Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Monday at the State Department

Monday was a busy day, and the Secretary was ready and raring to go! Which is good because I heard through the grapevine on Twitter, that on the plane ride back to DC Sunday night, Hillary was spotted "limping." I couldn't get much info, but it seems to me that she looks ok! So, if anyone has the real truth on that story, let us know!

Secretary Clinton gave remarks at the Annual Global Classrooms DC Model United Nations Conference at the State Department to an enthusiastic crowd. Seated in the Dean Acheson auditorium was 650 middle and high school students from around the DC area.

She gave the students an extraordinary start to their day of debate, with a personal speech. She quizzed the students on issues that mattered to them and gave them a few words of advice.

"So I really wanted to come by to tell you how pleased I am that you’re doing this and how important it is to debate the issues that you’ll be considering in a respectful, well-prepared manner.

I’ll just add a word about that. Sometimes, you can feel so strongly about an issue that you think everybody should agree with you. Anybody ever feel that way? But you still have to marshal your arguments and you still have to make your case, and you still have to use evidence. So as you’re going forward with the Model UN process, help yourself become a better, more effective persuader. Listen to the other side, even if you think in the beginning they have nothing that you will agree with. And try to hear what their point of view is, put yourself into their shoes, and make a more effective argument going forward."

Read her full remarks here or watch below:

Also if was announced that Roxana Saberi was released. Of course, Hillary went down to the briefing room at the State Department and made a statement:

"I just spoke to the Swiss Ambassador to the United States, who confirms, as the protecting power, that Roxana Saberi has been released from prison. She is currently with her family and will be leaving Tehran to return to the United States in the coming days. Obviously, we continue to take issue with the charges against her and the verdicts rendered, but we are very heartened that she has been released, and wish her and her family all of the very best we can send their way."

Also, Robert Wood, the current State Department Spokesman, is being replaced with Ian Kelly. Not exactly sure why, but from the remarks that the Secretary gave, it seems as though he was filling in sort of temporarily and will be given another task somewhere in the State Department.

Hillary also mentioned that Ian Kelly is a "long-suffering Cubs fan" which may mean nothing to you if you are not from Chicago. You see, this, and probabaly ONLY this, is where Hillary Clinton and I disagree. I was born and rasied on the SouthSide Chicago, therefore I am, by birth, a White Sox fan. There is nothing I can do about that. Hillary was born and raised a North Side Chicagoan, therefore she cannot help but to cheer for the worst team in baseball. I don't even like baseball but I would gladly get into a Cubs vs. Sox debate with Secretary Clinton. Bring it on!

You can read Ian Kelly's blog post on Dipnote here.

Read her full remarks here or watch below:

She also met with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and they spoke to the press briefly.

Bernard Kouchner thanked the Secretary "Thank you for receiving me." She replied, "Oh, it’s a pleasure. A long agenda, my friend."

Read the remarks here or watch below:

1 comment:

Jackie said...

Pretty in pink !

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