If/when the video is available, I will post it here. Transcript, as released by DOS. Short excerpts.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
This one is too cute.
Vodpod videos no longer available.Interview With Bob Schieffer of CBS Face the Nation
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of StateLisbon, PortugalNovember 21, 2010
QUESTION: And the Secretary of State is speaking to us from Lisbon, Portugal. Madam Secretary, thank you.
You and the President met with President Karzai of Afghanistan while you were there. Is he still wanting to reduce the American presence in Afghanistan?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Bob, first, I think that what happened in Lisbon by the NATO ISAF alliance was extremely important. It was basically a resounding vote of confidence in President Obama’s strategy, which, by all accounts, is making progress.
As part of that strategy, we are trying to balance two imperatives: on the one hand, going after, killing, and capturing the Taliban; on the other hand, maintaining the support of the Afghan people. And I think what President Karzai has raised with me and others is that we constantly have to be asking ourselves, “Are we getting that balance right?”
He is fully in support of the strategy. He is fully in support of the fact that it is making progress. But he is very sensitive, as you would expect the president of any country to be, as to whether or not, when we engage in night raids or other offensive actions, we are actually getting the bad guys, and not conducting actions that result in a lot of civilian casualties.
And so, General Petraeus understands that, and they are working closely together to make sure that they stay in sync.
QUESTION: Well, that doesn’t sound exactly like what he told the Washington Post just a week ago, when he said U.S. forces were becoming too intrusive in Afghan life, he wanted to stop the nighttime raids, which is kind of the heart of General Petraeus’s strategy. Are you telling me he has changed on that?
SECRETARY CLINTON: No. What he has said to me and to others is if you have a night raid that kills a Taliban leader, he is all for it. If you have a night raid that kills five or six innocent civilians and maybe some really low-ranking 19-year-old kid who joined the Taliban, he is asking us to evaluate whether or not that is an appropriate balance.
So I think sometimes the very legitimate questions he is raising get blown out of proportion. And I think what we do, in talking with him — and I do it on a regular basis — is to make sure we listen well, and we understand exactly what the root of his concerns are. So we just — I met with him twice, and President Obama met with him, and we have had very in-depth conversations about the way forward. And what I described to you as the example that he gave is exactly what I think he means.
QUESTION: Well, let me ask you. What do you say to the parents of an American 19-year-old, the parents who have lost a 19-year-old in Afghanistan, when they hear that the President of Afghanistan says we’re being intrusive there? What do you say to those people?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we say it — and the President, of course, signs a letter to everyone — every family that loses someone in Afghanistan — we say, “We are making progress in the ground.” That is indisputable. It’s not only something we believe; the Afghans believe it, and all of our NATO ISAF allies believe it.
Number two, because this is a war against an enemy that doesn’t fight fairly, that is picking off civilians, using IEDs going after our troops, we have to be always as clear as we can that we are going after the real enemy, and not just making an offensive move that doesn’t have a positive military reason behind it.
But that 19-year-old who is out on an outpost in Afghanistan is standing up for American national security interests. And maybe there is always a question when you are trying to win the hearts and minds of a population while killing an enemy that lives and hides amidst that population, how best to do it. But I think our young men and women on the ground understand that better than perhaps those who are far from the fight. So this is something we always are asking ourselves, “How can we do it better? How do we protect our people? How do we protect the innocent Afghans? And how do we keep doing what we are doing successfully,” which is degrading and reversing the momentum of the Taliban?
QUESTION: All right. Well, let’s talk about this START Treaty. You know, Madam Secretary, on the President’s recent trip to Asia, he was totally blind-sided when he thought he was going to get a trade agreement in South Korea and the thing fell apart. Now he is saying that getting this START Treaty ratified by the Senate is — he is putting the highest priority on getting that done in this lame duck session in the Congress.
How — isn’t he risking another serious embarrassment? Because, frankly, he doesn’t have the votes to get it ratified in the Senate right now. Why has he said this is the highest priority right now?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Bob, first, I don’t think those are two analogous situations. I mean the President didn’t finalize a deal in Korea because he was not satisfied that the deal was in the best interests of America. And that’s what a President is supposed to do. And so he did the right thing. Obviously, he is continuing to negotiate to get a deal that is in the interests of the United States.
With respect to START, there is no doubt that the START Treaty is in the interest of the United States. Don’t just take it from me or from the President. Look at what Europeans, people like Angela Merkel or the foreign minister of Poland or the presidents of any of the Baltic countries or so many others are saying. They live next door to Russia. They know that this is in their interests. And they also know that, because we have no treaty, there is no inspection going on, there is no verification going on —
QUESTION: But, Madam Secretary, he doesn’t have the votes.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, but it’s always difficult to get these treaties through. It always takes a lot of presidential effort. And we are making the case that, number one, this is in America’s national security interests. Our friends and allies around the world support it. We need to get inspectors back on the ground. Remember what Ronald Reagan said when he was passing an arms control treaty with Russia? “Trust, but verify.” Right now we cannot verify. And this is the kind of important national security agreement that the Senate needs to be encouraged to stop and really study and focus on.
