Travel: Hillary Clinton defiant in Pakistan, after deadly car bombing

Today is day one of Secretary Clinton's time in Pakistan. During the plane ride to Islamabad, Hillary Clinton gave remarks to the press and took a ton of questions. She outlined her time in Pakistan for the press:

While I am in Pakistan, I will be having a number of official meetings with not only the president, the prime minister, and the foreign minister, but other ministers in the government, members of parliament of a number of parties, as well as meeting with the opposition, the Sharifs. I will also be doing a lot of public diplomacy and engagement and doing events with students, with women, with Pashtun elders, going to pay respect to some of the cultural places of significance in Pakistan...

We believe we have a lot in common. We have areas of disagreement, obviously. We’re trying to narrow those and expand common ground that we both can take over together.

So it’s going to be a very intensive trip. We’ll be hitting the ground and immediately going into meetings. I’ll be going to Lahore the next day, back to Islamabad, so we’re going to have a very, very busy schedule.

Read her full remarks en route here!

And if you haven't already seen on the news, just hours after Secretary Clinton arrived in Islamabad, a huge car bomb ripped through a crowded market in Pakistan killing 92 people. The bombing was the worst of all the militant suicide bombings, assassinations, and attacks that have occurred in Pakistan this year.

The explosion brought down buildings in the northwestern city of Peshawar just hours after US Secretary Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan to bolster the two countries' troubled alliance against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants.

According to news reports, doctors at the Lady Reading Hospital said many of the casualties were women and children, as the attack occurred in the city's main bazaar.

A Pakistani lawmaker later told journalists that the Peshawar attack was deliberately timed to coincide with Clinton's visit. "Clearly, this was organized for the day of her arrival," said the lawmaker, who requested anonymity.

After condemning the violent attacks in a joint news conference with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the Secretary released an official statement on the car bomb in Peshawar:

The United States extends its deepest sympathy to the victims of today’s brutal attack in Peshawar, and to the families and friends of those killed and injured. There is no justification for killing innocent people.

This attack shows the lengths extremist elements are willing to go to force their agenda onto a people who only wish to go about their daily lives in peace.

We commend Pakistan for its courageous fight against extremism and the commitment of the Pakistani military to protect the security and well-being of the Pakistani people. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistani people in their aspirations for peace and security. We are committed to giving Pakistan the help it needs in order to defeat extremist violence.

Below is some footage after the bombing (warning, it is a bit graphic) as well as some raw footage of Hillary on the tarmac in Islamabad:

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

CBS Report on Hillary's first visit as SOS to Pakistan and the bombing that killed over 80 citizens:

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

Watch Brian Williams report on the bombings below:

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

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Hillary Clinton reeeally wants Sarah to start blogging again

I am sooooooo far behind its not even funny. Hillary would be very disappointed that I haven't been posting. Just wanted to send out the signals that posts will resume tomorrow!!!

Not sure, if I can catch up with all that has happened in the past week in Hillaryland... so here are a few of the highlights including Bill C. and Joe B. pics!!

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Bill Clinton pays tribute to Walter Cronkite

Today Bill Clinton attended a public memorial for longtime CBS News anchor held at Lincoln Center. Also in attendace was President Obama, Katie Couric, Nick Clooney, Tom Brokaw and others.

Watch this clip of Bill speaking below where he mentions Cronkite's kindness during his a boat outing in the summer of 1998. (Edit, to draft, Slurp)

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Watch the full tribute speech of Bill's below:
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Clintons, Bushes, Obamas and many others say goodbye at Ted Kennedys Funeral

Today was the funeral of Senator Ted Kennedy. He was mourned by nearly 1,500 guests, including 3 former presidents, Obama, Bush and Clinton, as well as 58 current members of the U.S. Senate. President Obama delivered an emotional eulogy. Saying that the country may have viewed him as "heir to a weighty legacy" but he was playfully known by the youngest Kennedys less grandly: as the big cheese, "The Grand Fromage."

Ted Kennedy's sons, Patrick Kennedy and Ted Kennedy Jr., also spoke in very moving words which yes, brought me to tears.

The funeral was held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston Massachuttes. He will be buried later today in a private service at Arlington National Cemetery, alongside his brothers, John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. The site is closed right now but will be opened to the public tomorrow at 8am. The burial will take place after another memorial ceremony that is to take place on the steps on the Capitol.

If you watched any of the funeral on television, it was hard to not notice that Hillary was sitting next to George Bush in the second row behind the Obamas. So interesting how many people came together to celebrate this great man. Here is an interesting play by play of the power pew on the left hand side from Politico:

Obamas, Bushes, Clintons

An amazing spectacle of power and kibbitzing in the basilica.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle just arrived, a few minutes after Bill and Hillary Clinton walked into the sanctuary. Former President George W. Bush seemed to have slipped into the church virtually unnoticed.

They are all congregated in the first few rows -- three living presidents and a sitting one -- with the jovial, easygoing vibe of a family reunion.

Hillary Clinton is having an intense conversation with President Bush, whom she demonized during the 2008 campaign, and the former president is listening intently and laughing as the secretary of state leans over to make to a point to Laura Bush.

Bill Clinton plopped down behind Obama -- and the president twisted around to hear the former POTUS make a long, finger-pointing point. Obama, a huge smile on his face, began holding forth on some point of his own a few minutes later.

