Clinton Begins Confirmation Hearing as US Top Diplomat

By Dr. Richard L. Benkin

Washington, 14 January, (Asiantribune.com): The United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee began hearings today on President-elect Barack Obama’s nomination of Hillary Clinton to become Secretary of State. The committee is chaired by former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry with Richard Lugar, who has been generally supportive of Obama, as the committee’s ranking Republican. Ever since Obama announced the former First Lady’s nomination on December 1, it has been widely assumed that she would sail through the confirmation process. She has won praise from Democrats and Republicans alike. Secretary of State-designate and US Senator Hillary Clinton (L) prepares to testify during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with Senator Charles Schumer on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Clinton promised a new era of "smart" US military and diplomatic power under president-elect Barack Obama, saying American global leadership would no longer be found wanting.

Both Kerry and Lugar opened today’s hearing with high praise for her. Kerry called her "an extraordinarily capable appointment," and Lugar said she was "the epitome of a big leaguer." As one Republican operative told me, "Given the fact that Obama is not going to appoint a conservative to the position, Clinton isn't a bad pick at all. She’s certainly tough enough for the job," he said.

In the first day of hearings, Clinton talked about the US using "smart power." She explained the concept as a departure from what democrats have characterized as the “ideologically-driven” foreign policy of the Bush Administration. Clinton said that the new administration would use that smart power—combining military and economic strength with diplomacy—to reassert US global influence. In particular, she spoke about forging new alliances with nations around the world.

"America cannot solve the most pressing problems on our own, and the world cannot solve them without America. I believe American leadership has been wanting, but is still wanted. We must use what has been called smart power, the full range of tools at our disposal. With smart power, diplomacy will be the vanguard of foreign policy."

Clearly, the Middle East will be critical component of that foreign policy, and mindful of that, Clinton made mention of the Israel-Arab conflict in her opening statement. "As intractable as the Middle East problems may seem [the United States] cannot give up on peace."

Asked about the current situation in Gaza, Clinton tried to reassure Senators that basic American Middle East policy will remain the same.

"I think on Israel, you cannot negotiate with Hamas until it renounces violence, recognizes Israel and agrees to abide by past agreements. That is just for me, you know, an absolute. That is the United States government's position; that is the president-elect's position."

She added that Obama and she "understand and are deeply sympathetic to Israel's desire to defend itself under the current conditions, and to be free of shelling by Hamas rockets. However, we have also been reminded of the tragic humanitarian costs of conflict in the Middle East, and pained by the suffering of Palestinian and Israeli civilians."

During the long presidential campaign, there was a great deal of concern by Israel’s supporters that Obama would take a less friendly approach to the Jewish state, but Clinton in her statements tried to make it clear that it was her own—and more importantly Obama’s—commitment for that not to happen. In fact, nothing that she said diverged from anything that has come out of the Bush White House on the Middle East. About a half-dozen pro-Palestinian protestors looked dejected at Clinton’s remarks, and when the hearings adjourned for lunch, Clinton did not acknowledge them as she walked by.

The one issue that did surface in the hearing came when Lugar and two other Republican committee members raised questions about foreign donations to the William J Clinton Foundation, her husband’s charitable organization. Concern had been growing over the past several days about large contributions by the Saudi government, in particular, and whether or not that would constitute a conflict of interest in how she might handle several vital issues. Lugar noted, that foreign entities might believe that contributions to the President Clinton Foundation would win them favor with Secretary of State Clinton. He also wondered if the contributions could hamper Clinton from making difficult decisions that could go against those foreign powers. He added that he believed the issue could be overcome if the Clinton Foundation refused foreign monies during her stint as the US’s top diplomat.

Obama’s transition team was also concerned about this matter, and they were given access to the former President's financial records during the vetting process by which they investigated Clinton for any negative information that could jeopardize her confirmation as secretary of state. They were concerned that some of Clinton’s donors would push policies that could conflict with those of the new Obama administration. According to the New York Times last November, some of those donors included the king of Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, China, and others in addition to the Saudis.

During Clinton's primary run for President, a memo and remark from the Obama camp derisively referred to her as “the Senator from Punjab” because of the Clintons' close ties to Indian interests. Although issues regarding South Asia did not arise on the first day of hearings, those ties ironically could turn out to be an asset for both Clinton and Obama if they surface in subsequent hearings.

- Asian Tribune -