RUN – HILLARY – RUN

Some posters are having trouble having their thoughts posted on asking Hillary to please run Telling her how much we need her… You can post here as an alternative and we will forward your posts to Hillary personally.

from the William J. Clinton blog:

Here is a short conversation between my friend Rumana and President Clinton Dec 9 at a book signing in Chappaqua. Here is Rumana’s synopsis:

I said to him hello Mr. President me and my friends want to know if Hillary will run, and I mean in 2012 and not 2016. He paused for a sec. And said she keeps saying no but if she gets enough encouragement maybe she will change her mind.

I said you should go to S4h FB page and see we are encouraging her. He put his hand on my shoulder and said if lot more people encourage her maybe she will run. I said Mr. President we are talking about 2012 please do something. He said she needs to know you are there for her and I said please tell her.

Go to the blog Still4Hill to post

http://still4hill.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/please-hillary-run/#comment-23550

………..

Please, Hillary, Run!

December 9, 2011 by still4hill

On this blog there is a long archive which, at some point in August, I began entitling “Media Reads on a Hillary Run.” The comment threads on those posts are chock-full of comments from HRC’s supporters who wish she would run again for POTUS and not wait until 2016 to do so. Many of us are dissatisfied to the point of infinite frustration with the way Barack Obama has squandered his golden opportunity to bring real change as he promised. Most of us did not vote for him and did vote for HRC.

The list of reasons is long, but encapsulated comprises:

1. The Leadership Deficit:

Obama’s inability to break the shell of his West Wing office and reach out to the opposition in a human and social fashion. He would have been far more effective with the GOP had he approached them as human beings, had a few people, Boehner, McConnell over for lunch, and given Lisa Murkowski a congratulatory call for her amazing write-in victory, than he proved to be by having them over for secret meetings where he lectured and adopted the stance of “the adult in the room.”

2. The Stalled Car:

For a long period last year, he and his speech writers really liked that car metaphor, but the truth was that the car was stalled. It stalled over the Gulf oil spill and the jobs the government could have generated with a CCC type effort to clean up the gulf. In fact, from day one, jobs should have been a priority but were put on a back burner for a badly flawed and wanting health care plan wherein he withdrew the single payer option.

3. The Phenomenal Collapsing President:

Every time the Republicans stood shoulder to shoulder, Obama simply laid down on the tracks and gave the GOP what they wanted (or he thought they wanted) before they even demanded it. He was, according to John Conyers, the one who offered up the social safety nets on a silver platter before they even brought up that subject during last August’s budget crisis. The GOP candidates are correct. Obama is an appeaser. Not in foreign policy. He appeases them on domestic issues without even being asked. We have seen almost three years of this!

4. The Hesitation Blues:

How long must we wait? Obama left for an August vacay saying he would introduce a jobs bill after he got back .. after Labor Day. Americans who are out of work could not afford that wait. They do not have vacations, and, while Labor Day is a holiday for those of us who have jobs, they have no holidays. It is simply another day when they cannot look for a job. In the foreign policy arena, he waited longer than necessary to establish the No Fly Zone in Libya, and we do know that HRC rounded up a posse to change his mind.So this evening I have no media articles to prompt this post. Instead I have a short conversation between my friend Rumana and President Clinton this afternoon at a book signing in Chappaqua. Here is Rumana’s synopsis:

“I said you should go to S4h FB page and see we are encouraging her. He put his hand on my shoulder and said if lot more people encourage her maybe she will run. I said Mr. President we are talking about 2012 please do something. He said she needs to know you are there for her and I said please tell her.”

So this is OUR golden opportunity!

Please comment  also at the Facebook page. President Clinton, and maybe even our preferred candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, will be looking there for our encouragement. Let’s go all out this weekend and let her see the support that is out here!
Hillary, may we have this dance? You are the best hope to put this country back on the rails. You are the best qualified for this hands down!

We need you! Please, please listen to us. Please run!!!!

