"Tongue-tied Clinton gets warm EU welcome" Also, "Obama to visit Europe at the end of the month"

[ProSense]

Tongue-tied Clinton gets warm EU welcome

Fri Mar 6, 2009 2:16pm

By David Brunnstrom

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton raised eyebrows on her first visit to Europe as secretary of state when she mispronounced her EU counterparts' names and claimed U.S. democracy was older than Europe's.

Clinton has set herself a grueling pace on visits to Egypt, Israel and Brussels soon after touring the Far East, attending dozens of meetings and giving speech after speech, with little time worked into her schedule for sleep.

Tiredness appeared to show Friday when she answered questions in front of 500 young Europeans at the European Parliament, where she was the highest-ranking U.S. visitor since the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1985.

A veteran politician, Clinton compared the complex European political environment to that of the two-party U.S. system, before adding:

"I have never understood multiparty democracy.

"It is hard enough with two parties to come to any resolution, and I say this very respectfully, because I feel the same way about our own democracy, which has been around a lot longer than European democracy."

The remark provoked much headshaking in the parliament of a bloc that likes to trace back its democratic tradition thousands of years to the days of classical Greece.

One working lunch later with EU leaders, Clinton raised more eyebrows when she referred to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who stood beside her, as "High Representative Solano."

She also dubbed European Commission External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner as "Benito."

Still, Clinton has been well received in Brussels, where the Obama administration has been viewed as a breath of fresh air after the unpopular leadership of George W. Bush. His secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, often drew protests on her travels.

Fellow foreign ministers stood and applauded Clinton's presentation at a meeting with NATO counterparts Thursday and extra space had to be set aside for a spillover audience of 800 at the European Parliament.

more

Obama to visit Europe at the end of the month

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are planning to visit Britain, France, Germany and the Czech Republic in their first trip to Europe since the president took office.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the president's itinerary at a news conference following a meeting of NATO foreign ministers Thursday in Brussels. The White House confirmed other details of the trip later in the day.

The trip will be March 31 through April 5.

President Obama will begin in Britain for a G-20 summit on the global financial crisis, to be held in London. He will then take part in a NATO meeting in France and Germany while also meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The president will cap the trip in Prague for a U.S.-European Union conference.

[Robeysays]

1. sweet.

[Sultana]

2. Woohoo, I am in England

:D

[Captain Hilts]

3. "Never waste a good crisis." GREAT line. nt

[napoleon_in_rags]

4. Claiming US to be oldest Democracy isn't a screw up.

Its more of an American Tradition:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,,-80426,00.html
America frequently claims to be but this is because they define democracy so narrowly and in their own image such that on their criteria they're the worlds only democracy and on any other criteria they still aren't and never have been.
Others disagree, as you can see. :) But its not a gaffe.

[depakid]

5. And it should go without saying that America is NOT a democracy

but a Democratic Republic- and, due to arcane rules in the Senate- a rather dysfunctional one where 20% or so the population's represntatives hold veto power over legislation favored by the other 80%

[napoleon_in_rags]

6. Maybe, but its a different conversation.

I'm just noting how hard it must be for these guys to find gaffes after the Bush administration. One mispronounced syllable and a stance on American democracy being "true democracy", which is as old as America itself? C'mon Hillary, you're killing these guys. Give Merkel a massage or something, will ya?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dfrHT8o-0A

[Maccagirl]

10. If she gives Merkel a massage

those lesbian rumors will just resurface.

:shrug:

[Exilednight]

17. That is why we have a representive democracy as opposed to a true democracy ...........

A representative democracy is designed so as to ensure that the majority does not force its will upon the minority. It's a great thing when in the minority, but a shitty thing when you're in the majority. It has also protected most of our most important rights.

Think about this: What would happen if the christian right gathered enough support for a constitutional amendment to repeal the first amendment and establish christianity as the state religion? The only recourse for stopping such a procedure would be to use Senate rules to put it on hold forever.

How arcane are they under those circumstances?

[karynnj]

11. I disagree - its a faux pas because it leads to awkwardness

I can't imagine why she said this. I assume her comments were written with her staff - and someone should have known that this was not the way the Europeans see it. But, at this point it does no harm - as they are hungry to like us again.

[napoleon_in_rags]

12. My only question. Would Rice have said it differently?

I think not, nobody would have even commented if Rice said that, it would be so par for the course for that administration. You may be right, but I just think its a good sign we are at a stage where that comment is actually an issue.

[karynnj]

13. Had Rice said it -

we would be all over it as US centric, but as you state, the media and the rest of the world would take it as the norm and not news worthy.

[ProSense]

18. The media has

a double standard for Democrats.

[CTyankee]

7. Gotta be careful to differences of opinion on "democracy."

Her staff should have consulted with the countries she's talking to about their definition of democracy, before defining it as something we did before they did. It's all a matter of definition and that differs. There are subtle differences, too.

Sigh, it helps to have some state dept. people who have european backgrounds on stuff like this, not just americans who took course in college...

[Beacool]

8. Poor thing, she must be so tired.

Hil must be punchy from lack of sleep. Regardless, she has more stamina than most people half her age, as her staffers can attest.

;)

[karynnj]

14. Agree on the stamina - but I think she is likely fine on sleep

The campaign she waged last year gave her less sleep.

[Beacool]

15. The article says that she hasn't slept much.

One can get punch drunk from lack of sleep. Well, she can sleep this weekend when she comes home.

:D

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

9. We all expected Hillary to make rookie mistakes given her inexperience, but . . .

too many gaffes like these may start opening her up to ridicule.

[Metric System]

16. Fingers crossed!

[cooolandrew]

19. Well, let's just say she was tired and meant the reverse and getting aquainted to names takes time >

for most state officials. Also SoS Hillary Clinton has mentioned several times in the past America is a young democracy, so it's very likely a a mis-speak. The world has embraced Hillary and that's the best anyone could ask for. I remember reading in her bio that she was very tentative to remembering people's birthday's so she'll soon have it 'em memorized I'd imainge.