Posted on 07/20/2009 10:16:49 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Americans as naked gladiators? Indians as blissful beauties? Those were the images -- exaggerated a bit for dramatic effect -- that
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton evoked Monday in a question-and-answer session with university students who probed her thinking on a range of topics, some personal.
It was a classic Clinton moment, engaging in what she calls public diplomacy to argue that Americans have more in common with people around the globe than is often suggested. She blamed the media, not just the news but also entertainment, for distortions.
"If Hollywood and Bollywood were how we all lived our lives, that would surprise me," she said with a tone of understatement. "And yet it's often the way our cultures are conveyed, isn't it?
"People watching a Bollywood movie in some other part of Asia think everybody in India is beautiful and they have dramatic lives and happy endings. And if you were to watch American TV and our movies you'd think that we don't wear clothes and we spend all our time fighting with each other."
The crowd roared. Another student asked Clinton how she has managed to reconcile her policy views with those of President Barack Obama in areas in which they disagreed during last year's race for the Democratic presidential nomination. The student mentioned no examples, but one of the more widely publicized differences between the candidates was Obama's eagerness to hold talks with Iran.
"I think the campaign magnified the differences more than they actually are," she replied. "That's what happens in campaigns. I'm sure you've noticed that. You draw differences and try to make them seem extremely large in order to convince people to vote for you rather than the other person."
She went on to say she was "pleasantly surprised" when, shortly after the election, Obama asked her to become his chief diplomat.
"We talked a lot about what do we want to do and how we could set the goals and achieve our objectives," she said, acknowledging there were "maybe some differences of degree, but not necessarily difference of kind" between herself and the president.
One of the notable features of the Obama-Clinton relationship six months into his presidency is the absence, at least publicly, of divisions that many had predicted would develop between two strong personalities who so recently were fierce political rivals. There has been speculation in Washington, however, that Clinton's influence in the administration has been waning. Until now, Clinton has been out of the public eye with a broken elbow, and others in the Obama administration, including Vice President Joe Biden, have considerable foreign policy expertise.
In a nationally broadcast interview airing in the US on Monday, Clinton disputed the suggesting she was unhappy with her say in the administration, telling ABC: "I broke my elbow, not my larynx."
Here, Clinton told the student that she is proud to be a member of an administration that shares her goal of "positive change" in US foreign relations.
The discussion got a little more personal when a student asked Clinton whether she feels that her gender kept her from winning the White House.
"As for myself, I feel very grateful that I've had the experiences that I've had," said the former first lady and former US senator.
"I don't look back. I am always somebody who gets up and looks forward. But I am fueled by my commitment to making sure that we eradicate all the remaining vestiges of discrimination toward women."
Clinton opened the session with a speech praising the possibilities for closer US-Indian ties. And she got personal about it.
"I have long been an admirer of India," she said. "I feel very much at home here. I eat way too much of the food at every chance I get. I have to go on a diet when I get back home, back to carrots and celery."
From my viewing of Indian television, I thought Indian women love to run around in the rain, fountains and lawn sprinklers.
Yes, and there are some Indian villages that probably believe there is a U.S.S. Enterprise out among the stars exploring the cosmos, going bravely where no man has gone before...
With hot alien chics just waiting to show us around the local bar scene.
Any accurate Hitlery quote is a lie, by definition/default.
“acknowledging there were “maybe some differences of degree, but not necessarily difference of kind” between herself and the president.”
Likely true.
She’s been watching too much of Bill’s “Girls gone Wild” dvds.
Who cares how much in common we have with the rest of the world? I don’t see the rest of the world begging us to like them, like we do with them.
I’m sure you mean the Starship Enterprise.
The USS Enterprise is an actual aircraft carrier, LOL!
Yes, but I think “with hot alien chicks just waiting to show us around the local bar scene.” part is still true.
Indeed it is, but the designation of the starship Enterprise is USS Enterprise. It stands for United Space Ship Enterprise. Yes, I know... eww, but truly not kidding you.
Oh, that I didn’t know, LOL!
Eww, indeed!
Man, you owe me $100 to clean my carpet. I threw up when I saw the headline. I thought you may have posted some photos of the beast.
I saw a Fox story on her trip to India. They showed her from behind, full photo. She has always been wide but she has really porked up. No lie, she looked like a hippo.
Time for her and sissy boy to appear on “Couples biggest losers”
Hehe, nice!
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