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If you don’t want it to get even harder for a U.S. citizen to get a passport — now required for travel even to Canada or Mexico — you only have until Monday to let the State Department know. The U.S. Department of State is proposing a new Biographical Questionnaire for some passport applicants: The proposed new Form DS-5513 asks for all addresses since birth; lifetime employment history including employers’ and supervisors names, addresses, and telephone numbers; personal details of all siblings; mother’s address one year prior to your birth; any “religious ceremony” around the time of birth; and a...

SNIP Of course, most people know that almost no Roman emperor left the throne without getting murked. One of the few exceptions, Septimius Severus, was also one of the assorted African-born Roman emperors. That’s ironic when I think that now, a man one generation removed from African soil, is probably being betrayed in the worst way since Caesar by somebody he should have known enough not to trust from the door. Oddsmakers are already putting a line on Hillary Clinton making her own Presidential run in 2012. Clinton has already stated that she’s finished as Secretary of State if Obama...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is fed up with President Obama and his refusal to back a no-fly zone over Libya, according to an exclusive report in The Daily. “She’s trying to do what she can to keep things from imploding,” a Clinton insider told the online newspaper. “If you take a look at what’s on her plate as compared with what’s on the plates of previous secretary of states – there’s more going on now at this particular moment, and it’s like playing sports with a bunch of amateurs.

Obama 'Furious' With Hillary State Department Over EgyptBy Newsmax Wires Sunday, 13 Feb 2011 05:42 PM Is a civil war brewing between the Obama White House and Hillary Clinton's State Department? A New York Times story published this weekend suggests one may have erupted already. On Saturday, the Times, quoting numerous White House sources, sought to explain the Obama administration's erratic policy statements during the Egyptian crisis. The paper reported that Obama was "seething" over State Department officials's statement suggesting that the administration did not want a quick transition of power in Egypt, with President Hosni Mubarak stepping down from...

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is convening an unprecedented mass meeting of U.S. ambassadors.</p>

Per Fox: Richardson is replacing Hillary as SECSTATE. Let the 2012 primary circus begin!

WASHINGTON – The State Department severed its computer files from the government's classified network, officials said Tuesday, as U.S. and world leaders tried to clean up from the embarrassing leak that spilled America's sensitive documents onto screens around the globe.

Should Hillary Clinton resign as secretary of state due to the WikiLeaks revelations? My friend Jack Shafer at Slate makes a good case. His reason: Clinton, like predecessor Condoleezza Rice, signed orders instructing U.S. foreign service officers to spy on the diplomats of other nations. Cables went out under her name telling State Department officials overseas to collect the fingerprints, facial images, DNA, and iris scans of African leaders, to obtain passwords, credit card numbers, and frequent flyer accounts used by foreign diplomats, and to gather private information on United Nations officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

A 2009 cable sent from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to American U.N. missions and embassies around the world ostensibly directed American diplomats to engage in intelligence-gathering. The 8,358 word National Humint Collection Directive (Humint being Human Intelligence) "reflects the results of a recent Washington review of reporting and collection needs focused on the United Nations," according to the document made public by the whistle-blower website Wikileaks Sunday. The information Clinton directed the diplomats she oversees to ascertain ranged from basic biographical data such as diplomats' names and addresses to their frequent flyer and credit card numbers, to even "biometric...

Some of the diplomatic papers stolen from the State Department and leaked Sunday by Wikileaks show more than just potentially embarrassing revelations about U.S. views of allies but disturbing developments among alleged friends as well as foes and competitive states. The details from the cables being released -- among 250,000 illegally taken from secret State Department records -- include discussions on the U.S. being unable to stop Syrian arms to Hezbollah, its disappointment in Qatar to stop funding terrorism and hacking by the Chinese government of U.S. computers Samples of some of the thousands of documents that were to be...

In a new and ridiculous policy, the US is denying Israeli scientists who work at the Dimona reactor site an opportunity to refresh their knowedge, Joshua Pundit reports: Ma'ariv reported today that the Israeli government was stunned when every nuclear technician at Israel's Dimona reactor who had submitted visa requests to visit the United States for ongoing university education in Physics, Chemistry and Nuclear Engineering had their visa applications summarily rejected, specifically because of their association with the Dimona reactor.

