Long before anybody else saw it coming (or said so in public, anyway) Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton saw the financial meltdown coming, and as I remember one publication putting it, freaked. She hammered together an updated version of a Roosevelt-era plan and presented it in the Senate. I had that speech playlisted in Youtube, but it has since been taken down. (O/T Where ARE those Senate videos? Are they not public record like the Congressional Record? I am beginning to think I dreamed all those speeches of hers!) Well, the Senate did not go for her idea. After all, she was just a JUNIOR Senator, and a GIRL, at that! You have to wonder what might have happened if a floor had been put under those mortgagees and, by implication, under the banks. It was not to be.
Ultimately, as we know, the financial institutions did melt down, we bailed them out, the administration changed, and Senator Clinton was courted for and accepted Secretary of State in the new administration. She has impressed us over the past year with her signature hard work, her ability to devour and synthesize complex policy briefs, her vibrant energy and stamina on long diplomatic missions, her consistent and well-organized policy speeches, and the unfailingly beautiful warm smile she beams on people in countries that had been feeling neglected and shut out by us for much of the new millennium.
But aside from the fanfare of the diplomatic missions, there is also the hardball negotiating (or not) in regions at risk. There is also the citing of positions and conditions. And there are also the serious and precipitous meetings in the White House Situation Room. Hillary Clinton shines on the world stage, but she is far from fluff. As she demonstrated in the Senate as well as on the campaign trail, she is a force to be dealt with, and a voice to be listened to. Thus, I was less than surprised when I ran across a story similar to this one late last night (so late that I was to tired to write and tweeted that one out into Twitter-space). But this one tells the story just as well. (Emphasis is mine.)US slaps sanctions on al-Qaida Yemen affiliate
By MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press Writer
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Eleven days before the failed Christmas Day attempt to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner, the Obama administration decided to target the Yemen-based al-Qaida affiliate with financial sanctions, according to documents released Tuesday.
On Dec. 14, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton signed papers designating al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula - or AQAP - as a "foreign terrorist organization."
The move placed the group's two top leaders on a list of terror suspects subject to travel and financial penalties in U.S. jurisdictions, the State Department said.
Read the rest here>>>
I know that Hillary Clinton did not just suddenly have a light bulb moment. She spent time long before December on the trail of the AQAP. She sent her State Department team after clues, and finally the evidence was sufficient, but this time she is the one with the power of the pen. So even though this designation was not made public until now, we know that our Secretary of State had sniffed out the group that sent the failed Christmas bomber to Detroit before that incident and had already taken steps. The press release with the official text of these designations came in a few hours ago. Here it is.
Designations of Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Senior LeadersHillary Clinton rocks because she is predictive, and, while there could arguably be a little woman's intuition involved, she investigates, plans, organizes, makes the case, puts the picture together, and hits the bull's-eye more times than she has been given credit for. ROCK ON, HILLARY!
Philip J. Crowley
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs
Washington, DC
January 19, 2010
The Secretary of State has designated al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended (INA). The Secretary also designated AQAP and its two top leaders Nasir al-Wahishi and Said al-Shihri under E.O. 13224. Secretary Clinton took these actions in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury. These actions prohibit provision of material support and arms to AQAP and also include immigration related restrictions that will help stem the flow of finances to AQAP and give the Department of Justice the tools it needs to prosecute AQAP members.
AQAP is a Yemen-based terrorist organization that has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist acts against Saudi, Korean, Yemeni, and U.S. targets since its inception in January 2009. Such instances include a March 2009 suicide bombing against South Korean tourists in Yemen, the August 2009 attempt to assassinate Saudi Prince Muhammad bin Nayif, and the December 25, 2009 failed attack on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan.
Nasir Al-Wahishi proclaimed himself as the leader of al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in January 2009. The press release in which al-Wahishi announced AQAP’s re-emergence also noted that the group’s Saudi militants had pledged allegiance to al-Wahishi as their new leader. Since then, Al-Wahishi has provided significant support for AQAP terrorist operations and has worked with AQAP operatives to facilitate attacks. As AQAP’s leader, al-Wahishi is responsible for approving targets, recruiting new members, allocating resources to training and attack planning, and tasking others to carry out attacks.
Said Ali al-Shihri was publicly identified in January 2009 as the deputy leader of al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). As deputy of AQAP, al-Shihri helps carry out terrorist acts by generating targets, recruiting new members, assisting with training and attack planning, and tasking others in the preparation of attacks.
These designations represent just one phase of the United States Government’s response to the threat posed by AQAP and its senior leaders. In addition, the U.S. has requested that similar actions be taken against AQAP, al-Shihri, and al-Wahishi at the United Nations 1267 Committee. If successful, this will require all UN member states to implement an asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo against these entities. These designations will occur less than one month after the Security Council adopted resolution 1904, which renewed and strengthened the 1267 regime, and which created major new improvements to the way the UN imposes sanctions on al-Qa’ida and Taliban terrorists. The actions taken today against AQAP support the U.S. effort to degrade the capabilities of this group. We are determined to eliminate AQAP’s ability to execute violent attacks and to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat their networks.
Designations of foreign terrorist organizations play a critical role in our fight against terrorism and are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist activities and pressuring groups to get out of the terrorism business. The consequences of these designations include a prohibition against the provision of material support or resources to FTOs; the freezing of all property and interests in property of the organization that are in the United States, or come within the United States or the control of U.S. persons; and provide special immigration related options to law enforcement.