And, to be fair, Bob, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted it out on a big bipartisan vote. It couldn’t get the attention it needed before the election. The President is saying, “This needs to be dealt with in the lame duck session.” Senator Lugar, who knows more about arms control treaties than anybody else, I would argue, in our country probably at this point has said very passionately, “This must be done for the United States.”
QUESTION: But do you think you can get the votes? I guess that’s the question I have.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, but that’s what politics is about. And I have to say I am proud of the President for making this a priority, because he is putting it above politics, which is exactly where it needs to be. He believes so strongly that this is an important treaty to get done this year, that he is putting his enormous office efforts behind it. And, obviously, we are all doing everything we can.
Now, at the end of the day, the senators have to decide. But I would hope that this treaty would be treated as others — whether it was a Democratic or a Republican president — saw their treaties in arms control with the Russians treated, and that is this is beyond politics. Let’s pass it by an overwhelming bipartisan vote.
QUESTION: All right, but let me ask you quickly about this terror trials. We saw one of these people from Guantanamo. He almost walked out of a courtroom here, someone who was charged with blowing up our embassies in Kenya and another place in Africa. And he was acquitted of 284 criminal counts, convicted on only one. Now, mind you, I know he is going to pay some prison time.
Is it time, Madam Secretary, to start rethinking whether we ought to put these people in these civilian court rooms, and think about putting them before a military tribunal?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Bob, I don’t believe so, and here is why. The terrorists who are serving time in our maximum security prisons are there because of civilian courts, what are called Article III courts. Our Article III courts have a much better record of trying and convicting terrorists than military commissions do. And, in fact, this defendant, having been convicted, will be spending somewhere between 20 years and life.
And some of the evidence that was presented could not be used. But the rules of the military commission — which, remember, operates under military law — similarly would be disqualifying certain evidence. I believe that the vast majority of the defendants can be tried in Article III courts. But there are some who should not be. And they should be reserved for military commissions, for a variety of reasons. But I think that —
QUESTION: What about Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? Do you think he ought to be tried in a civilian court?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I think that that is a case that is a very difficult one, because of all of the security issues and the other problems. There will be a recommendation made by the attorney general. But if you look at the case that was finished last week, a lot of the counts were related to evidence that, because it was connected in some way to the use of inappropriate interrogation methods, could not be used. And, as experts in military law have pointed out, that would also be a problem in a military commission.
So, I have no difficulty with people looking at this, expressing their concerns, expressing their opinions. But I would like to see us get a common basis of understanding of the facts as to what can and already has happened — and you can go and look at the roster of maximum security prisons in this country and see a lot of people who are there because of terrorism, compared to what hasn’t yet been proven to be possible within the military commission.
QUESTION: Let me ask you one final question. There is a big uproar in this country now about these new pat-downs that are going on as people try to get on airplanes. Now, do you think that this is necessary in the war against terrorism, or should we take another look at this?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Bob, I think that we have to be constantly asking ourselves, “How do we calculate the risk?” And sometimes we don’t calculate it correctly; we either overstate it or understate it. Clearly, as Secretary Napolitano has said, we are doing this because the terrorists keep getting more creative about what they do to hide explosives, and crazy things like underwear. So, clearly, there is a need.
Now, if there is a way to limit the number of people who are going to be put through surveillance, that is something that I am sure can be considered. But everybody is trying to do the right thing.
QUESTION: Okay —
SECRETARY CLINTON: And I understand how difficult it is, and how offensive it must be for the people who are going through it.
QUESTION: Final question. My time is up. But would you submit to one of these pat-downs?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Not if I could avoid it, no. I mean, who would?
QUESTION: All right. Thank you very much.
He asked her if she would submit to a pat-down? woah.
pretty odd/inappropriate thing to ask a secretary of state/former senator/former first lady, in my opinion.
i love her interviews, she beats the interviewer every time
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I loved her response, though! As for asking that of the most recognizable woman in the world who is least likely to be carrying an IED – stupid question. She DOES fly commercial between NY and DC – but the pat downs and screenings are to keep her and those of us under her flight path safe.
Pat her down? Yes, another waste of airtime to ask that.
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it was more than just a waste of airtime, I found it just weird. You’re asking a woman who has been an international figure for almost 20 years if she would willingly be frisked?
I can’t even imagine that scenario in an airport can you? the guy at the airport “uh Madame Secretary, please step this way, i have to pat you down.” The Secret Service would be on him so fast his head would spin.
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Men! (Well, *some* men.) He was probably thinking he would like to do the pat down.
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i’m sure he would, but i’m sure the wrath of Bill Clinton would stop him. that man can be scary when he gets pissed, especially when it comes to protecting his wife
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The Power of Bill Repels You!
