White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, pictured here at left in an Oval Office meeting, is leaving his job in the Obama administration. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary for the Obama administration, is leaving his post. Gibbs hasn’t given a reason for leaving the White House. He is expected to depart in February.

Robert Gibbs leaving the White House

Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary for the Obama administration is leaving his position as chief liaison to the press for the president, according to the USA Today. There hasn’t been a reason given yet for Gibbs’ departure, though the Obama administration has seemed to have high rates of turnover. It is anticipated that Gibbs will be leaving sometime in February, likely after the president delivers the State of the Union address. He will be remaining an outside adviser and consultant to the President Obama, who has said that Gibbs would “continue to have my ear as long as I’m in this job.” A successor hasn’t been named, though announcements are expected to be made in time.

High turnover in Obama White House

The Obama White House has had high rates of turnover. Not long ago, it was speculated that Joe Biden would leave and Hillary Clinton would become vice president, though it was fervently denied. Former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel departed last year to run for mayor of Chicago. Gibbs’ leaving was not entirely unexpected, and it has been rumored that he may be groomed to take over as chief adviser to the president, a position David Axelrod currently holds.

Tough year awaits

New Congress members are taking their seats today, and many of those seats are being filled with Republicans. The House of Representatives now has a Republican majority, but not in the Senate. Though both parties have been known to be able to compromise at times, a rocky period is anticipated in the months ahead as a Republican majority is likely to come to loggerheads with the White House at some point in the near future.

Sources

USA Today

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (Photo Credit: Public Domain/Department of Defense)

Those who had hoped Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would become the first female U.S. president may have reason for disappointment, reports CBS News. As she has done in recent months, Clinton reiterated that she will not run for president in 2012, citing the strain of holding the position. But what is perhaps shocking is that she told the press that her current position as secretary of state will be “my last public position.”

Hillary Clinton was rumored as next secretary of defense

While Hillary Clinton has denied that she is interested in running for either president or vice president next election – reports indicate that she was notably out of the country during the midterm elections when Democrats lost the House – some experts believed that with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ retirement coming up next year, Clinton was a fine candidate.Yet even that rumor appears to have been squashed by her recent pronouncement that secretary of state is “my last public position.”

There has been no indication that the recent WikiLeaks embarrassment to the Obama administration (and Secretary Clinton’s office in particular) factored into her decision.

What’s next for Hillary Clinton

While government work sounds like it will be in Hillary Clinton’s rear-view mirror after her term as secretary of state ends, Clinton did say that she “would like to continue working to improve lives for others” on a global scale, as her husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, has done with his Clinton Foundation. Clinton explained that advocacy work for women and children worldwide appeals to her. Reuters reports that Clinton says she had a “fascinating and rewarding” career before politics as a lawyer for the Children’s Defense Fund, which assists abused and neglected kids. Thus, it would not be out of the realm of possibility to see her return to these fields.

“I feel very lucky because of my parents, my education and the opportunities I’ve had,” Clinton said.

Sources

CBS News

Hillary Clinton on WikiLeaks embarrassment

“OK, time to dump $2 billion more!” (Photo Credit: CC BY/The U.S. Army/Flickr)

“The War on Terror” continues for the United States, reports the Associated Press. This time, the Obama administration has committed $2 billion toward Pakistan military aid to fight extremist groups like the Taliban and al-Qaida. According to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the administration will ask Congress to approve the funds for use from 2012 to 2016 for U.S.-made arms, ammo and field gear.

Pakistan military aid is not for all units

The Obama administration’s proposed Pakistan military aid will not apply to all Pakistani military units, says the AP. Some units are suspected of committing human rights abuses, such as execution without trail and torture of prisoners. Furthermore, questions exist as to exactly how dedicated Pakistan’s Islamabad government is to policing its border with Afghanistan and whether Pakistan has used past U.S. military aid funds to purchase missiles with which they have targeted rival nation (and U.S. ally) India. Outside Pakistan’s military aid, the nation is already receiving $7.5 billion in civilian assistance to help it deal with recent catastrophic flood damage.

Clinton and Qureshi announced the plan at a joint meeting

While the mood was positive at a joint meeting between Secretary of State Clinton and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Clinton walked a fine diplomatic line. The United States is uneasy with the Islamabad government’s perceived soft stance on terrorism, yet Clinton underscored “the sacrifice and service” that the people of Pakistan have made in their attempts to restore order to their nation.

In response to allegations of being soft on terrorism, Qureshi said, “We do not know what greater evidence to offer (as proof to the contrary) than the blood of our people.”

U.S. encourages Pakistan to improve human rights training

Pakistani units suspected of human rights violations are excluded from receiving U.S. Military aid by 1997 legislation backed by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont. The “Leahy Amendment” officially “bars U.S. military assistance from going to foreign armed forces suspected of committing atrocities,” reports the AP. According to an anonymous U.S. government spokesperson, the Leahy Amendment will be upheld throughout negotiations regarding Pakistan military aid. Units that fail to comply with the Leahy Amendment are being encouraged to toe the line.

