Secretary Clinton hosts Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of State Dinner

Today was all about India! Secretary Clinton attended the Official South Lawn Arrival Ceremony for Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, and his wife, Mrs. Gursharan Kaur, at the White House.

Shortly afterward, Secretary Clinton joined President Obama and Prime Minister Singh, at the White House for a bilateral meeting.

Secretary Clinton then hosted a Luncheon for Prime Minister Singh and Mrs. Kaur alongside Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden. Also in attendance was First Lady Michelle Obama.

Read her remarks here or watch below:

After a few other meetings and bilaterals, at 7pm EST, Secretary Clinton attended President Obama's State Dinner in honor of Prime Minister Singh and Mrs. Kaur, in a tent on the South Lawn of the White House. There has been much buzz in the politosphere about who is invited, what everyone will be wearing etc, etc, about the State Dinner. We all know Hillary is invited but what will she be wearing!?

Stay tuned for (hopefully) some photos of her attire as well as a video of the State Dinner! Read entire post

Hillary Clinton's Super Tuesday

Today, the Secretary started off her day at about 7:45 a.m. with a meeting with Vice President Biden. Including breakfast, I'm sure, although State did not confirm that. There are some great photos of the two of them, always so giddy!

Also on the schedule, at 10:00 a.m. Secretary Clinton swore in Eric Schwartz, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, at the State Department.

At 11:30 a.m. Secretary Clinton attended an Expanded Bilateral Meeting, Press Availability, and Lunch with President Obama and the 81-year-old President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, at the White House. If you are interested, read the full remarks of President Obama and President Murbarak here!

At about 1:30 p.m. this afternoon Secretary Clinton met with President Obama at the White House to brief him on the details of her trip to Africa. I wish I could find some extra juicy details on these conversations but nothing to report from the press briefings and so far no other leaks... Everyone keep your eyes and ears open and be sure to let ATHC know if you get any further info on this meeting.

Also note that not only did Hillary have a meeting with President Obama, but Bill did too! The ex-president was scheduled to return to his former residence to debrief President Barack Obama on his talks and meetings with North Korean President Kim Jong Il. Ah but don't get too excited, their paths did not cross in the halls surrounding the Oval Office, talk about déjà vu! Read more on that meeting in the upcoming post!

Instead of attending the meeting with President Obama and Bill, Hillary held a bilateral meeting with Dr. Jaime Bermudez Merizalde, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Colombia, at the State Department.

Primary topics for discussion between the two of them included the conclusion of the U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement and, of course, the ongoing situation in Honduras.

Part of the importance of this meeting was for the Secretary to clear up a new U.S.-Colombia security pact that has angered some South American nations. The pact is aimed at fighting drug trafficking and terrorism and will not create U.S. bases in the Andean nation the Secretary assured.

"The United States does not have and does not seek bases inside Colombia."

Under this new agreement, which was reached on August 14 and is expected to be signed in a few weeks, there will be no "significant" permanent increase in U.S. military presence in Colombia, Clinton said. Whereas under the current U.S. agreement, U.S. personnel levels in Colombia are capped at 800 military troops and 600 civilian contractors. There are around 268 U.S. military personnel in the country, where U.S. operations focus on providing training and intelligence support for the Colombian armed forces.

One huge critic of this deal is Hugo Chavez. Chavez says the U.S. plan risks sparking war in the region and has vowed to reduce trade with Colombia as a reprisal.

He has said his country needs to be prepared for an attack and plans to beef up Venezuela's army by buying tanks and other weapons from Russia. But Clinton urged critics of the deal to look at it closely.

"I would also ask that ...more countries, you know, actually help us, help us in this fight. Don't just stand on the sidelines, and certainly don't contribute to the problems by doing and saying things that undermine the efforts that our governments are taking to try to protect the entire region from the scourge of narco-traffickers."

Read the full text here or watch below (At about 5:40 into the video, Merizalde knocks the microphone off of the stand. Apparently Hillary later teased him saying something like, "I just can't take you anywhere!):

Other important meetings for the day included a meeting with NSC Adviser General Jim Jones, at the White House, presiding over a swearing in of Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, at the State Department as well as a Principals Committee Meeting, at the White House.

Also, since health care is a very important issue these days and since I haven't been reporting much on it, today in the White House press briefing room with Robert Gibbs this question regarding healthcare and the Clintons came up:

QUESTION: And on another issue, does President Obama ever speak with either Bill or Hillary Clinton about health care and their experience?

MR. GIBBS: I don't -- obviously the Secretary of State is in the Oval Office today and was part of the Mubarak -- larger Mubarak delegation meeting. Obviously President Clinton, as we've talked about, will be here later today. I don't know the degree to which they've discussed health care... I haven't asked, and I will be honest with you that I'm not entirely sure that I'm not going to keep private conversations between somebody like the Secretary of State or the former President between the current and former President.

We all have most likely seen this clip from Meet the Press where Gregory asks "Has POTUS sought for advice on healthcare?" to Hillary's evasive answer of "We talk about everything. I have a rule that I dont talk about what I talk about with Presidents. Even my husband! But I am available to talk to the President about anything."

