Clinton interviewed by CNN's Candy Crowley

Sunday Secretary Clinton sat down with CNN's Candy Crowley and took part in a really great, long interview.

Topics discussed ranged from, of course, Haiti, including Bill's role, Afghanistan and Pakistan, North Korea and Iran, all the way to the Super Bowl and Chelsea's Wedding dress.

Here is all is below taken from a fellow Hillary fan's YouTube page. Worth the watch!!

Click below to read the FULL transcript:

QUESTION: First of all, thank you so much. It's an honor to have you on this first show. I wanted to talk to you first about the past month. We have seen a would-be terrorist frighten a lot of people on a plane over Detroit, we have gotten Usama bin Ladin's tape, and we have now been warned by the U.S. Government that it is certain that there will be an attempted attack on the U.S. or on Americans in the next one to six months. Is there a reason Americans should not look at that and think the risk factor is up?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Candy, first of all, congratulations on your new show. I really wish you well. You have a lot to contribute to Sunday morning television.

I think what's fair for Americans to think is that we have had a continuing threat from al-Qaida and related terrorist organizations over many years now. It hasn't gone away. We have contained it. We've worked very hard to do so. But over the last six months, we have seen attacks foiled, people arrested and charged, so that you have to be constantly vigilant. And that's what everybody working in this government at all levels attempts to do.

In the last month, because of the high-profile attempt on the airplane, people's attention became very focused. But a bin Ladin tape is nothing new; it comes and goes depending upon when he decides to do it. But I think it's really important for people to just go along with their daily lives. I mean, you can't be deterred or discouraged or fearful about what's happening, and we just have to do everything we can to keep America safe.

QUESTION: Can you give me a feel for is the risk higher, is al-Qaida stronger now than a year ago?

SECRETARY CLINTON: It's very difficult to make that kind of assessment because they've always been plotting against us. I was a senator from New York on 9/11. I was honored to serve the people of New York until I took this job. I thought about it every day. I got intelligence every day, somebody was thinking about that or we picked up information about a plot there. So to me, who has followed this very closely since 9/11, I don't see them as stronger, but I see that they are more creative, more flexible, more agile. They evolve. They are, unfortunately, a very committed, clever, diabolical group of terrorists who are always looking for weaknesses and openings, and we just have to stay alert.

QUESTION: If they're more agile and more clever, are there more of them? And doesn't that sort of add up to more risk?

SECRETARY CLINTON: I don't know if there are more of them. We have certainly degraded their capacity in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We know that. As the President said the other night, we have killed and captured a significant number of al-Qaida's top leadership as well as people in the Taliban organizations in Afghanistan and Pakistan who cooperate with them.

We see some new areas of threat emanating from Somalia and Yemen. But whether that's now in the cumulative greater, or whether because the numbers in Afghanistan and Pakistan have decreased, it's about the same but with the unfortunate fact that they are committed to killing and destroying innocent people in their own countries as well as around the world, including the United States.

QUESTION: While we're in that region, let me ask you about Afghanistan. U.S. troops cannot get out of there unless there is a stable Afghan Government. Hamid Karzai, as of this point, does not have a full cabinet. They are now trying to bring in not just foot soldiers, bring them back into the fold, not just Taliban foot soldiers, but some higher-ups. Do you have any doubt in your mind that Hamid Karzai can get his act together and put together a stable government?

SECRETARY CLINTON: I think that the strategy that the United States and more than 44 countries are pursuing in Afghanistan obviously requires that we have a good partner in President Karzai and the Afghan Government. That doesn't mean that we'll always do what he wants or he will always do what we want, but we do expect to see a level of competency and capacity.

QUESTION: Have you seen it?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes, actually, there are areas of very positive cooperation. He may not have a full cabinet, but the cabinet members he has are people who many of us view as honest and effective, productive. We work with them on a daily basis - the defense minister, the finance minster - people who are really producing results for Afghanistan.