After that, former president Clinton began chatting with Bush, who seemed to be speaking less than the chattier Democrats dominating his pew.

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Ted Kennedy dies at 77 after long battle with cancer

Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, also known as the liberal lion of the Senate, has died after battling a brain tumor. He was 77.

The Kennedy family announced his death in a brief statement released early Wednesday.

This is very sad news to me, and I am sure to many many people around the world.

Kennedy was elected to the Senate in 1962, when his brother John was president, and served longer than all but two senators in history.

Over the decades, Kennedy put his imprint on every major piece of social legislation to clear the Congress.

We love you Ted!

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY CLINTON

On the Passing of Senator Kennedy

Today I join all Americans in mourning the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, one of our nation's finest statesmen and a dear friend. My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Kennedy's wife Vicki, his children, grandchildren, and all the members of the extended Kennedy family.

For five decades, Senator Kennedy was at the heart of our greatest debates, serving on the front lines of democracy. With optimism and courage, he helped us meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of our times. He was a champion for women and families, for health care, education, civil rights and the environment. He inspired generation after generation of young Americans to enter public service, to stand up for justice and to fight for progress. And he was a legislator without peer, who understood both when to stand his ground and when to seek out the common ground on which compromise and progress is built.

When I was First Lady, we worked together to provide health insurance for America's children. When I arrived in the Senate, he was a generous mentor and a thoughtful colleague. We worked together to raise the minimum wage, improve education, and champion the cause we shared so deeply: ensuring that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care. And as Secretary of State, I valued his counsel on how to make America a force for peace and progress around the world.

I will always treasure the memory of his friendship and the time we spent together, from the Massachusetts waters he loved so much, to the floor of the Senate that will feel empty without his booming voice and broad smile.

We have lost Ted, but his life's work will shape our nation for years to come. His legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of millions of Americans who are freer, healthier, and more prosperous because of his efforts. As he said, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.

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Hurricane Bill crashes the Clinton's vacation

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton were forced to cut short their apparently long awaited holiday in Bermuda this weekend as Hurricane Bill was on its way there.

According to US National Hurricane Center, the first hurricane of the 2009 Atlantic season has gathered strength with sustained winds of up to 135 mph.

Hurricane Bill posed no threat to the Gulf of Mexico but authorities in Bermuda have warned residents to be prepared.

"The core of this dangerous hurricane will be passing well to the northeast of the northern Leeward Islands late today and early Thursday. The storm has the potential to grow in the next 24 hours and turn toward the northwest."

State's Ian Kelly told reporters today that the couple left on Thursday. He declined to comment on the next destination in their vacation, which I think they are trying to keep very under wraps.

Doubt their next stop will be anywhere on the East Coast since Hurricane Bill is heading that way and may also threaten the vacation of President Obama and his family who were on their way to Martha's Vineyard.

According to News24.com, this is just another bump in the Clintons road to have a pleasant vacation. Apparently, they had initially thought of staying on the Greek island of Corfu after a meeting in late June of the 56-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. But Hillary Clinton canceled her attendance at the meeting after breaking her elbow.

For more info on Hurricane Bill visit the National Hurricane Center website here. (Its actually really fascinating!) Read entire post

Hillary Clinton takes a sick day

As soon as I saw this in my email, I knew it meant trouble:

Daily Appointments Schedule for May 4, 2009

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON: NO PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS

Turns out Hillary stayed in New York today to get some rest. She was clearly sick at the end of last week. So, I think we are all glad that she is FINALLY taking a day off! If you saw the videos from this previous post, you will see what I'm talking about.

According to State Department Spokesman Robert Wood, her schedule for the day was pretty light. She was due to meet with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt as well as his Armenian counterpart Edouard Nalbandian. Both meetings have been rescheduled for Tuesday.

Here is what went down at the press briefing this morning:

QUESTION: My understanding is the Secretary is not in today, taking a sick day. Can you bring us up to date on how she’s feeling, whether she expects to be back tomorrow?

MR. WOOD: She’ll be back tomorrow. The Secretary, as I mentioned I think on Friday, suffers from mild allergies. Her schedule for today was going to be a light one. Her morning appointments are able to – we were able to reschedule them for tomorrow. She had a light – I don’t think any appointments in the afternoon. So she’s just recovering from the allergies, and she’ll be back tomorrow.

QUESTION: Does that mean she’s still in New York now, today?

MR. WOOD: I believe she’s in New York, yes.

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America's first Democat put to sleep :(

Socks, America's first,very famous and loved Democ(r)at, was euthanized today at 10 a.m. after months of battling cancer. Socks was a stray adopted by Chelsea when Bill was still Governor of Arkansas. He was born in 1989, so that means he was about 19 or 20 years old. Wow.

While in the White House Socks was given free rein of the presidential residence. He'd show up in the Oval Office, out on the lawn and is most famous for his appearance in the White House press briefing room. Since 2001, Socks had lived with Betty Currie, Bill Clinton's former secretary. Hillary and Bill were known to have visited Socks at Currie's home when in Washington.

Bill and Hillary release a joint statement today: "Socks brought much happiness to Chelsea and us over the years, and enjoyment to kids and cat lovers everywhere. We're grateful for those memories, and we especially want to thank our good friend, Betty Currie, for taking such loving care of Socks for so many years."

I just recently lost a pet. I hope Socks and him are happy together in pet heaven! Love ya, Socks! We'll miss you!

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