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WASHINGTON - MAY 19: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives to speak in the Brady Press Briefing Room about humanitarian aid plan to Pakistan at the White House May 19, 2009 in Washington, DC. Clinton announced 110 million dollars for emergency humanitarian aid in Pakistan, which is intended to help in the fight against the Taliban militants.
For someone entering a den of wolves, she looks pretty happy and confident to me!
May 19, 2009
When President Obama wants Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to drive home a point, he offers her up to the wolves in the White House briefing room.
“It ups the volume,” an administration aide said of Clinton addressing the White House press corps instead of her own gaggle of reporters over at Foggy Bottom.
For the second time in recent weeks, Clinton made an appearance Tuesday in the briefing room, to the delight of reporters itching to get a crack at one of the few real rock stars of the Obama administration. This time Clinton showed up to announce aid for Pakistanis displaced by the fighting between government forces and the Taliban in the Swat Valley.
“Today I am announcing that the people of the United States are responding to a request for assistance from the government of Pakistan with more than $100 million in humanitarian support. Now, this money comes on top of almost $60 million that the United States has provided since last August to help Pakistanis who have been affected by the conflicts, and in addition to the other funding for Pakistan that we are already seeking from the Congress,” Clinton said.
She also got chatty with her new pal Helen Thomas, dean of the White House press corps. The two were not that close during the Clinton administration, but they shared the stage at this year’s commencement at New York University and are apparently getting friendly (which makes sense for two women who have shattered their share of glass ceilings).
“Well, first I have to say how honored I was to share the podium and the stage with Helen Thomas last week at the NYU graduation ceremonies, where we were both given honorary degrees, and in Yankee Stadium, which was a pretty exciting experience,” Clinton said.
Thomas quietly responded with a simple, “Thank you.”
- Ken Bazinet
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2009/05/white-house-hands-clinton-podi.html#ixzz0G3OP01CZ&B
Well, it seems to me that if they are itching to hear from a rock star (and I think she is the ONLY rock star in this administration) they are hardly wolves ready to sink their teeth into her. It's more accurate, in my view, to say they are eager to hear from a coherent, articulate, honest, spokesperson unlike the incoherent and contentious Mr. Gibbs who does seem to regard the press corps as a pack of wolves. Now having said that, I should add that if there is a person in that room who has reason to see the press within the context of that analogy, it is Hillary who was essentially gang-raped by most of the folks in that room last year. In meeting them eye to eye (she is so good at that) in her own direct way, she has tamed the wolf pack - or better, shown them that she really is the Alpha Female of the United States. Go Hillary! Go AFOTUS!