I've spent a lot of time with President Karzai, most recently about a 90-minute one-on-one conversation in London. I think he has really stepped up since his second inaugural address. He laid out a roadmap there. He is trying to follow that roadmap. But I always remind myself that, what, five or six years into a new nation that has no history of democracy, let's be realistic about the kind of support that this new government and the president needs. So I think we have to put this into a more balanced perspective. It's neither as bad or as good, just like most of life and most of the situations I deal with around the world. And I think we have developed a much stronger understanding and partnership in the last year going forward.

QUESTION: So no doubts that Karzai is the man to pull this together?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, he is the president of the country and I very much respect the authority that he has. He has asked for help, most recently at the London conference, but he also has his own ideas, as do the Afghan people. So in any relationship with any country, think of some of our oldest allies like France or England, you're not always going to get 100 percent agreement, but you work with the leaders and you work with the people. We're not yet turning the corner, but we are sort of inching our way forward to being able to do so. So I think, on balance, we are in this with people and countries who are committed to the same outcome.

QUESTION: Shall we leave the Karzai doubt question on the table?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I mean, I don't agree with any other single leader in the world. I mean, I don't - I mean, obviously, we have a lot -

QUESTION: I just think that's a little different from are you a little worried that he's not going to be able to pull this off. And I pursue it only because that's the only way U.S. troops are going to get pulled out.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, but see, I think that we have looked at President Karzai through a lens that is not rooted in reality. I mean, we do business with leaders all the time, some of whom are great American allies, that have a lot of questions raised about them. But we do an assessment: What's in the best interest of America? What's in our national security? What advances our interests and our values? What keeps Americans safe?

And so why should we take one leader out and put him apart from all the other leaders we deal with and raise all those doubts, instead of saying, look, we've got work to do and we're doing it. We are doing it day by day and I think we are making progress.

QUESTION: I wanted to bring your attention to something that President Obama said in his inaugural a little more than a year ago: "We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." Has Iran unclenched its fist?

SECRETARY CLINTON: No.

QUESTION: How about North Korea?

SECRETARY CLINTON: No, not to the extent we would like to see them. But I think that's - that is not all to the story. Engagement has brought us a lot in the last year. Let's take North Korea first and then we'll go to Iran.

In North Korea, when we said that we were willing to work with North Korea if they were serious about returning to the Six-Party Talks and about denuclearizing in an irreversible way, they basically did not respond in the first instance. But because we were willing to engage, we ended up getting a very strong sanctions regime against North Korea that China signed onto and Russia signed onto and right now is being enforced around the world.

QUESTION: Did the extended hand of the U.S. help in any way that you can point to?

SECRETARY CLINTON: It did. Because we extended it, a neighbor like China knew we were going the extra mile and all of a sudden said you're not just standing there hurling insults at them, you've said all right, fine, we're willing to work with them. They haven't responded, so we're going to sign on to these very tough measures.

Similarly, in Iran, I don't know what the outcome would have been if the Iranian Government hadn't made the decision it made following the elections to become so repressive. But the fact is, because we engaged, the rest of the world has really begun to see Iran the way we see it. When we started last year talking about the threats that Iran's nuclear program posed, Russia and other countries said, well, we don't see it that way. But through very slow and steady diplomacy, plus the fact that we had a two-track process - yes, we reached out on engagement to Iran, but we always had the second track, which is that we would have to try to get the world community to take stronger measures if they didn't respond on the engagement front.

QUESTION: I want to turn to Haiti for a minute. We're in there with a lot of people. They're doing a lot of talking, and what they're finding is Haitians saying we wish the American Government would come in here and take over because they don't think their government is capable in the post-rescue period of rebuilding Haiti. What's wrong with that idea?