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hahahaha!
i was thinking more along the lines of that time that i read in another post here that i can’t remember/find again when a reporter called Hillary a bitch and Bill stopped dead in his track and verbally ripped the guy to shreds. Which post was that? he sounded really scary, I loved that protectiveness he has of her
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I don’t remember a post like that. I do remember an old video of a debate between Bill and Jerry Brown when Brown dissed Hillary and Bill ripped into him. It would have been sometime in October when Bill finally went to CA and did a rally for Brown.
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It was right around Chelsea’s wedding, as I recall. Someone posted an article that was about Bill and Hillary.
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yes, and i can’t remember who or where it was posted, but it was on this site, and bill freaked on the reporter and made sure that what the reporter said wouldn’t show up in the press who was surrounding the two of them. it was during her campaign and a delegate was with bill, and the delegate is the one who told the story
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I don’t remember it. That was a crazy busy time. I might have missed it. Anyway, I love it when he tears into her detractors.
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Then I somehow missed that one altogether.
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Not exactly around the wedding, but I found it.
https://still4hill.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/upcoming-on-hillary-clintons-agenda-16/
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LOL!
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I don’t think anybody gropes the Secretarial Assets except maybe Bill.
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i find a lot of foreign counterparts seem to want to…..that guy from Ireland comes to mind! but the only one she, and the secret service would willingly allow to is Bill!
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The Taoiseach was on TV tonight and that was exactly the picture I had in my head when I saw him.
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Not the imagry he was going for, I’m sure.
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Maybe? You are talking about Bill Clinton, right?
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In their nearly twenty years in the public eye, Bill Clinton’s hands have always stayed in acceptable territory. PDA doesn’t seem to be Madame Secretary’s “thing”.
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Well, I don’t have it because I don’t have a video-saving program (I have enough to deal with just collecting pictures and posting text) but there is a video from the campaign where he introduced her, and as he walked off, he patted her behind. I saw that one LONG ago at the Hillary_Daily blog.
They were on an outdoor stage and it was either when she wore the gold pantsuit and there are pics of him looking at her shoes, or the time of the very passionate hug and kiss that shocked the guy in the bottom row. One of those rallies, I think.
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What was with them that day in NH?
She was lucky that no media outlets picked up that butt pat video. Bill was too for that matter – if they had, he wouldn’t have gotten within a yard of her untill the convention!
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I don’t know where they were or whose video it was. The H_D girls have quite a collection.
I was very cute and endearing … like he was saying “Go get ’em, tiger!”
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Or “looking good.”
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Yes. Actually, she was. Those pants were not baggy, like some others she has. He probably liked the fit.
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She dressed differently when he was campaigning with her. Obvious much? They mix love and politics in a really strange way.
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I remember in PR she wore those tight khakis. Maybe HE picked her outfits for those tours.
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Whoever chose them, things did change when he was around. Jackets and tops got a little shorter and pants got more than a little tighter.
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Actually, that is a look I like on her – less boxy. She can pull that off.
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Just illustrating my previous post.
http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/75030422.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921A343B2C87A49D8F5910416141E087B3A1AABC8726E240D59EA4E8E725E2BA26D
http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/75030424.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921A343B2C87A49D8F5DE98B73AAD914B881AABC8726E240D5945BB040B49C35B11
An interesting choice of shirt, no?
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Aw! I can’t see these. Try copying the image location and pasting that. This may be the link to a page instead of an image. Thank you.
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I’ll try again. i found them on different sites. LIFE can be stupid some times.
Again, note the blouse.
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Yes, the blouse AND the khaki pants!
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The one time she doesn’t layer up is when she wears something that she really ought to consider wearing something underneath of. This is great. (I hope the picture works!)
http://cache3.asset-cache.net/xc/75030416.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921A343B2C87A49D8F566BF6840D1B98DE01AABC8726E240D5941A2B6B199758AA9
Good walking shoes – $85
Fancy designer SPF 45 sun-block – $30
Meeting your political rival for the first time while wearing a top he can see through – Priceless… for your husband.
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Oh dayyum! It doesn’t WORK! Boo-hoo!!! Try copy image location again – please… please… please!
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I found another one. Just try to tell me she isn’t being a little freer with the goodies in these pictures. Where was Huma to say “Umm, you might want to put something else on there, Boss.”
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I had only one pic of her in this blouse – signing a sneaker. Thanks for the extras. I LIKE it! It was summer. I wouldn’t have wanted a cami on underneath a breezy, airy blouse. She looks very pretty and has nothing to hide. She’s not a nun!
Huma – when Bill is in charge of the wardrobe he probably sends her off to Anthony for a few days off. 😀
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Breezy and airy indeed. She wouldn’t need a pat down in an outfit like that. How could anything be hidden under it?
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There are hidden things, but they are all charms. No explosives … well… not that kind of explosive.
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Wonder if they make “Christopher Baby”‘s leg tingle?
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