This morning, Secretary Hillary Clinton released the 9th Annual Trafficking in Persons Report Alongside Leaders in Congress in the Benjamin Franklin Room.
This report comes out yearly, but as Secretary Clinton said in her opening remarks, this is the first time its been introduced in this way, with members on Congress alongside.
Hillary stated the thought behind this was to "demonstrate that this truly is a partnership between the State Department and the Congress... If it weren’t for the Congress, we wouldn’t have the legislation, we wouldn’t have the follow-up, we wouldn’t have the kind of outreach that these members and others have been doing."
Well, today began with more hearings. Which for me, is exciting! But maybe not so much for our Secretary of State. I wish she could talk like this everyday!
She testified during a House Appropriations Committee State and Foreign Operations hearing on Capitol Hill. The committee was hearing testimony on the State Department's FY2009 supplemental appropriations request.
During today's hearing Hillary spoke really boldly about Pakistan. She told the congressional panel that the situation in Pakistan poses a "mortal threat" to world security.
She accused Pakistan of abdicating to the Taleban by allowing them to control parts of the country. And she said extremists were being allowed to control territory such as the Swat Valley, in north-western Pakistan.
She also called Pakistan's judicial system corrupt, adding that it has only limited power in the countryside, the BBC reported.
I think one of her boldest statements, maybe even to date as SOS was said at this hearing. She said:
"The people we are fighting today, we funded twenty years ago."
To get the full context of what she said watch the clip below. It's really good!
During her hearing Hillary also answered questions on Cuba and Iran, warning that Tehran faces "very tough sanctions" if it rejects offers of engagement over its nuclear programme.
More vid below:
Hillary then attended a bilateral with His Excellency Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand.
Today at the State Department was "Bring your kid to work day." (Not the official name btw...) There were some cute little girls in the hearing; daughters of Capitol Hill staffer Tim Bergreen.
They were not as captivated by the hearing as others obviously... hehe
And since today is Thursday, Hillary had her 4:00 meeting with President Obama. Today Vice President Biden was also in attendance.
Hillary said Bush administration officials who formulated interrogation policy "should be reviewed."
She added that those who carried out orders and "acted within the four corners of the legal advice that was given" would not be prosecuted. She added that a "nonpartisan" commission might be appropriate.
Representative Dana Rohrbacher (Republican from Calif.) asked Clinton whether she supported releasing more classified memos–as suggested by Dick Cheney–including those that might show the success of harsh interrogation tactics.
She shot back with an answer that just brightened my day:
"Well, it won't surprise you, I don't consider him a particularly reliable source of information."
Wow. When you really think about it, our Vice President of only a few months ago is now not considered NOT a "reliable source of information" by our current Secretary of State. Wow. That's fucked up that we lived for 8 years with this man running our country... so glad things have changed.
Anyways, the congressman was not amused and pressed further, but Clinton only added that it was important to "get to the bottom of this entire matter."
Watch the exchange with Rep. Rohrbacher below:
Not only did Hillary stick it to Dick (ugh, that sounds bad...) but she basically ate Representative Mike Pence for lunch (ugh, that doesn't sound any better...).
Just watch it, seriously just do it. He gets OWNED:
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is telling Congress that the core goal of President Barack Obama's anti-terror strategy is to defeat al-Qaida and prevent its return to Afghanistan.
Clinton testified today at 9:30 EST before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where Chairman Howard Berman told her the panel is concerned about Islamic extremists gaining momentum in Pakistan. The California Democrat said the U.S. cannot allow the extremists to take over Pakistan or to operate with impunity on Afghanistan's border.
Clinton asserted in response that the international community is working closely together to address the problem of extremism in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Stay tuned for photos and possibly a more detailed account of what when down on the Hill.
This morning, Secretary Hillary Clinton released the 9th Annual Trafficking in Persons Report Alongside Leaders in Congress in the Benjamin Franklin Room.
This report comes out yearly, but as Secretary Clinton said in her opening remarks, this is the first time its been introduced in this way, with members on Congress alongside.
Hillary stated the thought behind this was to "demonstrate that this truly is a partnership between the State Department and the Congress... If it weren’t for the Congress, we wouldn’t have the legislation, we wouldn’t have the follow-up, we wouldn’t have the kind of outreach that these members and others have been doing."