SECRETARY CLINTON:Candy, I'm very proud of what not only our country has done, both our military and particularly our civilians and our new USAID Administrator Raj Shah - everybody has just stepped up and performed admirably. So have other countries. This has been a global response. But the fact is there is a legitimate government with authority in Haiti despite the -

QUESTION:A really weak government.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, the fact is that we were working with them before the earthquake. One of my goals as Secretary of State, which the President agreed with, was for us to work with that government and try to help them implement a national development plan. And we had spent a lot of time on that. In fact, what's so tragically ironic is that, literally, the night before the earthquake, on PBS there was a - the NewsHour had a long segment about the progress that was being made in Haiti under this very same government. Unfortunately, all of that was upended by the earthquake.

What we're doing along with our international partners is to work with the Haitian Government so that there is a mechanism for coordination. They have to be part of it because they have the legal authorities. Unless a government or a bunch of governments is going to occupy Haiti, which would have all kinds of very unfortunate implications, we have to help support the Haitian people and their government. There's a lot of talk going on, a lot of conference calls flying back and forth, the trip that I made to Montreal for the conference, and I'm confident we're going to come up with a system.

QUESTION: UN envoy to Haiti, you may know, is Bill Clinton.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I do know.

QUESTION: I'm just curious how that works exactly. Does he give you reports? Does he call up and say, "Hello, Secretary of State?" (Laughter.) And really, who's the boss here?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, he was appointed, again, months and months ago and was working on the private sector. He had brought hundreds of business people from around the world to sign contracts to employ people in Haiti. And now he's been asked by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to continue and enhance his role because of the earthquake.

He talks to the people who I work with. He doesn't - it's not me. It's Raj Shah and Cheryl Mills and all the other teams.

QUESTION:He doesn't say, "Give me the big Kahuna here?"

SECRETARY CLINTON: No, I mean, he talks to people who are really working on this 24 hours a day. Obviously, we talk about it, too. We have a special place in our heart for Haiti, having gone there during our honeymoon many years ago. And it's a place that is captivating. The people are so resilient and they deserve so much better than what they've gotten over their history. And I think Bill is committed, as I am, to doing everything we can.

QUESTION: If you were to say to the American people this country is the most dangerous to Americans and to the U.S., where is that country?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Candy, in terms of a country, obviously, a nuclear-armed country like North Korea or Iran pose both a real or a potential threat.

QUESTION:And you're convinced Iran has nuclear -

SECRETARY CLINTON: No, no, no. But we believe that their behavior certainly is evidence of their intentions. And how close they are may be the subject of some debate, but the failure to disclose the facility at Qom, the failure to accept what was a very reasonable offer by Russia, France, and the U.S. through the IAEA to take their uranium, their low-enriched uranium and return it for their research reactor. I mean, there's just - it's like an old saying that if you see a turtle on a fencepost in the middle of the woods, he didn't get there by accident, right? Somebody put him there. And so you draw conclusions from what you see Iran doing.

But I think that most of us believe the greater threats are the transnational non-state networks, primarily the extremists, the fundamentalist Islamic extremists who are connected - al-Qaida in the Arab Peninsula, al-Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan, al-Qaida in the Maghreb. I mean, the kind of connectivity that exists. And they continue to try to increase the sophistication of their capacity, the attacks that they're going to make. And the biggest nightmare that any of us have is that one of these terrorist member organizations within this syndicate of terror will get their hands on a weapon of mass destruction. So that's really the most threatening prospect we see.

QUESTION: When you look at the biggest success in the past year for the open hand, where is your - I mean, the Middle East is still pretty much a mess despite some really bright minds over there trying to work it out. We've talked about Iran and North Korea and others. Where is there success of specifically engagement?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Again, I would say that this has been a very successful year for the following reasons. First, it's almost hard to remember how poorly much of the world viewed the United States when President Obama came into office. And both his election and his persona, combined with the approach we took of seeking to find the basis for engagement on mutual respect and mutual interest, has really created a much more open, receptive atmosphere. We are working in many difficult situations in every continent, but I think we're being received in a positive way, which gives us a better chance to find common ground.

