A Clinton Meeting Tinged With Wistfulness
Updated 8:12 a.m.
By Glenn Kessler
BEIJING, Feb. 22--Hillary Rodham Clinton's global celebrity continues to be apparent on her week-long tour of Asia. When the secretary of state met today with nearly two dozen women involved in civil organizations dedicated to helping women, there were frequent references to her campaign for president.
Xie Lihua, founder of a rural women's organization, noted that she had met Clinton in the spring. On the flight to the United States, she said, she worked hard to try to memorize the English phrase "I hope you win."
But when she met Clinton, she recalled, "I couldn't say it, I didn't say it, I couldn't get it out." She said she felt "so regretful" that she failed to utter the words that meant so much to her. She drew laughs by declaring: "If I had said it, you probably would have won!"
Wang Jianjun of the Labor Law and Social Law Society was meeting Clinton for the first time. But she noted that she had visited the United States a few years ago and visited a wax musuem. "I took a picture next to your statue," she said. "I think it was fate that we had to meet like this today."
Wang added: "I had hoped that you would be president."
Added at 8:12 a.m.
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan, Feb. 22 -- We made a standard refueling stop here, between Beijing and Alaska, but to the reporters' surprise, hundreds of military personnel and their families had gathered here for a campaign-style event in one of the airport hangers. No one on the secretary's team had told us this was planned.
Clinton very ably summed up her trip for the crowd, with a huge American flag behind her and the stage framed by two helicopters. She recounted her town hall with students in Japan, the walk through the neighborhood in Indonesia, the meeting at the women's university in South Korea and the trip to the power plant in Beijing and the session with Chinese women activists.
She emphasized it was important for the departments of Defense and State to work closely together.
The message on the 20,000-mile trip, Clinton said, is "that United States is ready and eager to lead. We can't solve all the problems ourselves. But the world can't solve their problems without us."
Then Clinton plunged into crowd, shaking hands and posing for pictures.
She had transformed a standard refueling stop into another opportunity for the selling of the Obama administration's foreign policy.
By Post Editor |
February 22, 2009; 7:00 AM ET
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Posted by: OD | February 22, 2009 5:00 PM
The message on the 20,000-mile trip, Clinton said, is "that United States is ready and eager to lead."
Actually, we'd already noticed that the United States is "eager to lead".
Posted by: OD | February 22, 2009 5:01 PM
hillary 2016
Posted by: emk | February 22, 2009 5:08 PM
OD,
Yeah, we'll just wait for Europe (NATO) to lead in Afghanistan, or for the UN to lead in the fight against Iran becoming a nuclear weapons holder. Or perhaps we can wait for the African Union to lead into Darfur. Or maybe Venezuela will lead us in the Organization of American States.
Cooperate? Perhaps it is YOU who should cooperate with us.
Posted by: Eric | February 22, 2009 5:17 PM
I see Clinton's Trip not only as a trip to repair American image but also as a turning point to a far better world to live with less arrogance and more humility, less conflict and more friendship.
Posted by: Salehuddin Isa | February 22, 2009 5:31 PM
I am affraid you are a little bit off on this one...
When you are broke and borrowing left and right, you can not play "big dude" any more...Just try to get people you pissed so bad not so long ago to be friends again is much wiser. Just like a football player on the decline, this giant has put a lot of fat on... He still can do, but not by itself, so get the other younger boys to help, and give that big EGO a little rest.
Posted by: OD!!! | February 22, 2009 6:15 PM
This looks like self promotion for that shameless fraud Hillary Clinton. Obama made a big mistake picking her as Secretary of State.
Posted by: YoMama | February 22, 2009 6:21 PM
YoMama! YoPoppa shoulda used a condom! Your side lost... get over it and let the adults clean up YoMessa!
Posted by: denroth | February 22, 2009 6:41 PM
Thank you, Salehuddin Isa, for your comment. I think you are speaking from the perspective of someone from outside of the United States and should be heard.
Please forgive the negativity of some of my fellow Americans in their Comments. The more negative they are, the less powerful they are in real life.
Posted by: fillybuster | February 22, 2009 6:47 PM
Please forgive me regarding that slam on negative Commenters. This site didn't deserve it. The site I just got off of did!
Posted by: fillybuster | February 22, 2009 6:53 PM
fillybuster (great name)! Not a problem. I didn't take it as a disparaging remark toward my "mature" gravitas-laden comment. LOL!
BTW, I thought Salehuddin Isa's comment was spot on. Although, I'm not sure he's necessarily from outside the U.S.
Posted by: denroth | February 22, 2009 7:15 PM
denroth
Your comment was cute and probably in a language better understood by YoMama than mine.
Generally, I'm taking a "wait and see" attitude on Obama and his subordinates, even though I voted for him. I like Clinton's frankness on her tour, and I like the openness of the Obama administration so far. I don't think anyone could have done so well with all of the problems facing America. But we must watch and fight for the kind of transparency we want at every level of government. Obama can't do it alone.
And the last thing we can do is hate. "All men are created equal." As Americans we suscribe to this statement our nation was founded upon. To hate is another is un-American...and harmful to your soul.
Posted by: fillybuster | February 22, 2009 8:18 PM
fillybuster wrote: "But we must watch and fight for the kind of transparency we want at every level of government. Obama can't do it alone.
And the last thing we can do is hate. "All men are created equal." As Americans we suscribe to this statement our nation was founded upon. To hate is another is un-American...and harmful to your soul."
AMEN TO THAT, MY FRIEND!
Posted by: denroth | February 23, 2009 6:32 PM
i feel better that Hillary is involved. At least we know one of obamas cabniet members are legit.
Posted by: rick | February 24, 2009 9:39 AM
US to Earth: We wouldn't mind a little cooperation for a change, either.
BB
Posted by: Fairlington Blade | March 1, 2009 11:41 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
Earth to US: We don't need you to lead, we just need you to cooperate for a change.