"Clinton State Department Working With 'Advocacy Groups' to Prepare 'Human Rights' Report on U.S. to Give to U.N." Friday, March 12, 2010 By Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer SNIPPET: "(CNSNews.com) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday that the State Department is soliciting comments from citizens, advocacy groups and other non-governmental organizations on the human rights record of the United States. “Human rights are universal, but their experience is local. This is why we are committed to holding everyone to the same standard, including ourselves,” Clinton told a press briefing at the State Department, where she unveiled the...

Two Americans and a Mexican citizen affiliated with the United States consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, were shot to death Saturday in this violent border town, across from El Paso, Texas. The Mexico killings drew immediate criticism from the White House. National Security Council spokesperson Mike Hammer said in a statement Sunday that President Obama “is deeply saddened and outraged by the news of the brutal murders of three people associated with the United States Consulate General in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, including a US citizen employee, her US citizen husband, and the husband of a Mexican citizen

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama is "outraged" by the murders in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico of three people connected with the U.S. consulate there, a White House official said on Sunday. "In concert with Mexican authorities, we will work tirelessly to bring their killers to justice," White House National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement. A consulate employee and her husband, both U.S. citizens, were killed along with the husband of another employee who is a Mexican citizen, the statement said. "The president is deeply saddened and outraged by the news," Hammer said, adding that Obama "shares in...

US diplomats add a moat to their expenses at $1bn London embassy The United States has unveiled plans for its new $1 billion high-security embassy in London — the most expensive it has ever built. The proposals were met with relief from both the present embassy’s Mayfair neighbours and the residents and developers of the Battersea wasteland where the vast crystalline cube, surrounded by a moat, will be built. The decision to abandon the former site in Grosvenor Square by 2016 came after a prolonged battle with residents angered by the security measures demanded after the September 11 attacks. More...

THE UNITED States has unveiled plans for its new $1 billion high-security embassy in London - the most expensive it has ever built. The proposals were met with relief from both the present embassy's Mayfair neighbours and the residents and developers of the Battersea wasteland where the vast crystalline cube, surrounded by a moat, will be built. The decision to abandon the former site in Grosvenor Square by 2016 came after a prolonged battle with residents angered by the security measures demanded after the September 11 attacks. More than a hundred residents took out a full-page advertisement in The Times...

The United States announced Tuesday that it has chosen a cutting-edge, energy-efficient design by acclaimed US architecture firm KieranTimberlake for its future embassy in Britain. The building, a towering glass cube covered with a thin sheath of photo-voltaic cells "met the goal of creating a modern, welcoming, timeless, safe and energy-efficient embassy for the 21st century," the State Department said. "The concept holds the greatest potential for developing a truly iconic embassy and is on the leading edge of sustainable design."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she would not serve a full eight years if President Barack Obama wins another term, hoping eventually to retire to writing and teaching. Clinton, who has spent two decades in the national spotlight and narrowly lost her own bid to be president in 2008, said she enjoyed her job as the top US diplomat but found it physically grueling. Asked by talk-show host Tavis Smiley if she would serve eight years, she replied: "No, I really can't." "The whole eight -- that would be very challenging," she said in the interview broadcast Wednesday...

That's how Laura Rozen reads this exchange with Tavis Smiley: TAVIS SMILEY: Finally, there’s already speculation about whether or not Secretary Clinton is going to do this for the full first time, and whether or not she has any interest if asked to stay on to do it for eight years? You see how tough the job is, can you imagine yourself doing all four years and, if asked, doing it for another four years? HILLARY CLINTON: No, I really can’t. I mean, it is just… TAVIS SMILEY: No to what? All four or eight? HILLARY CLINTON: The whole, the...

In an interview to air at 8pm tonight on PBS's Tavis Smiley Reports, Hillary Clinton tells Smiley she does not envision serving as Secretary of State for a second term. She also tells Smiley she is "absolutely not interested" in another presidential run.(snip) Clinton previously told the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler much the same thing: "Clinton said she loves being secretary of state, but conceded, 'It is a really hard job . . . a 24-7 job,' and 'I feel the weight of it pretty significantly.' Asked if she would be sitting in the same office for eight years, Clinton...