Now, I am fairly realistic about foreign policy, and countries don't just give up what they view as their interests in order to make nice with you. It takes a lot of effort. But I really feel that the engagement was the first stage. We had to change the mindset of not just leaders but of their populations. We are moving toward a new nuclear arms treaty with Russia, something that has been a high priority with us. We have reset our relationship. The Russians have been very positive in discussions about sanctions on Iran and on many other important matters. I'm not sure that would have been predicted a year ago. We do have a very comprehensive engagement with India, with China, with other big countries, from South Africa to Turkey to Brazil, and we are working together on areas of mutual interest or where the United States can be a facilitator.

So I think that when I look back on this past year, I see a lot of positive trends. Now, this year, 2010, has to be a year of implementing and building on the positive foundation that we've built.

QUESTION: A quick question on healthcare, which seems to be stalled, which - and that's probably the best we can say about it. Are you getting a little deja vu watching this? (Laughter.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, it's really hard. It is a complex issue that touches everybody about which both people and interests have really strong feelings. But I haven't given up yet and I know the White House hasn't given up and I don't think a lot of the members of Congress have given up, so I'm not sure that this last chapter has been written.

QUESTION: Have you called anybody on the Hill or have you talked to the White House? Are you dispensing the wisdom of your time trying to figure this out?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, when I'm asked, I am very happy to respond. I mean, it's not anything I have direct responsibility for, but I've had a number of conversations and both in the White House and on the Hill and with others who are playing a constructive role. And I, like I think many Americans, hope that there can be a positive outcome.

QUESTION:So I want to do a quick lightning round with you. First of all, Colts or the Saints?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Oh, I don't answer football questions because, to be honest, I don't follow it. Now, if my husband were sitting here, he would give you a very long exegesis as to why one team was better than the other, but I'll just leave it to see what happens at the Super Bowl.

QUESTION: In between talking about Haiti, he doesn't say I need you to root for -

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, no, because neither of them are our teams. I mean, there's not a New York team. I mean, so we're just interested observers.

*QUESTION:* Who are watching the game with or are you on the phone with foreign leaders?

SECRETARY CLINTON:Well, if they call me, I'm on the phone with them. Otherwise, it'll be my family.

QUESTION:And finally, just as the mother - recently the mother of a groom, as the mother of the bride, have you found that dress yet?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, if you don't tell anybody, Candy, we're still looking. Yeah, and it's a new status for me being an MOTB, but I'm very proud to have that status.

QUESTION:Good luck on the search. That's all I have to say. As you know, it's -

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you. But your son - you didn't have to go buy a dress, so that's good. That was not part of -

QUESTION: Exactly. So no Chelsea dress either.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I don't have a dress yet, no, and Chelsea doesn't either. But we're working on it.

QUESTION: Well, good luck. And do you think it's - which is harder, Middle East peace or negotiating this wedding? (Laughter.)

SECRETARY CLINTON:Well, I'd probably call it a draw about now. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Well, good luck with both, actually.

SECRETARY CLINTON:Thank you.

QUESTION: I really appreciate your being here.

SECRETARY CLINTON: And good luck to you.

QUESTION: Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

SECRETARY CLINTON: You're welcome. Read entire post

Secretary Hillary Clinton draws a hard line on Nuclear North Korea and Iran

This morning at 11:00 am EST, Secretary Clinton delivered a Major Policy Speech on Nonproliferation to the United States Institute of Peace. She presented the Obama Administrations “Diplomatic Blueprint” that included language covering these topics: confronting Proliferators, insuring that all nations abide by the rights and obligation of the Nonproliferation Regime, intent for negotiating a new treaty with Russia to reduce the US nuclear arsenal, and undertaking a review of the role of nuclear weapons in the United States defense strategy. This event was held at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

She got quite a few headlines for her speech when she drew a clear line on U.S. relations with North Korea as well as Iran.

The Secretary said that while the Obama administration is interested in talking with Pyongyang, the United States will not normalize relations with North Korea until it abandons its nuclear weapons program.

