Hillary and David Hit it Off in Brussels

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived at NATO headquarters ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Friday, December 4th. The goal of this meeting is for the U.S. and its allies to prevail in their bid to stabilize Afghanistan.

Some two dozen countries will send an estimated 7,000 more troops to Afghanistan next year, the chief of NATO said Friday as Secretary Clinton told her allied counterparts that an infusion of forces is crucial to turning the tide in the long war.

After the NATO meeting, Secretary Clinton spoke to reporters on NATO troop deployment at NATO Headquarters.Read her full remarks here or watch below:

But for some of us, what has been grabbing headlines is the flirt fest between Hillary and David Miliband. Now, we al remember from Hillary's interview in Vogue Magazine, when she confessed her love for David. Don't remember? Okay, okay, I may be exagerating... she did profess a little crush. Here's the clip from Vogue:

... When I mentioned to [Hillary] over lunch that I had spoken with [David], she lit up. "Oh, my God!" I joked that I got a crush over the phone in about five seconds partly because of his accent, and she said, "Well, if you saw him it would be a big crush. I mean, he is so vibrant, vital, attractive, smart. He's really a good guy. And he's so young!"

Miliband had nice things to say about her, too: "She applies intellect but also psychology to the dossiers that she's studying. She uses her experience in a very impressive way. She brings it to bear in a way that enriches a conversation but doesn't swamp it. She learns from history without being trapped by it. I think it's also important to say that she's delightful to deal with one on one. She's someone who laughs and can tease, and she's got perspective as well."

Well, over at the NATO meeting this Friday it was easy to see how special their transatlantic relationship really is. Reports have been just gushing over the two of them saying they "looked like a couple of overexcited teenagers... There was shoulder rubbing, lots of eye contact and laughing, and at one stage Mrs Clinton seemed to be reaching down to give her neighbour a back massage."

Ohhh la la... I'll just let the photos speak for themselves.

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Travel: Day Two at NATO

A symbolic ceremony was under way today to mark France’s return as a full NATO member and to remember those who have died in NATO-led missions during the alliance’s 60-year history.

NATO leaders were gathering on a footbridge over the Rhine river separating France and Germany, which are both hosting a two-day NATO summit that concludes Saturday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel walked from one side and French President Nicolas Sarkozy walked from the other to meet in the middle and greet each other. The handshake will be a symbol for France rejoining NATO’s military command more than four decades after it left.

A solemn ceremony followed to honor the men and women in uniform who have died in NATO missions and operations over the years.

Then, it’s down to business, with some of the most important discussions of the summit so far.

The meeting in Strasbourg, France, was devoted primarily to NATO’s ongoing operational commitments — and in particular to its engagement in Afghanistan.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and British Foreign Minister David Miliband were in attendance. Hillary sat right between Brown and President Obama.

She spoke with NATO Secretary General General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at the start of the meeting.

During the meeting, Obama has asked NATO members for more civilian and military assistance. Despite some contributions of police trainers from France and Spain and aircraft from Belgium, NATO members have so far largely been reluctant to contribute more. Read entire post

Travel: Hillary Arrives at NATO like a Rockstar

Well, Secretary Clinton has been out and about Europe today rockin' two fabulous outfits!

Early this morning she attended a U.S.-French meeting earlier at the Palais Rohan in Strasbourg, in eastern France. President Obama and Michelle Obama were also in attendance as well as France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

France rolled out all the pomp possible for the U.S.-France visit, including a red carpet arrival! And Hillary rolled in looking like a f#@*ing rockstar! I love love love the hot pink pantsuit with the matching sunglasses and lipstick.

There was also full military honors from a company of soldiers dressed in camouflage at the majestic 18th-century Rohan Palace, once home to the bishops of Alsace. Church bells pealed at the stroke of noon from the nearby Strasbourg cathedral, while helicopters helping ensure security droned overhead.

Hillary met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel before the formal start of the summit at a dinner at the German resort spa of Baden-Baden. Also in attendance was French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and France's special envoy for Afghanistan. A sign that Afghanistan issues would likely come up for discussion.

After this was the 60th-anniversary NATO summit. The summit takes place today and Saturday in Strasbourg and the neighboring German cities of Baden-Baden and Kehl.

Items on the packed agenda of the two-day summit include starting work on a new doctrine that will define the alliance's role and values in the 21st century and choosing a new secretary-general. The leaders will formally welcome France back into NATO's military wing after a 43-year absence, a largely symbolic move championed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. They will also welcome two new members from the Balkans, Albania and Croatia joined NATO this week.

Although NATO leaders have emphasized that the meeting Friday and Saturday must be more than just a birthday celebration, no major breakthroughs are expected on key issues facing the alliance.

The two-day conference co-hosted by the Rhine river cities of Strasbourg and Kehl, Germany is the second of three major international meetings taking place in Europe this week.

Secretary Clinton said securing new commitments from allies would neither begin nor end with the NATO meetings, noting that nations need more time to digest Obama's week-old revamped Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy. "The NATO summit is not a pledging conference, but of course we will be talking about how our allies can match their resources to the needs identified in the strategic review," she told reporters.

Those resources are not necessarily combat troops, she stressed, in a conference call with reporters covering the president's trip to Europe. "I think we're trying to focus on what we think will work, and what we believe will work is moving as quickly as it feasible to having security taken over by the Afghans themselves," she said. Read entire post