Hillary Clinton to go to Haiti on Saturday15 Jan 2010 23:00:54 GMT Source: Reuters WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will fly to Haiti on Saturday to get a firsthand look at the earthquake relief effort as well as to help evacuate some Americans caught up in the disaster. Clinton, who cut short a trip to the Asia-Pacific region after Tuesday's quake, said on Friday she and U.S. Agency for International Development Director Rajiv Shah would meet Haitian President Rene Preval as well as U.S. relief workers. "We will also be conveying very directly and...

Forget about no-fly lists, full-body scanners and air marshals. All the loud recriminations about who should have done what to stop the underwear bomber from boarding a plane to Detroit on Christmas Day miss a more fundamental point: Young, single, rootless foreign Muslim Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab should never, ever have received a temporary visa into our country in the first place. No visa, no plane ticket. No ticket, no passage to airline jihad. Even absent the intelligence we had on this al Qaeda-trained operative before his fateful trip, Hillary Clinton's State Department was required to know better

/snip/It's just a typo, and in fact, the DNI fixed it on its webpage shortly after sending reporters the statement. But it's an awkward slip-up on the same day the White House admitted that a typo prevented the State Department from realizing it had granted a visa to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. (Someone spelled his name wrong during a search.)

Why Is Hillary’s State Department Getting UndyBomber Pass? Michelle Malkin Friday, January 08, 2010 Forget about no-fly lists, full-body scanners and air marshals. All the loud recriminations about who should have done what to stop the UndyBomber from boarding a plane to Detroit on Christmas Day miss a more fundamental point: Young, single, rootless foreign Muslim Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab should never, ever have received a temporary visa into our country in the first place. No visa, no plane ticket. No ticket, no passage to airline jihad. Even absent the intelligence we had on this al-Qaida-trained operative before his fateful trip,...

President Obama came back to work this week after leaving the Presidency for his Hawaiian holiday vacation. Hawaii proved to be a restful retreat for the President, his team and the White House press corps who all took time off from their regular duties to enjoy the Hawaiian sun and ignore their responsibilities. But after 10 days of tropical silence, this week there is a sudden flurry of security reviews, media statements, ass-covering and more misstatements coming out of Washington from the Obama Administration. But we still don’t know why the State Department didn’t revoke the visa of a man...

State Department revokes attempted bomber's visa 8 mins ago WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department on Tuesday said it had revoked the visa it had given a Nigerian man after his alleged attempt to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day with explosives hidden in his underwear. President Barack Obama on Tuesday said U.S. intelligence agencies had enough information about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to have discovered and possibly disrupted the plan to destroy the Detroit-bound airline but "failed to connect those dots." Obama said the intelligence community knew Abdulmutallab had traveled to Yemen and established contact with extremists. The...

The United States' decision to close its embassy in Yemen came after intelligence suggested that four al Qaeda operatives may be planning an attack on the compound, a senior administration official said Monday.

Press Releases Embassy Closed in Response to Security Threat The U.S. Embassy in Sana’a is closed today, January 3, 2010, in response to ongoing threats by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to attack American interests in Yemen. On December 31, the U.S. Embassy sent a warden message to Americans citizens in Yemen to remind them of the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against American citizens and interests throughout the world. The U.S. Embassy reminds U.S. citizens to maintain a high level of vigilance and to practice enhanced security awareness.

The U.S. government had intelligence from Yemen before Christmas that leaders of a branch of Al Qaeda there were talking about "a Nigerian" being prepared for a terrorist attack.

Kerry Reportedly Files Request to Visit Iran Sen. John Kerry has filed a formal request to visit Iran, Iranian news agencies reported Tuesday -- news made public in the middle of the government's bloody crackdown on dissidents that has left more than a dozen dead. Sen. John Kerry has filed a formal request to visit Iran, Iranian news agencies reported Tuesday -- news made public in the middle of the government's bloody crackdown on dissidents that has left more than a dozen dead. While representatives for Kerry have so far not confirmed whether he intends to travel to Tehran, a...