Thwarting the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran is critical to shoring up the nonproliferation regime. Within the framework of the six-party talks, we are prepared to meet bilaterally with North Korea, but North Korea’s return to the negotiating table is not enough. Current sanctions will not be relaxed until Pyongyang takes verifiable, irreversible steps toward complete denuclearization. Its leaders should be under no illusion that the United States will ever have normal, sanctions-free relations with a nuclear armed North Korea.

Together with the other permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, the United States is pursuing a dual-track approach toward Iran. If Iran is serious about taking practical steps to address the international community’s deep concerns about its nuclear program, we will continue to engage both multilaterally and bilaterally to discuss the full range of issues that have divided Iran and the United States for too long. The door is open to a better future for Iran, but the process of engagement cannot be open-ended. We are not prepared to talk just for the sake of talking.

Read her full remarks here or watch below:

Later in the day the Secretary also held meetings with William Hague, Member of British Parliament and Shadow Foreign Secretary as well as attending a Bureau Briefing on Counter Terrorism at the State Department. Read entire post

Déjà vu! Both Clintons back in the White House!

As noted in my previous post, not only did Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have a meeting with President Obama, but Former President Bill Clinton 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, simmer down kids, don't get too excited... their paths did not cross in the halls surrounding the Oval Office. I mean, talk about some serious déjà vu!

The Secretary didn't attend Bill's meeting with Obama due to schedule conflicts said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs during the official briefing. Instead, Clinton has designated her chief of staff Cheryl Mills to attend the meeting. Clinton aides have also reported that Mills played a "key role" in planning Bill Clinton's mission to North Korea and Hillary thinks Mills was the "appropriate" person to participate today because of that role. Smart move, Hills. For reals.

Questions are swarming all over as to what Bill Clinton has told his wife, the Secretary of State, about his visit to North Korea and the condition of Kim Jong Il. State's Ian Kelly said he has "no doubt" the former president has briefed his wife, but he wouldn't go beyond that.

"It's our longstanding policy not to discuss the substance of conversations between the secretary and either of the two presidents she deals with... one former, one present."

The two men met in the White House Situation Room for nearly 40 minutes, after which Obama invited his fellow Democrat to the Oval Office to talk for another half hour.

"Former President Clinton described the process, including a meeting with Kim Jong-il, that culminated in the North Korean leadership granting 'special amnesty' to the two journalists and permitting them to return to the United States," the White House said in a statement.

"President Obama said he was gratified that the Americans had been safely reunited with their families."

Bill left after the meeting without speaking to reporters. (They were all whining about that on Twitter hehe...)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said his trip had provided insight into North Korea.

"The briefing that my husband and those who traveled with him ... is, you know, extremely helpful, because it gives us a window into what's going on in North Korea."

Read entire post

Video clips: North Korea, Bill Clinton, etc. Good stuff!

Here are a few random video clips, more on North Korea, Bill Clinton, etc. Good stuff!

Watch what Hillary said on the Today Show about Bill Clinton and the release of the two journalists from North Korea:

Brian William and Andrea Mitchell report on The Clintons and North Korea:

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

Here's a clip of an interview with CNN where when asked to comment on former U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton’s criticism, Hillary immediately broke into laughter. Love it!

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

Also, don't forget, Hillary Clinton will be on CNN this Sunday, 1pm EST or 5pm EST for the full interview! ATHC will be watching! Read entire post

Video: Hillary Clintons response to realease of journalists from N. Korea

Secretary Clinton's remarks on the release of two tournalists From North Korea. This video snippet was taken from a Press Availability with Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula.

"We have been working hard on the release of the two journalists. We have always considered that a totally separate issue from our efforts to reengage the North Koreans and have them return to the Six-Party Talks and work toward a commitment for the full, verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

I was very pleased to get the news that my husband's plane had taken off from Pyongyang with the two young women on board. They are on their way to California where they will be reunited with their families. I had a very brief conversation with my husband, we did not go into the details of some of the questions that you are asking, there will be time to talk about that later. This was mostly just to communicate directly how relieved and pleased he was and we are with the successful completion of this mission.