Here and other times, Hillary does suggest that she and the President speak about other issues... So, I can't blame the reporters who continue to press the same questions. I am JUST as curious to know what goes on behind closed doors between our President and Secretary of State... Sigh, but I guess none of us will reeeally know the truth.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

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State Spokesman defends Hillary's medical privacy and role in Iraq policy

Thursday, July 2, the Secretary was working from home. During the State Department press briefing, things got a little heated over the Secretary's schedule, her personal medical information and her role in Iraq.

Here is what went down between Ian Kelly and the press:

QUESTION: If I can go back to the earlier point you made about the Secretary staying at home --

MR. KELLY: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- when will she resume a normal schedule at the State Department? What do the doctors say? And then can you confirm why she’s not traveling to Moscow now?

MR. KELLY: Yeah, yeah.

QUESTION: Is it because of the elbow injury, or is there another reason?

MR. KELLY: Well, you all saw her on Monday. She is very actively involved in the operation of the Department and in advocating U.S. policy. She had a very full day yesterday, and she attended a number of meetings, including a few public meetings.

But as far as her medical prognosis, it’s just not the kind of details that I’m prepared to share. I do know that she’s looking forward to resuming a full schedule. I mean, I think she’s got a pretty full schedule anyway. I mean, you see that some days she’s at home and other days she comes to the office. But she looks forward, for example, to going to India and Southeast Asia in a couple weeks.

QUESTION: But that’s it? I mean, she’s just been busy so she’s not going to Moscow? That’s the --

MR. KELLY: Well, there were never any firm plans, necessarily, for her to go to Moscow. I think she called Foreign Minister Lavrov yesterday to tell him that she wasn’t going to go and she looked forward to seeing him soon. But in terms of what’s going to happen in the next few weeks, as I said, she does plan to go to this trip to Asia in a couple weeks, and we hope to have an announcement soon about that.

QUESTION: You’re still not – you’re still not saying why that decision was made for her not to go.

MR. KELLY: Well, I think – she broke her elbow and she is getting therapy.

QUESTION: Yeah.

MR. KELLY: So quite naturally, she’s focused on that, on healing.

QUESTION: That makes sense.

MR. KELLY: Yeah, thanks.

QUESTION: Why won’t you give us those medical details? The White House came out and said it was because of physical therapy --

MR. KELLY: Yeah.

QUESTION: -- intensive physical therapy that would be impossible to maintain --

MR. KELLY: Right.

QUESTION: -- over the course of the trip.

MR. KELLY: Right.

QUESTION: First, why won’t you reveal more medical details?

MR. KELLY: Didn’t I just say that? Didn’t I say that she needs to – she needs to pay attention to her elbow, she needs to – she needs to heal?

QUESTION: Is that a doctor recommendation?

MR. KELLY: I don’t know.

QUESTION: Is there a possibility of an additional operation?

MR. KELLY: I doubt it, but I just don’t know.

QUESTION: And can you give us any details about the physical therapy? Is it daily? Supervised? Does she go someplace and have it?

MR. KELLY: I’m just not aware of it.

The press is trying to get all kinds of nasty and in some way try to spin a story that Hillary is being"elbowed" out of the way. And although, I never met a pun I didn't like, I don't think I like this one so much.

Take a look at this exchange during the briefing, where Ian Kelly dismissed a question about whether President Obama's decision to allow Biden to oversee Iraq policy — and to work with the U.S. military and the U.S. ambassador to Iraq help the Iraqis reconcile their political differences — was in a sense "elbowing" the Secretary out of the way:

QUESTION: Any reaction to Vice President Biden in Iraq, and particularly recent comments from the White House that the Vice President is overseeing Iraq policy? And some would say that this is possibly Secretary Clinton’s role to oversee Iraq policy.

MR. KELLY: Yeah, I’m not sure of these comments that you refer to that the Secretary should oversee this.

QUESTION: The White House comments were that Biden was overseeing Iraq policy.

MR. KELLY: Yeah, Charley, I’m just going to refer your question to the White House.

QUESTION: In the context of a number of other issues, her injury, her not going to Moscow, the fact that Biden seems to be taking an ever-increasingly visible active role in these central international policy questions, from where you stand, how do you view it?

MR. KELLY: Well, I – as I’ve said earlier, I see the Secretary as very engaged, very involved. She – as I said, she had a full schedule yesterday. She worked from home today. She sees the President weekly, talks to him often. She met with him yesterday. But in terms of Vice President Biden’s role, I would have to refer you to his office.

Read the full text of the briefing here or watch below: Read entire post

Daily Appointments

Although, not on the official appointment schedule, according to MarkKnoller, White House Correspondent for CBS news (and a great twitterer if I may say so myself...) Secretary Clinton and VP Joe Biden were having breakfast together this morning.

11:00 a.m. EST - Bilateral with His Excellency Sukhbaatar Batbold, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia. Read entire post

Chicago Tribune asks: What will Hillary say next?

Today while browsing the Trib online, I came across this article by Paul Richter, "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: What will she say next? Her candor is raising eyebrows, questions in U.S. and abroad."

Basically, the article is really quite strange and since it is coming out of my hometown newspaper, I needed to dissect the entire thing.

