Even with our differences, the United States will remain committed to pursuing a positive relationship with China, one that we believe is essential to America’s future peace, progress and prosperity,” she stressed.

Citing an ancient Chinese saying that “When you are in a common boat, you need to cross the river peacefully together,” Clinton said that she believes the ancient Chinese wisdom must continue to guide both countries today.

The secretary of state announced that the two sides will resume mid-level military-to-military discussions later this month.

“And we look forward to further improved relations across the Taiwan Strait,” she added.

She also revealed that during her stay in Beijing, she would discuss with the Chinese leaders on the structure of broadening dialogue between the two sides, on the basis of the Strategic Economic Dialogue from the previous administration.

Speaking of her first stop in Japan, Clinton said that the United States’ security alliance with Japan, which will be 50 years old next year, “has been and must remain unshakable.”

“We anticipate an even stronger partnership with Japan that helps preserve the peace and stability of Asia and increasingly focuses on global challenges …,” she added.

The United States and Indonesia now “have an opportunity for stronger partnership in education, energy and food security,” stated Clinton, adding that the two sides are committed to pursuing such a partnership with a concrete agenda during her visit to the Southeast Asian nation.

Calling the Republic of Korea “one of our staunchest historic allies,” Clinton said that the two countries are committed to expanding trade in a manner that benefits both, and “we will work together to that end.”

“So I will leave for Asia Sunday with a firm commitment to working very hard with our partners across the Pacific,” she concluded in her nearly-half-hour speech.

The secretary of state also took the opportunity to offer peace to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in exchange for the latter’s complete abandonment of its nuclear project.

The Obama administration is committed to working through the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and normalizing relations with the DPRK, if the latter totally abandons its nuclear weapons program, she said.

If the DPRK is prepared to “completely and verifiably” abandon its nuclear program, the Obama administration will be willing to normalize bilateral relations with the country, she noted, adding that Washington will also assist Pyongyang in meeting its energy and other economic needs if that happens.

In her speech, Clinton also underlined Washington’s endorsement of “open and fair trade,” in an apparent attempt to soothe many countries’ concerns that the ongoing global financial crisis may lead to a fresh round of trade protectionism, particularly in the developed countries.

“(In the face of the financial crisis,) we cannot respond with a race to erect trade and other barriers. We must remain committed to a system of open and fair trade,” she stated.

The U.S. Congress’ push for a “Buy America” provision in the massive economic stimulus package proposed by the Obama administration has recently invited concerns from major trading partners of the United States, including Europe, Canada and Japan.

Link

UPdated: Live Video Webcast: The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton

Special Event:

Live Video Webcast: The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State

Date: February 13th

Time: 1:00 pm EST
Location: New York ,

Asia Society and Museum,

725 Park Avenue, New York

Cost: Please note: this is an invitation-only event.

Web: http://www.asiasociety.org/

Watch Asia Society’s live video webcast of The Honorable Hillary Clinton’s first major foreign policy speech on the eve of her upcoming trip to Asia. Vishakha N. Desai, President of the Asia Society, will be presiding.

Tune in to the free live webcast on the home page of AsiaSociety.org (www.asiasociety.org) just before 1:00 pm EST, on Friday, Feb. 13.

Click the WATCH LIVE ONLINE link.

Webcast viewers are encouraged to submit questions prior to or during the program to <moderator@asiasociety.org>.

*********************************************

UPComing Live Webcast Events:

Panel Discussion:

The Global Food Crisis – Time for Another Green Revolution?