As I said in a long set of remarks in Thailand about two weeks ago, the future of our relationships with the North Koreans are really up to them. They have a choice; they can continue to follow a path that is filled with provocative actions which further isolates them from the international community, which resulted in the imposition of sanctions by the Security Council and the full cooperation of the international community, including and led by China, for the implementation of those sanctions under the resolution. Or they can decide to renew their discussions with the partners in the Six-Party Talks. We have always said there would be a chance to discuss bilateral matters with the North Koreans within that regional context and that is still the offer today."

Watch the video clip below: Read entire post

Superhero of the Day: Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton is the superhero of the Day. He somehow managed to fly to North Korea, completely under wraps, negotiate with the world's most feared dictator and bring home safely two imprisoned journalists. Wow. To have that kind of power!

The news broke last night that Bill Clinton had arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea, to negotiate the release of two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee. The women were recently sentenced to 12 years of "hard labor" after being convicted of "committing hostilities against Korea and illegal entry."

Its been reported that Clinton flew yesterday to North Korea in an unmarked jet and was greeted on the Pyongyang tarmac by both a young Korean girl, bearing a bouquet of white flowers, as well as North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, Kim Kye-gwan.

The presence of the negotiator raised hopes that Clinton would also be able to open a dialogue about the North's escalating nuclear program although I have heard other reports saying that the U.S. wanted to keep these two issues separate.

White house Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said this today on President Clinton's mission:

"While this solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans is on the ground, we will have no comment. We do not want to jeopardize the success of former President Clinton’s mission.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been working to secure amnesty and the release of Ling and Lee, but she nor the State Department are springing ANY details on her husband's mission.

During the State Department's press briefing, this went down. Its kinda funny to read:

QUESTION: Can we change? What can you tell us about former President Clinton’s mission to North Korea?

MR. WOOD: I don’t have anything for you beyond what the White House has said.

QUESTION: Can you say whether the Administration approved such a visit?

MR. WOOD: I don’t have anything I can add to it. The White House statement spoke for itself, and at this point, I don’t have anything further on it. So you might want to save your questions.

QUESTION: Well, did the Secretary know that her husband was traveling? (Laughter.)

MR. WOOD: As I said, no comment.

QUESTION: Will the Secretary address this in the next couple hours in Nairobi?

MR. WOOD: At this point, we have nothing that we can add to what the White House has said, so let me just leave it at that.

QUESTION: The White House has basically said they won’t say anything until the mission is complete and he’s left. Is that roughly where you are?

MR. WOOD: I’m just saying at this point, I don’t have any comment.

QUESTION: One more on North Korea. One more on North Korea.

MR. WOOD: Yeah, sure.

QUESTION: The North Korean media reported today that President Clinton delivered President Obama’s message to Kim Jong-il. So do you – aware of the message? And I think it’s the role of special envoy, so --

MR. WOOD: One more time, I’ll try it again: Nothing to add.

QUESTION: Well, I mean, just on the larger issue of North Korea, I mean, it does seem in the last few weeks that even as there’s – even if they called the Secretary a pensioner looking to go shopping or something, I mean, it does seem that there have been signals both by this Administration and by the North Koreans that maybe the time is ripe for something of this nature. I mean, Secretary Clinton had dropped – had, you know, requested amnesty and kind of made comments in Phuket about the North Koreans coming back to the table.

And then in late July, the North Koreans kind of added – added to the fodder, but – so it looks as if, you know, the atmosphere has been improving over the last few weeks for a kind of break in this case.

MR. WOOD: I have nothing to add.

QUESTION: Well, that’s not – I’m not asking about President Clinton. I’m asking about --

MR. WOOD: I have nothing to add to what we’ve been saying about North Korea. There’s nothing more to say.

