Tuesday
Aug112009
Video of Hillary Clinton in Congo: Disrespect or Overreaction?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 8:30
Receive our latest updates by email or RSS SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FEED
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis
On Monday, Africans and the rest of the world witnessed an unusual dialogue when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was at an open forum with young people in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A student took the microphone and asked what Mr. Bill Clinton was thinking about the involvement of China and the World Bank in the Congo. To this interesting question, Clinton's reaction was fast and severe: "My husband is not the Secretary of State; I am!"
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvL6y-XYfmY[/youtube]
Buy Us A Cup of Coffee? Help Enduring America Expand Its Coverage and Analysis
On Monday, Africans and the rest of the world witnessed an unusual dialogue when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was at an open forum with young people in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A student took the microphone and asked what Mr. Bill Clinton was thinking about the involvement of China and the World Bank in the Congo. To this interesting question, Clinton's reaction was fast and severe: "My husband is not the Secretary of State; I am!"
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvL6y-XYfmY[/youtube]
Reader Comments (9)
I understand why she got upset. But she could have answered that a lot better. She took it too persoanlly and acted too undiplomatically. In all fairness, the question did seem to have been asked just to spite her but she needs to do better than that. I would have said you want his opinion, I'll ask him to let you know next time I see him. Or save that question for when he visits Congo. But there was no need for her to assert her position. She played right into that.
I agree kia- for a diplomat, hers was a pretty undiplomatic response...
I think the question was taken out of context perhaps lost in the translation was not her husband's opinion but pres Obama's opinion of the whole issue of nations arriving in Congo on for their own gains and not partake in the mutually beneficial projects in the country.
WOULD'T A BETTER RESPONSE FROM A MEMBER OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION HAVE BEEN TO INVITE THE STUDENT TO A MEETING AFTER THE EVENT WAS OVER AND OVER A BEER ,EXPLAIN TO HIM THAT YOUR OVEN IS BROKEN AND YOU,VE MISPLACED YOUR RECIPE FOR CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES AND THEN APPOLOGIZE FOR SOMETHING ????
I am just thinking... What if it was translated correctly and the student was honestly curious about Mr Clinton's views? I think no one can blame him for his curiousity or ask why he did not wait until the end of the conference to ask this question. Indeed, no one, again, can blame him for asking her husband's thoughts as her husband had been the President of the United States from 1993 to 2001 and he is serving as the Special Envoy to Haiti now. There was no need to take it too personal and to publicly snap at a student.
Regardless of traslation issue, as a congolese the question I would have asked would've been: what Bill Cliton thinks about all the crimes against humanity he had helped organize against the D.R Congo and Congolese people? because it's him and his syndicate international bandits who had planned and still sustainimg the congolese genocide, which has cost more than 6,000,000 deaths. They keep destabilizing the D.R. Congo, by any means possible, so they can keep plundering its natural resources and then balkanize it to form a Tutsi run country, a mono-ethnic country composed of Rwandan on congolese soil. But we, congolese people, thus as weak as we may appear, have not yet say our last words. Yes Bill Cliton and cie need to answer, if they wouldn't answer now they somehow would.
I think her response was reasonable, if a bit uncouth. It's pretty disrespectful to get up and ask someone to speak for their spouse when they're not around, and that's for anyone, not just a Secretary of State. Plus, some of these African societies can be pretty misogynist, so perhaps it some of the audience could learn something from being dressed down by a powerful woman. Just my 2 cents
As the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton should have been able to keep her personal feelings in check. How incredibly arrogant, and that during a visit to a foreign country! And, towards a student? Embarrasing!
You would never had seen such lack of professionalism or pettiness from Condolezza Rice - she was a Statesman!
To be honest. How nice! Very good, and we share information! Too amazing things. Thank you for your masterpiece, worth reading. sopzca sopzca - Christian Louboutin Soldes.