Advertisement

Oprah’s decline began with backstabbing Hillary Clinton…

 

Hillary v. Oprah — Oprah won the battle, but Hillary won the war

She who laughs last, laughs best. Oprah helped Obama win the Presidency over Hillary in 2008. But now Oprah's show is finished -- while Hillary is still rising. Flanked by George Mitchell after Obama spoke at the State Department on May 19, 2011 Credit: Getty Images

Looking happier than ever. Hillary is now the most accomplished woman in the history of American politics. Walking with British Foreign Secretary William Hague in London, May 25, 2011. Credit: Getty Images

Oprah went off the air this week with much fanfare. The hoopla — though annoying to some — was well-earned. Oprah’s rise from a dirt poor and abusive childhood to the most powerful woman in the entertainment biz epitomizes the American Dream. She has mothered millions and changed lives with her philanthropy.

Truly, Oprah Winfrey is a woman to celebrate. That’s why it’s especially sad that her lapse of judgment in 2008 ran her off the air so quickly. Oprah endorsed Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton in 2008. Women – especially the middle class white women who formed her core audience – felt betrayed.

Oprah had never forayed into politics before – and her first foray was to kneecap Hillary Clinton, a hero for middle and working class women. Some have suggested that Oprah’s endorsement put Obama over the top; he would not be President without her, which is a testament to her power.

Unsurprisingly, Republicans and Clinton Democrats were not impressed. In the wake of helping Obama win the White House, Oprah saw her favorability ratings and the ratings for her once-dominant television show drop.

No doubt Oprah saw the writing on wall and decided to end her show before the bottom fell completely out. It did not have to be this way. But Oprah’s disgraceful dismissal of Hillary’s candidacy and consequent demise ranks as yet another example of the curious series of downfalls now afflicting so many 2008 Hillary backstabbers.

Oprah may be the most powerful woman in American entertainment — but Hillary Rodham Clinton is still the most powerful and admired woman in the world.

http://www.examiner.com/post-partisan-in-national/hillary-v-oprah-oprah-won-the-battle-but-hillary-won-the-war-picture#slide=33738011

In Hillary Withdrawal? Grab a cocktail, Click here and relax!

SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON IS 2010 ’s MOST POWERFUL WOMAN IN WASHINGTON D.C.

Secretary Clinton Accepts George McGovern Leadership Award

“I realized today that I’d be a happier person if Hillary Clinton were president,” a financial contributor to National Review Online wrote last week. “

The Good Soldier: Hillary Clinton As Secretary of State

6/14/09

(ht/jbstonesfan)

How is Hillary Clinton doing as secretary of State?

Two recent quotes tell you all you need to know.

On May 27, frustrated by unusually tough going U.S. opposition to Israeli settlements on the West Bank, Benjamin Netanyahu complained, “What the hell do they want from me?” They: Clinton and Barack Obama.

A couple of months earlier, Colin Powell, asked to comment on Clinton’s attempt to redirect American foreign policy toward diplomacy and foreign aid, said: “We all know we ought to be moving in this direction, but it takes money.” We: Clinton, Powell, and the foreign-policy establishment.

Just over a year ago, Clinton was bottoming out in her doomed presidential race, telling reporters she was soldiering on against Obama because, after all, “we all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California.” Now, she has turned herself into Obama’s greatest asset, on Capitol Hill as much as around the world, in fashioning a national-security policy that has closed off all policy differences between the former Democratic rivals, co-opted many Republicans, and left the rest of the administration’s opponents astoundingly marginalized.

On the inside, Clinton has steadily accumulated power while expending hardly any political capital. For one thing, she has stirred an effective mix of politicos and diplomats into the top tiers of the State Department. Hillary has Cheryl Mills, a lawyer best known for defending Bill Clinton during impeachment, running her staff. And she has divided the position of Deputy Secretary of State into two jobs: supersmart Jim Steinberg, who was deputy national security adviser under Bill Clinton but supported Obama in 2008, is her policy maven, while Jack Lew is her management chief. Lew helped Hillary secure a 10 percent increase in the State Department’s budget from Obama while Tim Geithner was still figuring out how to turn the lights on in his office.

Further, Clinton hasn’t made mistakes. There have been no Joe Biden–like gaffes, Tom Daschle–like embarrassments, or Judd Gregg–like turnarounds coming from Hillary. Or from her husband — these days, Bill Clinton would have us believe he spends his time shopping for trinkets, unable even to get Hillary on her cell phone.