QUESTION: Do you think – okay, but do you think that this will be a kind of break in the stalemate which could allow North Korea ultimately to come back to the table?

MR. WOOD: Nothing further on it.

QUESTION: Well, I’m not asking about President Clinton. There – President Clinton wasn’t in the question.

MR. WOOD: You’re asking me to draw a comparison or talk about the two situations. I’m not going to do that.

QUESTION: On --

QUESTION: Well --

QUESTION: Are you finished?

QUESTION: Sure.

Well, all of this nonsense aside, I was thrilled to find out this afternoon that President Clinton's efforts were successful!

Not only were the women released, but while Clinton engaged in rare talks with reclusive Kim Jong Il. North Korean state-run media described the talks as "wide-ranging" and "exhaustive." Also important to note, this meeting was Kim's first with a prominent Western figure since reportedly suffering a stroke nearly a year ago.

Also, North Korean media characterized the women's release as proof of "humanitarian and peace-loving policy." It was also interesting that the state media said Clinton apologized on behalf of the women and relayed President Barack Obama's gratitude. Reports also said the visit would "contribute to deepening the understanding" between North Korea and the United States.

Ya did good Bill, now I just wonder what kind of conversation Hillary and Bill will have once they finally talk to eachother! Here is the video from this morning's Today Show report:

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Video clip from Countdown ofLaura Ling & Euna Lee Leaving North Korea With Bill Clinton:
Read entire post

I <3 Maddow's Snark

HRC vs. DPRK? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the government of North Korea have been engaged in what seems to be a war of words this week. On Monday, the Secretary likened the North Korean regime to attention-starved children, saying on Good Morning America:

"And maybe it's the mother in me or the experience that I've had with small children and unruly teenagers and people who are demanding attention -- don't give it to them, they don't deserve it, they are acting out."

Now, today, the New York Times put out an interesting article saying that North Korea has returned with..... the.exact.same.insult.

A North Korean official apparently referred to Secretary Clinton as an impolite "schoolgirl".

"We cannot but regard Mrs. Clinton as a funny lady as she likes to utter such rhetoric, unaware of the elementary etiquette in the international community. Sometimes she looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping."

Oh they also added that Clinton is "by no means intelligent." Yea... my response was almost exactly the same as Maddow's in a clip from tonight below. Oh how I love the snark... (fast forward to 6:15)

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

Also, it was reported that Hillary may have miffed some other North Korean officials that were attending the ASEAN conference in Thailand. The story goes that the officials showed up at a news conference set up for Clinton, who was running late and although the North Koreans had a booked space, they left the conference area to meet with reporters and talk bad about Secretary Clinton and the United States.

Curious as to your thoughts. Is this a case of a silly "I know you are but what am I?" argument or is very scary to be getting involved in a war of words with North Korea? Read entire post

Hillary Clinton meets with Korean President at the White House

Today Secretary Hillary Clinton attended President Obama's bilateral with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy at the White House.

After that meeting, at 6:30 p.m. there was a bilateral with His Excellency Lee Myung-Bak, President of the Republic of Korea at the Blair House, Washington D.C. Lee is meeting for talks with President Obama over the growing tensions with North Korea.

Tomorrow Obama and Lee will attend a U.S. summit. Trade and economic issues will be on the table tomorrow but North Korea will top the agenda at the summit, a Seoul presidential official told a Korean news agency, adding that Lee would seek a written U.S. commitment to the provision of a nuclear "umbrella" for Seoul in a summit joint statement. Read entire post

E mergency U.N. Security Council Meeting on North Korea Rocket Launch

Secretary Clinton is working to build international consensus on condemning North Korea's missile launch. Her effort came ahead of an emergency U.N. Security Council session this afternoon. This meeting was prompted by Japan and the U.S.

The rocket that North Korea launched passed over Japan and had two rocket boosters landing in the sea, only 125 miles from Japan's coast.

