 |
|
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
January 16, 2009
/ 20 Teves 5769
Rubber-stamp approval slips over Hil's chasms of conflicts
By
Diana West
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
That was some confirmation hearing for madame secretary of State this week. One for the annals. Not so much for what Hillary Clinton said (boilerplate stuff) but for what the Senate Foreign Relations Committee did. The senators showed up to examine, at least, the many red flags popping up between Bill Clinton's ongoing global charitable foundation and Hillary Clinton's upcoming global diplomatic portfolio, but they stayed on to gawk and burble. On Thursday, the committee voted 16-to-1 to give the lady a big, fat stamp of approval.
But sometimes inexplicably: "The (William J.) Clinton Foundation exists as a temptation for any foreign entity or government that believes it could curry favor through a donation," cautioned Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana. "It also sets up potential perception problems with any action taken by the secretary of state in relation to foreign givers or their countries...." Therefore, he concluded, in a sharp reversal of his own logic, "I believe that every member of this committee will seek ways to support Senator Clinton's work as secretary of state." Huh?
And sometimes with hearts and flowers: "I truly appreciate all that you are poised to do and what you have done in the past," Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told Mrs. Clinton.
Or with an awkward turn of phrase: "Despite the news accounts that say that I'm the one that's going to ask you the hard questions about potential conflicts of interest, I have no questions about your integrity," said Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina. And none about the Clinton foundation. Weirdly, DeMint then appealed to Mrs. Clinton "to do whatever is necessary to silence any critics before you take office."
Whatever is necessary? That'll give a turn to old Clinton hands who still can't shake the image of Webb Hubbell rolling "over one more time," or of Kathleen Willey's poor cat. "Enough said," said DeMint. Maybe too much.
"I'm just a junior senator from Tennessee, but it seems to me that everything has a season and this is your season," Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee told Mrs. C., splashing the Senate hearing room with chicken soup for the soul. "It just seems to me there's no reason whatsoever to have continual press comments and other kinds of things that might take away from, I think, what might be extraordinary efforts on your part."
Such was the loyal Republican "opposition."
"I believe that the better your diplomacy, the better your ability to defend yourself," Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia, another Republican, explained to Mrs. Clinton. "A strong military is a great foundation for good diplomacy. And then if you add the development, which I think is "soft power" or "smart power," you have a great trilogy. Do you agree with that?"
Penetrating question.
"Senator Isakson, I couldn't say it any better," said Mrs. Clinton. "I certainly do agree."
All of which goes to show this confirmation hearing wasn't exactly a trial by fire — unless, of course, "fire" means the kind of "fire" Mrs. Clinton said targeted her 1996 airport arrival into Bosnia — i.e., nonexistent fire.
But, as Corker put it, there's no reason for "continual press comments." Why bring up the millions of dollars bubbling out of the Middle East and into the Clinton foundation from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Dubai and the United Arab Emirates? No Arab sheikh will give any of that moolah a thought when Secretary of State Clinton comes to call, right?
And just forget about the millions passing into the foundation coffers from, say, Lebanese-Canadian businessman Victor Dahdaleh, now facing a U.S. federal investigation into charges that he helped defraud a Bahrain-government controlled metals company — Bahrain being home of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. And never mind the donations of Gilbert Chagoury, a Lebanese-Nigerian businessman closely tied to former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha. Chagoury, as the Wall Street Journal reported, has donated millions to the Clinton foundation. He also donated to Bill Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign — later helping to arrange a hefty speaking fee for the former president — while members of his family donated thousands of dollars to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Just because this Clintonian sugar daddy has large oil interests in Nigeria, not to mention close ties to Lebanonese religious factions, let there be no "continual press comments" about these and other conflicts of interest. As DeMint put it, "Enough said."
But Senate gag aside, these colossal conflicts of interest Mrs. Clinton carries with her to the State Department won't go away.
Kudos to Sen. David Vitter, Republican of Louisiana, who voted against Mrs. Clinton's nomination due to conflicts posed by her husband's globe-spanning charities. And at least he asked whether and how donations to the Clinton Global Initiative, a breakaway arm of the Clinton foundation not covered by the agreement worked out between the Obama team and the Clinton foundation, will be monitored. In his final allotted moments, he even mentioned extremely troubling donations to the Clinton foundation from Iran-linked terror-tainted interests. But to no avail.
The situation was "unprecedented," said Lugar at hearing's end, adding: "I am hopeful that, as we go through the history of this, that people will not say, well, Senator Lugar, Senator Kerry and others were pressing it. They saw the problems. And we'll get full credit, but that will not be helpful to our foreign policy, to you, to your husband, to the foundation."
Full credit, senator? Full blame, I'd say.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
| BUY DIANA'S LATEST BOOK ... |
|  at a discount. (Sales help fund JWR.) by clicking HERE. |
|
JWR contributor is a columnist for The Washington Times. Comment by clicking here.
Archives
© 2008, Diana West
|