Meanwhile, nobody else has developed an alternative foreign-policy power center within the administration. Obama likes Biden, but the vice-president is no match for Hillary in mano-a-mano bureaucratic combat. For example, Clinton favored sending 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan, while Biden opposed the move. The result: “She crushed him,” according to Republican Mark Kirk of Ilinois. At the same time, National Security Adviser Jim Jones has been an utter cipher; when Time’s Mark Halperin graded the Obama administration, he gave Hillary an A- (“significant, powerful, worldly, respected”), but had to give Jones an “incomplete.” And Obama’s presidential envoys, such as Richard Holbrooke in Afghanistan and Dennis Ross in Iran, are mostly old Clinton hands who aren’t about to usurp any authority from Hillary.

In public, Clinton has spent the last six months fundamentally realigning American foreign policy away from reliance on military force, toward what she calls (in a wise abandonment of the lefty academic phrase “soft power”) “smart power” — more diplomacy and international economic assistance. She has also been striving to ensure zero daylight between her and Obama on any issue, big or small, whatever positions she might have taken as a New York senator or presidential candidate. If Clinton minds toiling in Obama’s shadow, or representing her former rival as America’s best face to the world, she hasn’t shown it. With Hillary, it’s always hard to tell where duty stops and happiness begins, and her new job has brought out her cheerfulness and indefatigability at the same time; as she put it on her first trip to Asia, “Showing up is not all in life, but it counts for a lot.” And whether it’s laying down conditions for Cuba’s readmittance to the Organization of American States or appearing on the Indonesian teen variety show Awesome, Clinton has been showing up, albeit fairly quietly, all around the planet.

On April 23, Hillary smacked down Representative Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican who had tried to scold Obama for “warmly greeting” Hugo Chavez. “We spent the last eight years trying to isolate Chavez, and what has been the result?” Hillary replied. “We want your feedback, but President Obama won the election. He beat me in a primary, in which he put forth a different approach, and he is now our president.” Something similar happened last weekend, when she told George Stephanopoulos that Obama had passed the “3 a.m.” test that she had posed in the primaries. Clinton has become a master of selling Obama simply by stating her support for him. And conversely, by expressing that support as an act of volition, she is demonstrating her power, if not her independence.

The overall effect of Hillary’s efforts has been to bolster her reputation for being smart, effective, and a team player without associating her too strongly with the wrenching policy changes, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan, where Obama has thrust himself far into the spotlight. And the results have been fairly amazing. Clinton’s approval ratings have been consistently above 70 percent — higher than Obama’s — with majority support even among Republicans. And media coverage has been orgiastic, probably peaking so far with Andrea Mitchell calling Clinton a “foreign-policy superstar” on the Today show. Even Obama probably never imagined how much mileage he and Clinton would be able to get out of their “kiss, make up, and go off to work around the globe” routine.

Finally, nobody has enabled Hillary’s rehabilitation like congressional Republicans and their talk-radio allies. Since Obama’s election, the neocons have doubled down on full-throated Cheneyism, pushing torture and preventive if not endless war. And from William Kristol and Newt Gingrich calling for an attack on North Korea to John Bolton wanting Israel to bomb Iran to Daniel Pipes saying, “I would vote for Ahmadinejad,” the leading lights of today’s GOP are pushing George H. W. Bush–type Republicans, such as Powell, Brent Scowcroft, and a large chunk of the country straight out of the Republican Party. There’s nothing but upside in that dynamic for Clinton: Already established in the public mind as less multi-culti and quite possibly tougher than Obama, she now also appears to be a sane, sober alternative to the crazies running the GOP.

And for the moment, the opposition doesn’t realize how much it should care. “I realized today that I’d be a happier person if Hillary Clinton were president,” a financial contributor to National Review Online wrote last week. “That scared me enough to make a donation.” Keep sending those $100 checks, pal, and your fantasy could still come true.
By: Peter Keating

Link

International Women of Courage Awards to be Announced by Hillary Clinton…

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will announce this year’s recipients of the Secretary of State’s Award for International Women of Courage. The awards ceremony will take place on March 11 at 4 p.m. in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the U.S. Department of State.

The annual Award for International Women of Courage recognizes women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights and women’s equality. This is the only Department of State award that pays tribute to outstanding women leaders worldwide. This year, the Secretary of State will pay tribute to honorees representing Afghanistan, Guatemala, Iraq, Malaysia, Niger, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

The Awards Ceremony will be pool press coverage for cameras and open for writers and still photographers.