(with live webcast) Co-organized by Oxfam America
Date: Februaury 20th

Time: 8:00 – 8:30 am, registration & breakfast; 8:30 – 9:30 am, program

Location: New York

Asia Society and Museum, 8th Floor, 725 Park Avenue, New York

Cost: $12 student w/ID; $12 members; $15 nonmembers
Buy Tickets Online
Phone: 212-517-ASIA

Speakers:

– Kevin L. Eblen, Vice President, Public Policy and Sustainability Lead, Monsanto
– Rajiv Shah, Director, Agricultural Development, Gates Foundation (invited)
– Dr. Robert Zeigler, Director General, International Rice Research Institute
– Raymond C. Offenheiser, President, Oxfam America (Moderator)

Please join us at Asia Society’s New York Headquarters, or online via free live video webcast, for the second program in Asia Society and Oxfam America’s Food Crisis Series. Webcast viewers can submit questions and offer comments by email during the webcast. Please send questions to moderator@asiasociety.org.

* * *
Policy programs at the Asia Society are generously supported by the Nicholas Platt Endowment for Public Policy.

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Hillary official swearing in ceremony…

Hillary’s official statement:

“Thank you all very much. Thank you. It is an overwhelming honor to be sworn in to assume this position on behalf of our country. I thank my dear friend, Vice President Biden, and I thank President Obama for investing the trust and confidence in me during a particularly challenging time in our nation’s history. I look out and see so many friends and colleagues. I particularly want to thank the Speaker and the Majority Leader, Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid for being here and for providing the leadership that you both are doing in the Congress.

I also want to thank my colleagues in government and my former partners in the Congress. I am very grateful to all the members of the House who are here today, and particularly those with whom I served over eight wonderful years who represent New York. And I’m very grateful to all of you.

And to my friends in the Senate,  I see the faces of people with whom I have shared so much, and I am deeply grateful to each and every one of you. But I have to single out the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee who, after all, presided over my confirmation, for which I am very grateful,  Senator Kerry. (Laughter and Applause.)

And I look forward to working with all of you, particularly the appropriators – (laughter) – who are here this afternoon. We have a lot of work to do and it is such important work that lies ahead. I also want to thank two wonderful friends of mine, governors, Governor Corzine from New Jersey, and Governor O’Malley from Maryland who are here. (Applause.)

And I am particularly honored to have four of my predecessors with us today. I have sought their advice and their counsel and I have to publicly thank each and every one of them.

With us today, Secretary Kissinger and  Secretary Baker and  Secretary Eagleburger and, of course, my dear friend and fellow Wellesley alum Secretary Albright. (Applause.)  And I also want to thank Secretary Rice and Secretary Powell and Secretary Shultz, with whom I had a wonderful visit just last week when he came to the seventh floor, and Secretary Haig – all of the former secretaries of state who have been so generous with their time. And I think I can predict I will be asking for advice as we move forward.

Because this ceremony takes place at a real hinge of history time, there is so much that lies ahead in terms of challenges, but also opportunities. When I came into this building for the first time a week or so ago now, I told the assembled State Department employees, and then repeated it again at USAID, that we are all on the same team, and it is America’s team.   And we have, in the leadership of President Obama, someone who wants us to reach out to the world, to do so without illusions, understanding that the difficulties we face will not be wished away, but meeting them forthrightly and smartly, and that we want to seize the opportunities that exist as well.

I talked in my confirmation hearings about smart power. Well, smart power relies on smart people, and we have an abundance of them in this building and at USAID.  But I’ve also told my teammates in the State family that we’re going to have to be smarter about how we do what we must for our country. There are many ways that we can improve on what we do on a daily basis. And I want to work with my friends in Congress on behalf of our Administration to really look for those efficiencies and those changes that will make what we do more effective, more cost-effective, so that we can be out there around the world delivering America’s message, certainly doing all we must to protect and defend our security, but also advancing our interests and furthering our values.

So for me, this has been an amazing personal journey. As Joe laughingly referenced, neither one of us thought that we would be standing here together, doing what we are now doing together.   Life has a funny way of unfolding and politics is even stranger. So we are joined in this incredible mission on behalf of our President and our country.  And it’s one where it’s not only those of us holding positions, whether elected or appointed, must perform to the very best of our ability. We’re asking everyone in our country to think about how each of you can make a contribution so that we ensure that America’s future is even brighter than our storied past.