The article in summary is trying to say (I think) that she is speaking freely, seemingly not worried about the consequences her bold statements may have. Take a look at what the article says:

"Startling U.S. friends and foes alike, Clinton has sent aides scrambling to explain her remarks and has stirred a debate over whether speaking frankly is a good thing for U.S. foreign policy.

"She's saying the emperor has no clothes," said L. Gordon Flake, head of The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation in Washington. "She's saying the things that nobody else would say, but that 99 percent of the people in Washington agree with."

Admirers argue that she was refreshingly stating what everybody knows. Others contend that in diplomacy, it is sometimes better for disagreeable truths to remain unspoken.

Aides said Clinton and President Barack Obama, who speak more than once a week, share views on many areas of foreign policy. While Obama generally prefers his top lieutenants to steer clear of controversy, State Department officials said, Clinton's approach has not drawn a rebuke.

At times, aides have urged Clinton to reconsider her approach but have been rebuffed. Her manner sometimes arouses concern in the State Department's regional bureaus, which generally hear first when foreign governments complain.

Clinton's comments may not seem to be insulting or impolitic on their face. But coming from the nation's chief diplomat, they have raised eyebrows."

The article uses examples of Hillary's remarks on human rights in China as well as her statement on North Korea's role in the six party talks as "implausible, if not impossible."

The end of the short article quotes a State Department official backing Hillary's statements, contending that Clinton's strong denunciation of Islamabad led to greater cooperation from Pakistan.

"They weren't doing anything before she said that. Then after she said it, they suddenly were taking it pretty seriously, and met with greater success," said the official, who declined to be identified because of diplomatic sensitivity. "I think she got their attention."

Personally, I am torn over this article, which doesn't seem to stand on any facts as I can see it... just opinion and quotes from people wishing to remain anonymous. I am glad that Hillary is taking a new approach. Through her speeches and statements you can see an attitude that is very new, different and in my eyes refreshing. But this article seems to suggest that her comments are gaffes and erratic remarks that she is just spewing out to save face or something.

I could not DISAGREE more. All those that know and love Hillary understand that she is the most studious, prepared, and cautious person EVER. She is a very bold speaker and she does speak her mind, but in no way do I think she is a loose cannon or someone that the Obama Administration needs to wrangle in.

Nice try, Richter, but next time try writing this article about good ol' Joe Biden, if you are looking to target someone with loose lips.

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Daily Appointments

Well, looks like the Secretary is up and running today! Lots of appointments to catch up on:

7:45 a.m. EST - Weekly Breakfast with Vice President Biden

9:00 a.m. EST - Bilateral with His Excellency Shimon Perez, President of Israel, at the OmniShoreham Hotel. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE / PRESS OFFICE TO RELEASE OFFICIAL PHOTO)

10:15 a.m. EST - Bilateral with His Excellency Edward Nalbandian, Minster of Foreign Affairsof the Republic of Armenia.

11:00 a.m. EST - Bilateral with His Excellency Marat Tazhin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

11:30 a.m. EST - Meeting with Mrs. Christine Levinson, wife of Robert Levinson. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)

2:00 p.m. EST - Bilateral with His Excellency Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.(CAMERA SPRAY IN TREATY ROOM PRECEDING BILATERAL/ EDITORIAL PRESENCE WELCOME / NO Q&A)

3:15 p.m. EST - Bilateral with His Excellency Carl Bildt, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden. Read entire post

Wow, busy day for the Secretary!

This busy day started with an 8:00 a.m. Breakfast with Senator John Kerry. (Just an aside- I now love John Kerry after seeing him in person on the Senate floor ramble on for approximately 40 minutes about melting ice glaciers. My favorite part was when he said out loud "I'm just stalling for time here." HIL-AR-IOUS! Come on' whoever watched Hillary's confirmation vote on C-SPAN knows what I'm talking about... )

Then at 10:45 a.m. Weekly meeting with President Obama and Vice President Biden. Possibly open to the press... so look out for some recaps on the news today!

At 1:00 p.m. there is a bilateral with His Excellency Ahmed Ali Aboul Gheit, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt. No Q&A, just photos.

2:30 p.m. Meeting with Martin Luther King, III and others before their India trip, as mentioned in the last post. Hillary's remarks on the 50^th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1959 trip to India and Black History Month will begin at 2:45 p.m in the Treaty Room.

And lastly at 4:45 p.m. another bilateral with His Excellency Javier Solana, Secretary General of the Council of the European Union and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy. I googled this guy because I had no idea who he was.. he is really interesting. He was a physicist who became a political minister for 13 years. In his early life, he was anti-NATO and was on the US subversives list which was a little controversial when in 1995, Solana became the new Secretary-General of NATO. He worked with President Clinton on ending the Kosavo war... and so on and so on.

He said on Wednesday the next Israeli government must restart serious peace negotiations with the Palestinians. "I think if we continue in a crisis management mode, if we don't enter into a conflict resolution mode it will be going back and back again."

I'm so glad to see Hillary meeting with so many people. She really is doing a great job and hearing from all people. This is going to be a great day at the State Department!

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