Final access time for writers and stills: 3:30 p.m. from the 23rd Street entrance.

Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following:

(1) A U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense or Foreign Press Center),(2) a media-issued photo identification card, or

(3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification card (driver’s license, passport). Press should allow adequate time to process through security and to be in the briefing room 10 minutes prior to the briefing.

PRESS CONTACTS:
Ruth Bennett
Office of International Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State
(202) 312-9867
BennettRE@state.gov

Office of Press Relations, U.S. Department of State
(202) 647-2492

Hillary Clinton pledges multifaceted efforts to stabilize Pakistan

WASHINGTON: The United States will work with its NATO allies to forge a multifaceted strategy to stabilise Pakistan and Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged. “We will be working with our NATO allies and other partners to come up with a comprehensive strategy that integrates military and civilian assets in a way that can try to stabilise both Afghanistan and Pakistan from the mutual threat they face from Al Qaeda and the Taliban,” she told German ZDF-TV during her tour of Europe.

According to a transcript released by the State Department, Clinton claimed insurgent groups “are determined to destabilize those countries to gain and hold territory to serve as safe havens for terrorists who plan and plot against Europe and the United States”. She said the Obama administration is “focused on a policy review concerning Afghanistan and Pakistan because we think we have strategic interests there and threats emanate from there”.

Clinton also held talks with members of the 26-nation NATO alliance on formulating an effective way forward in Afghanistan. Before travelling to Europe, Clinton hosted the Pakistani and Afghan foreign ministers in Washington for tripartite consultations on fashioning a comprehensive policy, under the Obama administration, for the Pak-Afghan border regions.

U.S. and Turkey Reaffirm Strong Partnership

(Mar. 7) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan today reaffirmed the strong bonds of alliance, solidarity and strategic partnership between the Republic of Turkey and the United States, as well as the commitment of both countries to the principles of peace, democracy, freedom, and prosperity enshrined in the Shared Vision and Structured Dialogue document agreed to in July 2006

They reaffirmed their determination to diversify the broad based bilateral relations particularly between the Turkish and American people.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Ali Babacan today reaffirmed the strong bonds of alliance, solidarity and strategic partnership between the Republic of Turkey and the United States, as well as the commitment of both countries to the principles of peace, democracy, freedom, and prosperity enshrined in the Shared Vision and Structured Dialogue document agreed to in July 2006.

Turkey and the United States reiterated their determination to continue close cooperation and consultation on all issues of common concern. They pledge to contribute to peace and stability in the Middle East and in this context,

to support a permanent settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, including alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of a two-state solution;

to enhance energy security and to expand the Southern corridor of natural gas and oil infrastructure

to enable Caspian basin and Iraqi energy producers to reach European and world markets;

to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the south Caucasus, including through U.S. support for the efforts of Turkey and Armenia to normalize relations and joint support for the efforts of the Minsk Group to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict;

to continue to cooperate in the Balkans;

to support strongly a comprehensive and mutually-acceptable settlement of the Cyprus question under the auspices of the UN and in this context ending the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots; and to enhance their cooperation in the fight against terrorism, particularly against their common enemies, the PKK and al-Qaeda.

The United States will continue its intelligence support for Turkish operations against the PKK and is reviewing ways to be more supportive. As members of the G-20, Turkey and the United States pledge continued cooperation to deal with the global economic crisis and efforts to increase and diversify bilateral economic relations with particular emphasis on trade, investment, scientific and technological cooperation.

Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Babacan discussed Turkey’s accession to the European Union as a member, a goal the United States continues to strongly support, as well as the Government of Turkey’s continued emphasis on reform process.

With their commitment to Transatlantic relations and as Allies in a strong NATO, they pledge continued cooperation in Afghanistan, including through continued Turkish contributions to Afghanistan. They reiterated their commitment to the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq as well as reiterated their support for a democratic, pluralistic, unified and federal Iraq.

They also welcome Turkey’s deepening relations with the Government of Iraq as evidenced by high level visits as well as trilateral meetings to discuss cooperation against the PKK.

Turkey and the United States will strongly back the United Nations Security Council in its work to maintain global peace and security for the prevention and removal of threats to the international community and in this context will cooperate in dealing with issues including terrorism, drug trafficking, organized crime and the threat of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery in the region and beyond.

