LA Times: "Hillary Clinton's diplomacy raises some eyebrows"

[ClarkUSA]

Reporting from Washington -- For years as North Korea defied the West with its nuclear program, U.S. officials considered international negotiations their best chance, if not their only hope, for dealing with the renegade regime... it came as a jolt when Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton seemed to say recently that the Obama administration was throwing in the towel on the talks. The idea that North Korea would take part, she said, was "implausible, if not impossible."... In other remarks over the last month, she has compared China unfavorably to Iran, and said the U.S.-backed government in Pakistan was "abdicating" to the Taliban... Aides say that at times they have urged Clinton to reconsider her approach, but have been rebuffed. Her manner is said to sometimes arouse concern in the State Department's regional bureaus, which generally are the first to hear foreign governments' complaints... coming from the nation's chief diplomat, they have raised eyebrows... This month, she said she found China's involvement in Latin America, like Iran's, to be "quite disturbing," even though many experts view China's activities there as benign.

Clinton's view on North Korea's "implausible" chances of involvement in negotiations followed her public speculation, rare for any top government official, about the stability of the country's leadership amid rumors that its ruler, Kim Jong Il, had suffered health setbacks.... her... words on Pakistan may have made it harder for the government, whose citizens are deeply suspicious of U.S. intentions, to go after militants, said Brian Katulis, a foreign policy specialist at the liberal Center for American Progress. By doing so, Pakistan would appear to be knuckling under to U.S. pressure, he said.

"Perhaps the statements took a serious situation a couple of steps too far, and impeded the natural process of the government responding to a threat they saw themselves," he said, saying those comments "really went over the top."

[wyldwolf]

1. yeah, here's another take on this story

Critics say U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is too blunt in her foreign policy, while others contend it "makes sense to show some muscle."

Clinton may not distinguish between her job as chief diplomat and her former post of senator, where "you express your opinion all the time," said John Bolton, a U.N. ambassador under the Bush administration.

*There's yer critic!*

Regardless, Clinton is getting her message out, said Brian Katulis, a foreign policy specialist at the liberal Center for American Progress.

"A lot of this is tied to the fact that she's an assertive personality and she wants to lay down what's her territory," Katulis said. "If she wants her department to be able to get things done, it makes sense to show some muscle."

*yeah! An assertive woman, using the OP's words, is "raising eyebrows." :eyes:

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/23/Clintons-blunt-talk-praised-scorned/UPI-82211243095412/

[ClarkUSA]

2. Actually, John Bolton was quite charitable towards Hillary, given his past history.

"He said it was hard to judge her candid remarks because she may have diplomatic goals that aren't apparent."

Now that's what I call being diplomatic. :rofl:

[snowdays]

3. oh yeah, those assertive women are a threat to many. uga uga.

Sometimes I can not believe we are living in the year 2009!!

[ClarkUSA]

4. This story is not about sexism, as VP Biden's remarks often raises eyebrows, too.

Also, it's not as if there haven't been assertive women in the role of SoS before.

[snowdays]

5. There you go again--doing the Rovian tactic of changing the subject.

[ClarkUSA]

6. How did I change the subject? I thought I was addressing your concern quite directly.

[Chulanowa]

17. I agree. We should only allow diplomats who have TWO penises!

Wait.. .What the fuck are you talking about? I think I missed something

[nichomachus]

7. I agree. Her style is so harsh -- so unlike

the conciliatory, measured tones of the Bush era: "Do what we demand or we will bomb you back to the stone age." That was much more productive.

Please keep in mind that the LA Times is a right-wing rag.

[ClarkUSA]

8. The LA Times strongly endorsed Barack Obama for president. It is not "a right-wing rag."

[nichomachus]

14. A lot of right-wing rags endorsed Obama

[autorank]

9. She told the truth clearly on this one. k*r

"Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explained this to Congress on April 25, 2009, 'Let’s remember here… the people we are fighting today we funded them twenty years ago… and we did it because we were locked in a struggle with the Soviet Union.'

That was pretty good.

Unfortunately, she joined the Holbrooke Amen chorus when she said "the U.S.-backed government in Pakistan was "abdicating" to the Taliban."

That's simply inaccurate. The Pakistan government is slaughtering Taliban, having been motivated by the outrage of the Pakistani people who finally saw what the Taliban were doing to innocents.

But that first quote is candor that you don't often see from the Empire folks.

[Zynx]

11. For a time, Pakistan was not responding to the Taliban's march.

I think they responded when we applied pressure.

[jbnow]

15. I think they responded when the Taliban broke their deal

Taliban were given control of Swat valley, almost 2 million people suddenly having Sharia law imposed on them. They agreed to disarm and stay put. That is when we said they were giving in. What broke the deal was Taliban fighters never disarming and then attempting to seize control of neighboring Buner.

[Zynx]

10. And your take is?

Since you took the effort to snip and bold, you probably have an opinion.

[ruggerson]

12. I'm waiting for it

to mesh it's favorite themes into one grand OP wherein Hillary Clinton secretly created DADT in the 90's and is now the secret force behind Obama making sure it doesn't ever get repealed.

[Old Hank]

13. Isn't this "General Discussion: Presidential"?

It is true that Hillary was very close to becoming President, but isn't she the Secretary of State?

[JohnnyLib2]

16. Clearly, she is representing the President and the administration.

Has he commented on these matters recently?