Washington: There is a growing bipartisan
consensus that Hillary Clinton is the best ever Secretary of State, US President Barack Obama has said.
His decision to appoint Clinton as the Secretary of State
was one of his better decisions, the US President has said.
Obama who made a rare appearance at the Foggy Bottom
headquarters of the State Department to attend the holiday
reception party hosted by the Washington`s vibrant diplomatic
community by Clinton said, "I think there`s a consensus
building that this may be one of the best Secretaries of State
we`ve ever had in this country?s history."
"One of my better decisions," he said amidst laughter.
"It is a bipartisan view, by the way. That doesn`t happen
very often," Obama said about Clinton, who till early 2008 was
one of his bitter political rivals.
Clinton is relentless, is tough and does not quit, Obama
said adding, "She recently pulled off what one journalist
called "a Central Asian hat trick" ?- she went to Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan -- and then she threw in as a
bonus, Bahrain,".
"Because of the time differences, she was able to
accomplish this all in one day," he said.
She recently cautioned foreign publics against watching
too much American TV, because, she said, you`d think that we
Americans spend all our time "wrestling and wearing bikinis,"
Obama said amidst another round of laughter from the
diplomatic corps.
"So, thank you, Secretary Clinton, for your leadership,
for your sense of humour, for your incredible dedication to
our national security -- more broadly, your incredible
dedication to a world that`s more peaceful and secure and
provides opportunity for all," he said.
Obama also appreciated the extraordinary role of the
State Department employees for the tireless work they do.
"You are the backbone of American foreign policy,
especially those of you who are serving far away from home
during the holidays," he said.
"Day in, day out, you strengthen our alliances. You forge
new partnerships. You prevent conflicts and the spread of
deadly weapons. You promote global prosperity and global
health. You stand up for human rights and you stand up for
universal values.
In other words, you show the world the very best of
America.
On behalf of the American people, I want to say thank
you. You are doing an extraordinary job," Obama said.
Bureau Report