I’m excited by seeing so many familiar faces. There are friends in this audience who have known me my entire life.   And there is the next generation,  you know,  my niece and my two nephews who are here.  I get up every morning thinking about what I must do to make this world of ours safer and more prosperous and to make our country all that it can be.   As difficult as the times are, I am an optimist. I believe that we can do what we set our minds to do.   And so it is the power of our ideals and the intelligence and dedication of our people.

I could not be standing here before you today without all of you,  but in particular,  the three people who stand with me on this stage.   It’s literally true I wouldn’t be here without my mother. (Laughter.)   And so I – (applause) – I’m especially delighted that she can be with me.    And to my daughter, who I am just bursting with maternal pride over,   but who I look to also for advice and,  frankly, for some cultural cues that I might otherwise miss. (Laughter.)

And finally, to my husband, who understands so well the awesome responsibilities resting on the shoulders of President Obama and Vice President Biden and all of us who serve with them. I am so grateful to him for a lifetime of all kinds of experiences – (laughter) – which have given me a – (applause) – which have given me an extraordinary richness that I am absolutely beholden to and grateful for.

So now, let me thank Gladys and her crackerjack protocol operation that put this together.   We had to schedule it around two schedules that were hard to mesh:   Vice President Biden and Chelsea Clinton. (Laughter.)   When we finally got a time when both of them could be in the same place,   we rushed to fill it. (Laughter.) So if you’re wondering why you didn’t get an invitation until Thursday,   Friday,   Saturday or Sunday,   it’s because we just had to make sure that we had the main people here.

But I do want to greet all of you individually,  and obviously,  my family wants to say hello as well.   So we’re hard at work already,  and we’re working hard with a great team of people here in this building and at USAID. And we’re looking forward to fulfilling the excitement and the promise that the Obama Administration represents here at home and around the world.

Thank you all very, very much.”

(Applause.)

[…]

A humble and graceful  speech as only Hillary could deliver (sans teleprompter).  Speaking for all your loyal supporters,  we wish you well,  dear Hillary.  The world embraces your intelligence and forthrightness for the good of all countries.  Best wishes and God speed in all the challenges you meet head-on unbowed and strong in your determination to make this world a better place for all of us!

Hillary and Chelsea pic at Senate Farewell Party

At an emotional private party just off the Senate floor, soon-to-be Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told her Senate colleagues Wednesday night that serving in the Senate “has been the greatest experience of my life” and that leaving them was “like leaving family.”

Clinton, whose eyes welled up as she worked the elegant LBJ room in the Capitol, hugged and kissed colleagues, posed for pictures and thanked them one by one as she reminded them she would be “just around the corner.”

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) nearly choked up as he spoke. “Parting is such sweet sorrow — I have such sweet memories of you,” he said. “I feel like crying.”

An emotional Clinton responded, “This is not goodbye — this is just a wave, Harry. … We’re going to be in each others’ hearts and minds.”

Clinton was feted by her daughter, Chelsea, and by some members of the Obama team — Rahm Emanuel, the incoming White House chief of staff, transition chief John Podesta and economic adviser Larry Summers, who left frequently to chat on his cell phone in the hall, a stray shirt tail hanging below his suit coat.

more

Senators Endorse Hillary Clinton for US Secretary of State

A key U.S. Senate committee has approved the nomination of Hillary Clinton as the next secretary of state.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 16-1 in favor of Clinton. The full Senate is expected to confirm the appointment shortly after President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Clinton Backs Six-Party Talks for Ending North Korean Nuclear Program

At her Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton expressed support for the Chinese-led six-party negotiations aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear program. But she told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the negotiating process championed by the Bush administration is being reviewed.

President-elect Barack Obama said during the campaign that he was willing to try face-to-face diplomacy with leaders of adversary countries, like North Korea, if it would help resolve key problems.