John Kerry lost the Secretary of State sweepstakes to Hillary Clinton, but that hasn't lowered his diplomatic ambitions. The Journal reported Thursday that the Senate Foreign Relations Chairman is mulling a trip to Iran, and with the blessing of the Obama Administration. If the mullahs had any sense, they'd send him a government plane. Beset by almost daily demonstrations by a democratic opposition that has been growing despite beatings and arrests since the stolen June election, Mr. Kerry would arrive from Washington to show the Iranian people that at least someone still favors the regime. He would be the most...

President Barack Obama has nominated Mari Carmen Aponte to become the next ambassador of El Salvador, a decade after she was forced to withdrawal her name from consideration for a similar post following concerns about alleged ties to Cuba, Newsmax.com reports. A former FBI official told Fox News that Aponte’s 1998 nomination by president Clinton began receiving attention after the foreign relations panel questioned her about a past relationship with Roberto Tamayo, who was alleged to have "possible ties to the Cuban government" and made "repeated trips there." Current White House spokesman Tommy Vietor responded, "as has been previously reported,...

NYT: This much is known: About 7:15 Tuesday night, a glittering blonde, decked out in a red and gold sari, holding the hand of her black-tuxedoed escort, swept past the camera crews and reporters camped out to catch the red-carpet arrivals for the first state dinner given by President Obama.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle (R) introduces his partner Michael Mronz (L) to his U.S. counterpart Hillary Clinton during the Atlantic Council Awards ceremony at the Adlon hotel in Berlin, November 8, 2009, one day ahead of the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach (GERMANY ANNIVERSARY POLITICS)

And then I'd like to read a statement on Honduras. Last week, Honduran negotiators came to an accord that spells out a step-by-step process for Honduras to reestablish democratic and constitutional order and move toward national elections with the support of the international community. In the wake of the Verification Commission visit November 3 and 4, the two sides made significant progress toward the formation of a unity government. For that reason, we were particularly disappointed by the unilateral statements made last night, which do not serve the spirit of the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Accord. We urge both sides to act...

A week of hard negotiations between the United States and Russia netted what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton classified as “significant breakthroughs in our two countries’ relationship.” Among the breakthroughs cited by Secretary Clinton—Russia will be allowed to inspect US nuclear weapons sites, Russia retains the right to preemptive, first-strike use of nuclear weapons, and Russia will not assist the United States in seeking sanctions against Iran’s acquisition of nuclear warheads. “By acceding to their demands we are showing them that we do not pose a threat to their interests,” Clinton explained. “A gesture of submission on our part eases...

In the middle of a diplomatic mission through Europe, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made headlines at home this morning when she closed the door on another bid for the presidency. In an interview on the "Today" show, Ann Curry asked if Clinton ever wishes she, rather than Barack Obama, was setting U.S. policy as the commander-in-chief. "I have to tell you," Clinton said, "it never crosses my mind." Curry followed up, "Will you ever run for president again?" "No," Clinton said. "No?" "No, no" Clinton insisted, laughing. "This is a great job. It is a 24-7 job. And I'm...

DALLAS — Eight years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and despite repeated mandates from Congress, the United States still has no reliable system for verifying that foreign visitors have left the country. New concern was focused on that security loophole last week, when Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, a 19-year-old Jordanian who had overstayed his tourist visa, was accused in court of plotting to blow up a Dallas skyscraper. Last year alone, 2.9 million foreign visitors on temporary visas like Mr. Smadi’s checked in to the country but never officially checked out, immigration officials said... ...officials said, about 40 percent...

U.S. Can’t Trace Foreign Visitors on Expired Visas By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr. and JULIA PRESTON October 11, 2009 DALLAS — Eight years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and despite repeated mandates from Congress, the United States still has no reliable system for verifying that foreign visitors have left the country. Hosam Maher Husein Smadi entered the United States legally, but then overstayed his visa. [Pic in URL] New concern was focused on that security loophole last week, when Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, a 19-year-old Jordanian who had overstayed his tourist visa, was accused in court of plotting to...

