Big Day Today

Today was Secretary Clinton's first day on the job. There was a welcome for her at the State Department's main building ("Main State," as we refer to it). Almost 1000 State Department employees attended. The din was unbelieveable; people cheered and applauded as if they were at a rock concert. My A-100 classmate, Felix, and I were the first two people there, and we were both able to shake her hand as she arrived.

One of the things she said that really resonated with me was that U.S. Foreign Policy rests on three things -- diplomacy, development, and defense -- and that the State Department is responsible for two of them. The "best long-term tools" for securing America's future are "robust diplomacy and effective development," she said. She ended by saying:

"I think this is a time of such potential and possibility. I don't get up in the morning just thinking about the threats and the dangers, as real as they are. I also think about what we can do and who we are and what we represent. So I take this office with a real sense of joy and responsibility, commitment and collaboration. And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's get to work."

You can read her full remarks herehttp://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/01/115262.htm
and see some video here http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/01/celebrity-welco.html.