But in her Senate testimony, his Secretary of State-designate said both she and the incoming President believe the six-party process, underway since 2004, has merit both as a negotiating vehicle and as a channel for bilateral dialogue with Pyongyang.

Hillary Clinton told the confirmation hearing that she and outgoing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have had several long conversations on the six-party process as part what she said is an “aggressive review” of North Korea policy by the Obama team.

Clinton Says US Should Use ‘Smart Power’ With Diplomacy in Lead

Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton told senators Tuesday that the Obama administration will exercise “smart power” in international affairs with diplomacy taking the lead.

Clinton made no direct criticism of the outgoing Bush administration, but she clearly suggested that it was overly-ideological and relied too much on military power, rather than diplomacy, to project U.S. influence.

In an opening statement at the Foreign Relations Committee hearing, the secretary-designate said the Obama administration will seek a world “with more partners and fewer adversaries.”

Clinton said she and President-elect Obama believe that foreign policy must be based on a blend of principles and pragmatism, and not rigid ideology, emotions or prejudice.

“I believe that American leadership has been wanting, but is still wanted. We must use what has been called smart power, the full range of tools at our disposal – diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal and cultural, picking the right tool or combination of tools for each situation. With smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of our foreign policy. This is not a radical idea. The ancient Roman poet Terrence declared that in every endeavor, the seemly course for wise men is to try persuasion first. The same truth binds wise women as well,” she said.

Clinton signaled that she intends to build up the U.S. diplomatic corps, noting that Defense Secretary Robert Gates – who will be a Republican holdover in the new administration – has said the State Department and other U.S. civilian agencies abroad have been under-funded and under-manned for too long.

The secretary-designate outlined the general principles of the incoming administration but offered few specifics, saying key issues such as the idea of opening a U.S. diplomatic post in Iran, remain under review.

She did stress a continuing U.S. commitment to seeking peace between Israel and the Palestinians, pointedly expressing concern about civilian casualties on both sides resulting from the current conflict in Gaza.

Voice of America

HILLARY named New Yorker OF THE YEAR!

Shhhhh! … The most powerful woman in the world…. Barr None! Hard work does have it’s Rewards!

Caroline, Look and Learn!

(look for Hill and Bill tonight  at midnight in Times Square)

So Hillary Clinton will become with the dawn of a new White House. Madam Secretary of State. A strong hand in a velvet glove, extended to the globe on behalf of the most anticipated presidency in generations.

Short of Barack Obama, no American today­ has a greater opportunity to shape international history than does New York’s departing ­ junior U.S. senator.

And, short of Barack Obama, no American played a greater role last year in influencing the choice of the 44th President of the United States. Clinton galvanized 18 million voters and made her ultimately successful rival much the better by testing him vigorously.

For carrying the banner of a history-making candidacy with a resolve and class worthy of this city — in victory and defeat — we today salute Hillary Clinton as the Daily News New Yorker of the Year for 2008.

Never in long memory was an electorate as energized as the Democrats were in a campaign that seemed to last for eons. They burned with a desire to reclaim the White House after the stewardship of George W. Bush. And they had genuine contenders in Barack Obama and . . . not Edwards, not Biden, not Dodd, not Richardson, not Kucinich . . . ­Hillary Clinton.

She alone — former First Lady, inheritor of the formidable Clinton ­political machine, admired and reviled in heaping measures — was Obama’s countervailing poll star. No one else had nearly the heft to give the inspiring upstart a run for his very considerable money.

Early on, conventional wisdom held that Clinton was the inevitable choice and would face the Republicans as a uniquely polarizing figure. To her loss and her gain, she proved the CW wrong on both counts.

The show was a spectacular. There was Clinton stumbling to a third-place finish in Iowa, a year after announcing, “I’m in. And I’m in to win.”

There was Clinton winning New Hampshire after becoming visibly emotional the day before the primary.

And airing the most effective commercial of the campaign, the “3 a.m. phone call” ad that questioned Obama’s readiness to handle a crisis.

