Hillary Clinton engaged in "arms control"

On the schedule of appointments today for the Secretary, was a press briefing and remarks on the situation in Honduras, OAS, and the end of U.S. troop presence in Iraqi cities and localities.

She came out with a wide smile, telling the press "I actually missed you," to some laughter from the crowd. She thanked them all for sending her flowers saying, "I really appreciated those. They are immeasurably adding to the healing process."

She spoke straight away on the issue of Honduras. If you have not yet heard, on Sunday, the Honduran army ousted and exiled President Zelaya in the first military coup in Central America since the Cold War. This oust was triggered by his bid to make it legal to seek another term in office.

The Secretary responded today by saying,

"The United States has been working with our partners in the OAS to fashion a strong consensus condemning the detention and expulsion of President Zelaya and calling for the full restoration of democratic order in Honduras. Our immediate priority is to restore full democratic and constitutional order in that country... We have a lot of work to do to try to help the Hondurans get back on the democratic path that they've been on for a number of years now."

She then spoke on the detention of five British Embassy staff in Tehran. Saying, "We are following this situation with great concern. We have noted the statement from the European Union. We find that the harassment of Embassy staff is deplorable, and we will continue to support the United Kingdom in calling for their release."

Then finally she addressed a very important topic. One which I was not even aware was in the works. The removal of U.S. troop presence in Iraqi cities and localities.

"Tomorrow, June 30th, marks the end of U.S. troop presence in Iraqi cities and localities. This is a significant milestone in the responsible withdrawal of our forces from Iraq and in Iraq’s journey to become a stable, sovereign, self-reliant state.

This morning, I held a secure videoconference with Ambassador Hill and some of his senior team in Baghdad. The ambassador provided updates on the security, political, and economic situation in Iraq, and we discussed a number of the challenges and opportunities that we are facing.

As you remember, this withdrawal is occurring under the so-called SOFA agreement, the Status of Forces Agreement, and it is occurring in concert with the Iraqis. There is another document that we will now be turning our attention to with even greater concern; that is, the Strategic Framework Agreement which sets forth the way forward for the relationship between the United States and Iraq."

On a lighter note, also during the press briefing Hillary joked about her broken elbow. She told reporters, “I’m engaged in a different form of arms control, I think.”

If you have been out of the Hillary loop, which I am sure no one here has been, she broke her elbow on the 17th.

When a reporter asked if it’s still painful she answered, “It is. It is. Don’t break your elbow. That’s my last word of advice. But you know, every day gets a little bet better.”

So it looks like the fracture status is still pain unfortunately. I am at least glad to see her contacts in! (See the comments on this post to get caught up on that conversation...)

Read the full transcript here or watch the video below of the full press briefing: