It's official! The Republicans have embarrassed the United States in front of the whole world - again. While we all know that because of the Internet(s), the 24-hour news cycle, You Tube sound bites, Twitter, Facebook and the like that it only takes seconds for information to circulate around the world, those realities are brought home more emphatically when they are delivered to us in a stunning message from our Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
Our Secretary of State testified before a congressional committee, and reported that the political battles in the United States are hurting President's foreign policy goals and damaging America's image abroad. She said that the disagreements between the White House and Congress have led to hold-ups of keys positions in appointing individuals to critical positions, including those with key foreign policy and international assistance responsibilities. Friends and allies of the United States have become confused.
Specifically, Hillary Clinton told the Sentate Appropriations Committee that
"We're now more than a year into a new administration and whether you agree or disagree with a particular policy, a president deserves to have the people that he nominates serving him."
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Hillary Clinton also responded to questions from Arlen Specter that delays and holds placed on the nominations of several ambassadorial and senior State Department positions had been problematic. She went on to say
"It became harder and harder to explain to countries, particularly countries of significance, why we had nobody in position for them to interact with."
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Our Secretary of State has reported that foreign governments have trouble understanding the way the U.S. process works when situations like that arise.
"People don't understand the way our system operates, they just don't get it," she said. "And their view does color whether the United States ... is in a position going forward to demonstrate the kind of unity and strength and effectiveness that I think we have to in this very complex and dangerous world."
What an embarrassment this is to the United States, the Administration and our citizens after all of the work that President Obama continues to put forth in attempting to restore our standing in the world.
As much as the Republican obstructionism fumes me, it is good that the entire world sees them for exactly who they are - corrupt obstructionists. Compared to the President, the Republicans look like the jaded crooks and racists that they are. In fact, the complete opposite of a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
There, I said it.