With the excitement (and stress) of the wedding behind her, the Secretary got right back on her skateboard and rolled through August in her typical cheerful, energetic fashion.
On August 3 at the State Department she gave an impressive speech to the Young African Leaders who were so happy to receive her. She is always great with a young audience, and it was a very instructive speech.
On August 4, the terrible floods in Pakistan were the subject of a press conference with USAID Administrator Shah. Senator John Kerry dropped in on her at the State Department.
August 5 she had one press availability with Nigerian Foreign Minister Henry Odein Ajumogobia. The rest of her day was closed to the press.
August 9, appearing with the late Richard Holbrooke at the State Department, she delivered remarks about relief workers killed in Afghanistan. She was visibly upset. I never understand people who say she shows no emotion. I often see joy, and on this day I saw grief that she just barely controlled. One of the things I love so much about her is her humanity - she cannot keep her emotions off her face. Why do other people deny this about her when I see it so clearly? Maybe I am simply watching her more closely.
You can see the pain in her eyes.
She was closed to the press on August 10, but on the 11th she gave a briefing on the status of New START and met with Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman who reminiced about walking into the State Department to request refuge during Argentina's Dirty War. Mme. Secretary was so happy to receive him and she dressed in the color of the Argentine flag: More Flag Diplomacy!
For some reason, some photographer decided to take a picture of her tootsies! Cute shoes!
On August 16 another huge policy speech that she hit out of the park: “The Global Health Initiative: The Next Phase of American Leadership in Health Around The World,” at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
August 19 she traveled to U.N. Headquarters in NYC to deliver remarks at the Plenary Session on Flood Relief for Pakistan. She looked smashing in aqua.
And, of course, since it was about Pakistan, there was a meeting with FM Qureshi.
August 20, she and George Mitchell gave a briefing at the State Department on the Middle East peace process.
The Secretary worked behind closed doors for the next week with no public appointments until August 31 on the eve of her Middle East peace initiative. That day, we saw her with Mahmoud Abbas.
Jordanian FM Judeh.
Israeli PM Netanyahu.
And Quartet Representative Tony Blair.