An openly gay Jewish attorney has been nominated by Barack Obama as America’s new ambassador to New Zealand. David Huebner, 49, who is currently based in Shanghai, is Obama’s first gay appointment, and the third openly gay ambassador in American history. Obama’s nomination Wednesday of Huebner, who has also acted as general counsel for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, must be approved by Congress. A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, Huebner will also become the non-resident ambassador to Samoa, where homosexuality is illegal. Huebner is also on a list of Jewish leaders of the homosexual...

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said Wednesday he planned to nominate an openly gay lawyer as the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. If confirmed by the Senate, David Huebner would become the third openly gay ambassador in U.S. history and the first pick by this administration. In a statement released from the White House, Obama said he looked forward to working with Huebner and is confident he will represent the United States well in the Pacific region.

Travel Alert U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau of Consular Affairs This information is current as of today, Sun Sep 27 2009 02:36:27 GMT-0700 (PDT). Germany September 23, 2009 The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens that Al Qaeda has threatened it will conduct terrorist attacks in Germany immediately prior to and following the federal elections on September 27. This Travel Alert expires on November 11, 2009. Al Qaeda recently released a video specifically warning Germany of attacks. German authorities are taking the threat seriously and have taken measures to enhance the level of security throughout the country. The Department of...

Today local radio America has spread a version that states that the US embassy in Tegucigalpa would host the paralell govt. of Manuel Zelaya. The version says that the ambassador Hugo Llorenz has ready 6 limousines ready to transport the members of Zelaya's cabinet to the embassy. Some of his top officials are wanted by honduran justice.

After getting complaints from Congress─and an inquiry from NEWSWEEK─the State Department backed away Thursday from awarding foreign-aid funds to two foundations headed by the children of Libyan dictator Muammar Kaddafi.

http://secretaryclinton.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/hillary-clinton-marks-the-end-of-ramadan/ In this video, Secretary of State Clinton is wishing everyone happy end of Ramadan.

A radical Islamic sect based in Somalia and linked to al-Qaida and based in Somalia plotted to kill US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her trip to Africa last month, according to The Australian newspaper. The plot was to be carried out through a planned series of bomb attacks set to take place in Nairobi, the capital of neighboring Kenya, while Clinton was there - one in the hotel where she was staying. The plot was foiled at the last minute, media reports, citing senior security officials, said. According to yesterday's reports, al-Shabaab, which is viewed as increasing regional...

Law: President Obama's nominee for State Department legal adviser could be a future Supreme Court pick. He believes U.S. law should be based on foreign precedent, and even Shariah law could find a home here. We have commented many times on the opinion of a number of U.S. Supreme Court justices that American jurists should include foreign law and precedent in their decisions. In several prominent cases, this has already happened. In a speech in South Africa, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called the March 2005 Roper v. Simmons decision, in which a 5-4 majority ruled against executing murderers who were...

"I believe the explanation lies in the Obama administration’s fondness for transnationalism, a doctrine of post-sovereign globalism in which America is seen as owing its principal allegiance to the international legal order rather than to our own Constitution and national interests. "Recall that the president chose to install former Yale Law School dean Harold Koh as his State Department’s legal adviser. Koh is the country’s leading proponent of transnationalism. He is now a major player in the administration’s deliberations over international law and cooperation. Naturally, membership in the International Criminal Court, which the United States has resisted joining, is high...

Dr. Miguel Humberto Diaz Rome, Italy, Aug 27, 2009 / 12:03 pm (CNA).- This morning Dr. Miguel Diaz arrived in Rome with his family to begin serving in his new position as the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. Ambassador-designate Diaz said that he and his family are looking forward to the coming weeks and that he hopes to "deepen and expand upon the special relationship" between the U.S. and the Vatican.Dr. Miguel Humberto Diaz, arrived with his family this morning at Rome's Fiumicino International Airport. Prior to leaving the U.S. he was sworn in as ambassador on August...

I smell a rat in the release of the convicted Lockerbie bomber, Abdel Basset al-Megrahi. Here's what U. S. President Barack Obama had to say about the release. "We thought it was a mistake." In a written statement, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pronounced herself "deeply disappointed." Does that not seem like strangely mild language to use about the release of a man convicted in the worst international terrorist attack against U. S. citizens before 9/11? Two hundred and fifty-nine people were killed aboard Pan Am Flight 103 by a planted bomb. One hundred and eighty of them were Americans;...