And weathering controversies over race, and downing a shot of Crown Royal at Bronko’s Restaurant and Lounge in Indiana, and challenging Obama to a bowling contest, and refusing calls to give up the fight, and winning the Ohio and Pennsylvania primaries as a working-class heroine with roaring women’s support.

And conceding defeat with her head high.

“Although we weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it’s got about 18 million cracks in it,” she told her troops. “And the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.”

Now, Clinton is to be secretary of state. Senatorial confirmation is all but certain — a remarkable fact in itself. This is, after all, the same Hillary Clinton who not so long ago was the woman the political right loved to hate, the Democrat who stood for so much that Republicans could not stomach.

Not that they are in love with her, but Clinton did prove her mettle in the campaign while taking more muscular international stances than Obama did. Her greater firmness on Iran and Iraq and other matters helped give the Obama foreign policy team a much-noted centrist, pragmatic cast. So much so that the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar of Indiana, called Obama’s choices, which would include Clinton, “excellent.”

At the height of the primaries and after, many Democrats yearned for a dream team of a President Obama and a Vice President Clinton. The second spot went elsewhere, with its role and authorities still to be defined. There’s no such vagueness for Clinton: Obama gave her the planet as her portfolio at the very ­moment when the world is pleading for America to lead.
LINK

Hillary Moves to Widen Role of State Dept.

WASHINGTON — Even before taking office, Hillary Rodham Clinton is seeking to build a more powerful State Department, with a bigger budget, high-profile special envoys to trouble spots and an expanded role in dealing with global economic issues at a time of crisis.

Mrs. Clinton is recruiting Jacob J. Lew, the budget director under President Bill Clinton, as one of two deputies, according to people close to the Obama transition team. Mr. Lew’s focus, they said, will be on increasing the share of financing that goes to the diplomatic corps. He and James B. Steinberg, a deputy national security adviser in the Clinton administration, are to be Mrs. Clinton’s chief lieutenants.

Nominations of deputy secretaries, like Mrs. Clinton’s, would be subject to confirmation by the Senate.

The incoming administration is also likely to name several envoys, officials said, reviving a practice of the Clinton administration, when Richard C. Holbrooke, Dennis Ross and other diplomats played a central role in mediating disputes in the Balkans and the Middle East.

As Mrs. Clinton puts together her senior team, officials said, she is also trying to carve out a bigger role for the State Department in economic affairs, where the Treasury has dominated during the Bush years. She has sought advice from Laura D’Andrea Tyson, an economist who headed Mr. Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers.

The steps seem intended to strengthen the role of diplomacy after a long stretch, particularly under Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, in which the Pentagon, the vice president’s office and even the intelligence agencies held considerable sway over American foreign policy.

No one has forgotten Powell’s plea for the rush to War at the UN while holding up a vial of faux yellow-cake for the camera. Showmanship has always been a Powell strength mainly used for residual credibility for the public’s consumption. Powell is the Forrest Gumperism of the Bush dynasty. Take him out of moth balls and you don’t know what to expect.

Given Mrs. Clinton’s prominence, expanding the department’s portfolio could bring on conflict with other powerful cabinet members.

Mrs. Clinton and President-elect Barack Obama have not settled on specific envoys or missions, although Mr. Ross’s name has been mentioned as a possible Middle East envoy, as have those of Mr. Holbrooke and Martin Indyk, a former United States ambassador to Israel.

The Bush administration has made relatively little use of special envoys. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has personally handled most peacemaking initiatives, which has meant a punishing schedule of Middle East missions, often with meager results.

“There’s no question that there is a reinvention of the wheel here,” said Aaron David Miller, a public policy analyst at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. “But it’s geared not so much as a reaction to Bush as to a fairly astute analysis of what’s going to work in foreign policy.”

Hardly- No one is reinventing the wheel here. What Mrs Clinton mission is, is replacing the wheels fallen off and left by the wayside since 2000.

NYT