Finally, they reaffirmed their determination to diversify the broad based bilateral relations particularly between the Turkish and American people. In that context, the Secretary and Minister announced the establishment of “Young Turkey/Young America”: A New Relationship for a New Age.

This initiative will enable emerging young leaders in Turkey and the United States to develop initiatives that will positively impact people’s lives and invest in future ties between the leadership of our two countries.

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 appears set for Senate OK as top diplomat

“There’s no stumbling block,” Sen. John Kerry Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview Monday. The panel could vote on Clinton’s nomination as early as Thursday. If she is approved, as expected, she could be confirmed by the full Senate as early as Inauguration Day.

YOU CAN WATCH A LIVE RE-BROADCAST HERE

WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Clinton, whose confirmation hearing as secretary of state begins Tuesday, is aiming to re-establish the State Department as the lead agency in foreign policy and to give it a greater role in economic diplomacy, say advisers to her and President-elect Barack Obama.

In her testimony, Sen. Clinton will call for a “renewal of American leadership” and a “revitalization of diplomacy to promote our security interests and advance our values,” according to a transition official.

At a time of huge crises around the world, Sen. Clinton wants to take back some of the turf now held by the Defense Department. In a slap at President George W. Bush for increased reliance on force, or so-called hard power, Sen. Clinton will outline a broader arsenal of diplomatic tools that she calls “smart power,” including economic agreements and social development that “invests in our common humanity” to achieve improved security, advisers say.

To counter the dominance given the military under Mr. Bush, she and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are working together to transfer assets and personnel to the State Department to assume reconstruction and stabilization efforts and public-affairs programs abroad, such as those in place during the Iraq war, Obama and Clinton advisers say.

Sen. Clinton is also ramping up for the State Department to be involved with the Treasury on such issues as U.S. economic development, as well as future IMF and World Bank governance changes and trade negotiations.

Senators are likely to push Sen. Clinton to outline the Obama administration’s plans to deal with the Middle East and North Korea. She talks regularly with Sen. Obama on developments. When the Gaza crisis broke, for example, they were on the phone within 15 minutes. For assistance, she plans to name a few special envoys and roving ambassadors to parachute into diplomatic hot spots around the world, probably including Richard Holbrooke on Afghanistan and Pakistan and Dennis Ross on the Middle East and Iran.

Republicans are expected to quiz her about former President Bill Clinton’s donors to his charitable foundation and library and their potential conflicts of interest with U.S. foreign policy. Clinton advisers are bracing for some lawmakers to accuse her of making a “power play.”

But Sen. Clinton will attempt to deflect that concern by telling the congressional panel that she’s implementing Mr. Obama’s vision for a new era of vigorous diplomacy, say Clinton and Obama aides. Accordingly, Sen. Clinton’s sweeping plans for State have a good chance of happening, with less-than-usual bureaucratic resistance at Defense and Treasury, they add.

Following Mr. Obama’s lead that the economy is an “all hands on deck” effort, Sen. Clinton wants the State Department involved in the design and execution of global economic policy, advisers say. She is expected to name former National Economic Council deputy and international economist Lael Brainard as undersecretary for economic affairs.

Another priority that will become clear at the hearing: arms control and nuclear nonproliferation. At one briefing she asked precise questions about North Korea and Iran, and displayed a technical knowledge of bombs including enrichment cycles, staffers say.

Advisers predict a major Clinton initiative to account for and secure nuclear material. An agreement with foreign countries to establish a global library of samples of fissile material from around the world would make it possible to identify the origin of a nuclear attack or accident. “Hillary wants to make the threat of nuclear terrorism a priority,” Sen. Robert Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat, said after meeting with her. She has also selected Robert Einhorn, a nonproliferation expert and negotiator, for a senior post, sending a strong signal that she is serious about pursuing this, advisers say.

Sen. Clinton is bringing into the State Department several members of “Hillaryland,” the loyal, close-knit group of women who worked in her first lady or New York Senate offices. She is expected to name top adviser and lawyer Cheryl Mills to be her chief of staff; Ms. Mills represented former President Clinton in negotiations with the Obama transition chief over his foundation activities to pave the way for Sen. Clinton’s nomination. Also likely to follow her to State are Lissa Muscatine, her longtime speechwriter for a similar post, and senior adviser Huma Abedin.