Sources

Associated Press

Pakistani missles targeting Indian targets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhk3UAMWfEw

James Jones is the next in the Obama administration to retire. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

It was announced recently that James Jones will be resigning from his position as National Security Advisor. He will be replaced by Tom Donilon, the Deputy National Security Advisor. Officials have been leaving the Obama administration at a seemingly high rate. Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel recently left to run for Mayor of Chicago. There are rumors that Hillary Clinton is going to replace Joe Biden as Vice President.

James Jones retires

It was recently announced that James Jones will be retiring. He will serve out the remainder of October, according to the Los Angeles Times. Jones will be replaced by Tom Donilon, the Deputy National Security Advisor. Donilon has plenty of experience. He served as chief of staff for Warren Christopher, the Secretary of State for President Clinton. Obama is the third president he has worked for.  General James Jones intended to only serve for two years, as he has already had a long career. Jones was formerly the Marine Corps Commandant and commander of NATO. Jones did not seek to become National Security Advisor to begin with. He was also a chief architect of the Afghan surge strategy currently being implemented.

Exodus of officials

The Obama administration has seen officials in top spots leave at a high rate over the past few months, according to CNN. Rahm Emanuel recently stepped down to pursue a bid for Mayor of Chicago to replace the outgoing Mayor Daley. Other senior staff, such as adviser David Axelrod and economic adviser Larry Summers have left as well. There is also a rumor concerning Joe Biden. Rampant speculation has begun that President Obama will replace him with Hillary Clinton before the 2012 election, though the White House denies it so far.

Musical chairs in the White House

The White House is having an exodus of top staff. Whether it is simply a coincidence remains to be seen. However, other administrations have seen top staff come and go in large numbers as well.

Sources

CNN on Biden/Clinton Ticket

CNN

Los Angeles Times

The discovery of American experimentation on Guatemalans echoes the Tuskegee experiments. Image from Wikimedia Commons

There was a recent revelation that the U.S. participated in human experiments on Guatemalans. The U.S. government has issued an apology for the experiments conducted, which infected Guatemalans with syphillis. The studies echo the infamous Tuskegee experiments, where African American males were infected with the same sexually transmitted disease. The Tuskegee experiments ran for 40 years. The Guatemalan STD experiments went on for two years, and they were run by Dr. John C. Cutler, who also participated in the Tuskegee experiments.

Guatemalan study done with approval

In the early 20th century, treatment for sexually transmitted disease was not as simple as today. Now, an infected person can pick up a prescription within hours. In 1946, before penicillin had been approved for use, the U.S. Public Health Service, the National Institute of Health, the Pan American Health Sanitary Institute and the Guatemalan government approved a study on the effects of syphilis, according the MSNBC. Dr. John Cutler was put in charge of the study. There were 696 test subjects, including male prisoners and female prostitutes. Some were encouraged to catch the disease the typical way, and others were injected with the disease. Up to a third of the subjects were not even treated for the disease. The study concluded in 1948.

The Tuskegee syphilis experiments

The Tuskegee Experiments are a dark chapter in American history. From 1932 to 1972, African Americans from the South were observed to see the effects of the disease. There were 399 male subjects, all from Alabama. The study was carried out by the U.S. Public Health Service. However, there is a slight difference. Tuskegee patients were already infected with syphilis, whereas the Guatemalan STD patients were not. Another glaring difference is that up to two-thirds of the Guatemalan patients were treated. No Tuskegee patient ever received penicillin. Penicillin was the accepted treatment since 1947. The experiment ran until 1972.

Apology necessary

The heinous nature of human experimentation makes excusing them impossible. President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Sebelius all personally apologized to the Guatemalan people, according to CNN. That is something like a start.

Sources

MSNBC

CNN

Wikipedia entry on Tuskegee

Recently, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sat down for a town hall-style meeting at the Congolese capital of Kinshasa. According to the Syracuse Post-Standard, her stop is part of an 11-day tour through Africa to promote “development and good governance, and to underscore the Obama administration’s commitment” to aiding the African continent. In particular, her visit to the Congo was meant to focus upon women in the country who are raped during genocide wars.Speaking of the Congo, there’s a country that could use short term loans and payday loans with no faxing…

And she’s upset over one question a student asked her

It appears that the reason for this is that there was an erroneous translation made by the translator onstage with Hillary Clinton, who was angry. The translation given of the student’s question involved what “Mr. Clinton” thought about a foreign policy issue. Here was Hillary Clinton and her angry response:

You want me to tell you what my husband thinks? If you want my opinion, I will tell you my opinion, I am not going to be channeling my husband. My husband is not secretary of state, I am.

Pronoun trouble?

(Photo: mangdiddles.blogspot.com)

Assistant Secretary P.J. Crowley revealed later that it was not the student’s intention to make it sound as though he was asking for Mr. Clinton’s opinion. The fact is that the student was attempting to ask Mrs. Clinton what President Obama’s views were on a deal between China and the Democratic Republic of Congo – NOT Bill Clinton.