She is, as we all know, traveling in Europe with President Obama. She spoke by phone today with the foreign ministers of China, Japan and Russia -- three key countries in talks aimed at getting North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons.

The U.S. says the North's launch of what it claimed to be a satellite violates an existing U.N. bar on ballistic missile activity by the communist state. The launch appears to have failed to reach orbit.

No immediate action against North Korea was decided after this emergency meeting for its rocket launch but agreed to continue discussions on what response it should make given the "serious situation."

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Support for Kosovo, envoy to North Korea and an unprecedented trilateral talk

Secretary Clinton reaffirmed the U.S.'s full support to the people of the Republic of Kosovo and its democratic development as an independent and sovereign state during a joint press conference this morning after the meeting with Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi. Watch their remarks here.

The event here underlined the continuity of U.S. support for Kosovo through three administrations. President Bill Clinton backed the NATO air campaign that drove Serb forces out of Kosovo in 1999 and the Bush administration helped lead the political process that led to the independence declaration of Kosovo. And today, the Obama administration is committing to helping the fledgling Balkan state gain further international aid and recognition.

Flanked by Fatmir Sejdiu and Hashim Thaci Hillary said this:

"The continual support for Kosovo has been through 3 different administrations, beginning from President Clinton, then Bush, and now President Obama. We, the United States stand by Kosovo and will continue to work for it. It has been recognized by 55 countries and we pledge to support Kosovo to gain more recognition. I admire the fact how President Sejdiu and Prime Minister Thaçi, have worked for the Kosovo's territorial integrity, and how they have deal with their neighbors, particularly their northern neighbor, Serbia. Also the people of Kosovo and its leadership have shown maturity and diligence, which we admire."

Today during a press announcement with Special Representative for North Korea Policy Ambassador Stephen Bosworth, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Bosworth will begin his first trip to North Korea early next week. Bosworth believes the leadership in Pyongyang wants continued dialogue. Watch their remarks here. He stated:

"I found the North Koreans, I thought, quite inclined toward continued dialogue with the United States and a continued commitment with the people of the region in the six-party process. Now obviously I was not there speaking for the United States, was not there as an official representative, but in my judgment they see the benefits to them of engagement with the outside world and are prepared to move ahead."

Bosworth will visit Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing and Moscow and he plans to directly engage North Korea in his new capacity but it is not confirmed if he will meet with North Korean officials.

Clinton had this to say:

"Ambassador Bosworth, as some of you who have been around here know, is an experienced diplomat and will lead our efforts to address the full range of concerns with respect to North Korea, including its nuclear ambitions and its proliferation of sensitive weapons technology as well as its human rights and humanitarian problems... He will work closely with our allies and partners to convince North Korea to become a constructive part of the international community."

Clinton said Bosworth will serve as the senior emissary for engagement with North Korea while State Department diplomat Sung Kim will be the head of the U.S. delegation to the six-party talks.

She also praised Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs Christopher Hill, and said he will be moving on to what she termed "another challenging assignment." It is Rumored that he is in line to become the next U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. The Secretary then had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,Rangin Dadfar Spanta. She told the press that she wanted to thank Minister Spanta and the delegation from Afghanistan for a series of excellent meetings they have been having with our government and with the Pakistani delegation over the past three days. Watch their remarks here. She then announced a trilateral meeting between she was to host with the delegations from Afghanistan and Pakistan. The meeting was with Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar and Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

The unprecedented trilateral talks were part of a U.S. effort to encourage cooperation between the neighboring governments over terrorist inroads in both countries. They came as the Obama administration is conducting a strategic review of the foundering Afghan war effort and of its policies toward Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"Our basic purpose was to exchange views on the strategic issues now being reviewed in our policy review by the Obama administration," Clinton said. "That goal has been amply fulfilled." Afterward she sad the meeting was "especially meaningful" because "we have all been working together," she said, adding that the governments will come together again in late April or early May.

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