If any of the differences that surfaced between the Democratic candidates over foreign policy erupt in the new administration, a trio of the deputies is expected to iron them out. The president-elect’s deputy national security adviser Thomas Donilon, Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s national-security adviser Antony Blinken and James Steinberg, who will be deputy secretary under Mrs. Clinton, have been friends for years, even vacationing together with their families.

Tuesday’s hearing follows a whirlwind two months that has placed Sen. Clinton again in the spotlight. The night before her confirmation hearing, Sen. Clinton had dinner at the State Department with outgoing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. At a recent State Department briefing, incoming Sen. Clinton excused herself to take a call from Mr. Obama. When she returned, she told officials, “There are now two men whose calls I always take — Bill and Barack.”

WSJ

WE NEED ACTIVISISTS CONCERNED FOR NEW YORKERS

PLEASE SPEND 5 min AND SEND A MESSAGE CAROLINE KENNEDY IS NOT THE CHOICE FOR THE NEXT NEW YORK SENATOR!

Here is a usable format you can print out and fax in 5 min or less:

Dear Concerned NY State Citizens & Others:

We ask you to join in an effort to ensure that Caroline Kennedy does not get selected as Sen. Clinton’s replacement for NY State.

After learning Rep. Charles Rangel is close to Gov. Paterson, we thought that this would be a great way of getting our message through to our Governor. We are not sure if any of our petitions or other correspondences are reaching Governor Paterson at this time.

We are aware that Congressman Rangel prefers faxes to e-mails;
thus a fax campaign would be the best way to reach him.

You can contact Congressman Rangel here: Fax: # 212-663-4277 /
phone: 212-663-3900

DC office: Fax #202-225-0816 / phone # 202-225-4365

e-mail- rangel@mail.house.gov

Feel free to use the following form letter add your own comments or create your own and fax it to Charles Rangel. Send copies to your family & friends so that by Monday Jan. 5th 2009, his office will be flooded with faxes & phone messages when he returns.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Dear Congressman Charles Rangel,

It has come to my understanding that you are a confidant to Governor Patterson. I would like to request that you get this message to him as I am not sure that he is receiving any of the letters, faxes, or emails that are sent his way. This request has to do with my respectful resistance to the “possible” choice of Caroline Kennedy to replace Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Jr.

I have nothing personally against Ms. Kennedy, but my concerns for our State and America are more important at this time. Whoever is ultimately selected for our State Senate position needs to meet the following criteria in my opinion:

# 1- The selectee must be qualified to be ready on day one. Senator Clinton has started a number of projects that her replacement might not be able to continue immediately. It is imperative that her replacement be able to be ready immediately to take over Sen. Clinton’s jobs. In March this year, Gov. Paterson’s ability to immediately take over in the Governor’s seat helped us to avoid a real disaster in NY State.

# 2- Senator Clinton deserves someone that supported her during her Presidential bid for office. Many of us have lost faith in the political process and what our role has been in it. Let’s not even get started on how the media behaved against her during the primaries. There are many people in NY State and across the country that would appreciate having their voices heard. Sadly, the mess that is going on over in IL is not surprising to many of us. We do not wish for NY to appear to be handling this position in the same manner. Whoever gets this seat, should be ultimately qualified and seen as such. Appointing anyone without the proper experience, such as Caroline Kennedy, would appear to be just a political favor.

# 3- It would be helpful to know that women do not lose another spot in their already low US Senate representation. There are many women in NY that meet the benchmarks previously listed. These include, but are not limited to the following: Carolyn Maloney, Geraldine Ferarro, Yvette Clark, or Kirsten Gillbrand. Appointing a qualified female to Sen. Clinton’s position would be a benefit not only for our state, but for our nation, as well.

In conclusion, please seriously consider this request. In this time of an “American Idol Generation”, it is gett ing harder and harder to explain that being a celebrity does not necessarily equate to being a good representative for the people. Should Caroline Kennedy still wish to be a Senator for NY, she should wait and run for that position in two years.

Thank you for bringing my concerns to our Governor.

Sincerely,

(sign name)

(print name)

All NY’ers will be grateful for your participation, once again, Thank You!