But Hillary Clinton was angry

It’s a telling response. Perhaps it’s the limelight Bill Clinton has recently received for his diplomatic mission to North Korea, the mission that freed imprisoned journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee and possibly restarted nuclear talks. Perhaps that has her a bit on edge. However, she has nothing to be jealous about. Bill was working a diplomatic channel that had been established during his own presidency; it was not a slight to Hillary that she wasn’t the one to participate in the meeting with Kim Jong Il. And Hillary has an impressive list of accomplishments in her own right, and she is fully capable to serve as the United States Secretary of State.

Let’s look at the exchange

From the viewpoint of this Examiner piece, “the only thing more offensive to her might have been if the reporter asked her to make some cookies for her husband.” So clearly, there are gender issues here, particularly when it comes to sex roles. Is this something that we’re going to have to cover until the end of time? Men and women have similarities in terms of what they are capable of, but there are also differences. We need to celebrate those differences instead of continuing to use them to separate.

Is Hillary Clinton angry about what Bill was able to accomplish in North Korea? She shouldn’t be. Her State Department did most of the heavy lifting behind the scenes, indicates the Examiner. Bill was simply sent in to close the deal because he’d already established relationships with dignitaries in North Korea. Yes, it is true that Bill Clinton is receiving the credit in the media for having busted open the Ling/Lee situation and being charming old Bill with Kim Jong Il, but Hillary Clinton worked hard to achieve the gains we have made with North Korea.

What’s next?

While it is definitely a low blow, I’m amused by what the Examiner writer suggests could be in the works:

She may truly lose her mind if Monica Lewinsky personally gets Iran to give up on its nuclear program. Judging from her anger in this video I do not think any of us wish to see Secretary Clinton truly lose her temper.

Funny? Maybe. I certainly wasn’t one of those who laughed off Bill Clinton’s affair with Lewinsky back in the day, but I can laugh at this sentiment. After the translation problem was rectified in the Congo, there was no longer an issue. “Hillary Clinton angry!” went the way of “Hulk smash!” It’s a cartoon, not real news about our Secretary of State. What would be news is if short term loans and payday loans with no faxing were instituted in that war-torn country. Apply here if you need that kind of help…

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Thank you, Mr. Clinton. (Photo: thefrisky.com)

Not that Hillary couldn’t have gotten the job done. She’s more than capable. But Bill had already established a relationship with the North Korean government; they’ve even requested to meet with him specifically a few times over the past 15 years.

What job am I talking about? After “exhaustive conversation” with Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, North Korea, Bill Clinton has managed to secure amnesty for American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee. Ling and Lee had been detained in North Korea since March. The women allegedly crossed the China-North Korea border inadvertently, but in crossing without authorization, they violated North Korean law. Their sentence was 12 years of “reform through labor.”

For amnesty, a special pardon

Heejin Koo reports for Bloomberg that not only did Mr. Clinton’s negotiations with Kim Jong Il secure the freedom of the American journalists, but it may have made headway toward deescalation of North Korea’s growing nuclear weapons program. Despite the fact that negotiating terms of amnesty constitutes an acknowledgment that Ling and Lee violated North Korean law, the results will no doubt be more than satisfactory for their friends, family and anyone else concerned with freedom from oppression.

Yu Ho Yeol of Korea University in Seoul said that Bill Clinton’s successful exchange with Kim Jong Il “will certainly serve as a turning point in the U.S.-North Korean dialogue.” I’d like to suggest that they import cash advances and payday loans with no faxing, but one thing at a time. If you want them, however, apply right here:

What made the difference?

It is true that Bill Clinton is an excellent speaker and negotiator. His previous exchanges with North Korea may have made the difference, but there is a rumor circulated by North Korean Central News Agency that Clinton had been empowered to deliver a “special message” from President Obama. However, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs denied this.

This is not the first successful visit a former U.S. head of state has made to North Korea, however. In 1994, former President Jimmy Carter met with Kim Jong Il and was able to negotiate a freeze of the country’s nuclear activity at the time. This was followed up by visits from President Clinton in 2000 and then Secretary of State Madeline Albright, both of which were for the same purpose as Carter’s visit. However, it was revealed in 2002 that North Korea had resumed their nuclear program in secret, and testing commenced by 2006. The testing culminated in at least a dozen missiles being tested this year, despite international pressure against such action. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton obtained U.N. sanctions against North Korea as a result.

Calling the “New York channel”

Bill and Il (Photo: Bloomberg.com)

Kim Jong Il and North Korea had stated openly that they would not return to the table for nuclear talks with the U.S., China, Russia, South Korea and Japan. But just last week, they expressed interest in negotiations involving Bill Clinton or “a high-ranking Obama administration official,” according to South Korea’s Yonhap News.

Apparently much like the Bat Phone, Kim Jong Il’s administration had a kind of hotline that may have been established through Bill Clinton.  They used it to contact Congressman Bill Richardson on multiple occasions. Richardson had previously been President Clinton’s contact at the United Nations, and he was able to negotiate the release of an American pilot who’d been shot down, as well as the release of a U.S. citizen who’d been accused of crossing into North Korea in 1996. Much like Laura Ling and Euna Lee, this citizen had been accused of spying.

Does Bill Clinton have the magic touch when it comes to amnesty? Depending upon who you ask, he definitely has something that’s magical…

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