Hillary’s Confirmation Hearings
By SusanUnPC on January 15, 2009 at 11:15 PM in Current Affairs, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Among the amazingly sharp, in-depth statements of Hillary Clinton before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was this gem that went all but unnoticed, yet sums up precisely the imbalance in our national emphasis on military might over diplomacy, and our citizens’ strange preference for fighting rather than talking:
“There are more members in military bands than there are foreign officers serving overseas.”
Maybe our isolationist nation’s preference for fighting over talking explains our high divorce rate? But I digress …
The Foreign Relations Committee of the U.S. Senate has posted Hillary’s statement before the committee. And the New York Times offers a complete transcript of the proceedings on Tuesday morning and afternoon. (Of note: I had to go to page 9 to find the beginning of Hillary’s statement because the Chair (john Kerry), minority leader (Dick Lugar) and others talked so long.)
It is utterly fascinating, and filled me with such pride, to read Hillary’s opening statement because, behind every sentence, indeed every word, there is such great, deep thought and keen awareness of the duties of the Secretary of State. Here are some of the sections I personally find compelling:
The president-elect and I believe that foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principles and pragmatism, not rigid ideology, on facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice. Our security, our vitality, and our ability to lead in today’s world oblige us to recognize the overwhelming facts of our interdependence.
I believe that American leadership has been wanting, but is still wanted. We must use what has been called smart power, the full range of tools at our disposal — diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal, and cultural — picking the right tool or combination of tools for each situation. With smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of our foreign policy. … (The next paragraphs are below the fold.)
Here is the Reuters video covering this section:
Hillary continues to describe her vision for what the State Department SHOULD be engaged in, in lieu of Defense and armed soldiers being the “face” of the U.S., in every part of the world:
… This is not a radical idea. The Ancient Roman poet Terence declared that “In every endeavor, the seemly course for wise men is to try persuasion first.” The same truth binds wise women as well.
[Good for you, Hillary.]
I assure you that if I am confirmed, the State Department will be firing on all cylinders to provide forward-thinking, sustained diplomacy in every part of the world, applying pressure wherever it may be needed, but also looking for opportunities: exerting leverage; cooperating with our military and other agencies of government; partnering with non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and international organizations; using modern technologies for public outreach; empowering negotiators who can protect our interests while understanding those of our negotiating partners. Diplomacy is hard work, but when we work hard, diplomacy can work, not just to defuse tensions, but to achieve results that advance our security interests and values.
Secretary Gates, as the chairman said, has been particularly eloquent in articulating the importance of diplomacy. As he notes, it’s not often that a secretary of defense makes the case for adding resources to the State Department and elevating the role of the diplomatic corps. Thankfully Secretary Gates is more concerned about having a unified, agile, and effective U.S. strategy than in spending precious time and energy on petty turf wars. As he has stated, “Our civilian institutions of diplomacy and development have been chronically undermanned and underfunded for far too long.” That is a statement that I can only heartily say amen to.
Wow. Just wow. There’s much more to her great address that is a must-read. Like this:
Senator Isakson made the point to me the other day that our nation must lead by example rather than edict. Our history has shown that we are most effective when we see the harmony between our interests abroad and our values at home. Our first secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson, subscribed to that view, reminding us across the centuries, “The interests of a nation when well understood will be found to coincide with their moral duties.”
And of course there is her testimony about women’s rights, but that has been discussed, thankfully, to a greater degree than it has been in some time.
Below are some great videos I’ve collected of that great day and Hillary’s brilliant performance, including Jeanne Moos’s fun riff on Hillary’s hearing:
Then Jeanne Moos of CNN had some fun — it’s a riot — with the parade of those close to Hillary. There’s also one more video of highlights from the hearing, which Hillary handled so brilliantly that even her detractors (Chris Matthews et al.) were blown away:
by Ronald Scott
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