Foreign Affairs
“There is a need to coordinate better the reactions of all of the nations and organizations involved in policing the coastline off of Somalia.”
- Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, CNN.com, Apr. 21, 2009. Clinton made this statement after a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen. Clinton believes releasing the pirates is “sending the wrong signal.”
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/20/clinton.pirates/index.html
“Israel is the most cruel and repressive racist regime.”
- Iran’s President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of Iran, Raleigh News & Observer, Apr. 21, 2009. Ahmadinejad spoke at the U.N. Conference causing dozens of western diplomats to walk out. The United States has denounced the remarks as hateful which raised tensions as Obama seeks to continue talks with Iran on nuclear programs and issues.
http://www.newsobserver.com/nation_world/story/1494019.html
“The world out there, both our friends and foes, will be quick to take advantage … I don’t think we have much to apologize for.”
- Dick Cheney, former Vice President, The Huffington Post, Apr. 20, 2009. Cheney discussed President Obama’s overseas trips and considers them ineffective.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/20/cheney-slams-obama-again_n_189268.html
“How do you mend relationships with someone who actively hates your country …?”
- Newt Gingrich, Former House Speaker, The Huffington Post, Apr. 20, 2009. Gingrich expressed his concern about President Obama’s friendly meeting with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/20/gingrich-slams-obama-over_n_188980.html
“I am gravely concerned with her safety and well-being…and we want to make sure that we end up seeing proper disposition of this case.”
- President Barack Obama, CNN.com, Apr. 20, 2009. Obama called Sunday for the release of a U.S. journalist convicted of espionage in Iran.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/04/19/iran.us.journalist/index.html
“One of the benefits of my campaign and how I’ve been trying to operate as president, I don’t worry about the politics. I try to figure out what’s right in terms of American interest, and on this one I think I’m right.”
- President Barack Obama, CNN.com, Apr. 20, 2009. Obama commented on shaking hands with Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/20/obama.chavez/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
“This is a person who is one of the most anti-American leaders in the entire world. He is a brutal dictator, and human rights violations are very, very prevalent in Venezuela. And you have to be careful.”
- Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), CNN.com, Apr. 20, 2009. Ensign responded to Obama shaking hands with Chavez.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/20/obama.chavez/index.html#cnnSTCText
“If you look at what this really comprises, if you look at the documents that have been made public, it says ‘top secret’ at the top. The definition of top secret is information which, if revealed, would cause grave harm to U.S. security.”
- Gen. Michael Hayden , former CIA Director, CNN.com, Apr. 19, 2009. Hayden responded to the release of four Bush administration memos that stated that interrogation tactics such as waterboarding, sleep deprivation and slapping did not violate laws against torture.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/20/obama.cia/index.html?iref=24hours
“I do think that our enemies — the Taliban and Al Qaeda — knew that we were torturing, and it was a great recruitment tool for those who want to do harm to our country. We have removed that recruitment tool, and this president has shown his commitment to going after the enemy by what he is doing in Afghanistan right now.”
- Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), FOX News Sunday with Chris Wallace, Apr. 19, 2009. Sen. McCaskill defended Pres. Obama’s decision to release memos which detailed Bush-era torture tactics.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517159,00.html
“I thought it was one of Chavez’s books. I was going to give him one of mine.”
- President Barack Obama, TVNZ, Apr. 19, 2009. Obama responded to Chavez presenting him with “The Open Veins of Latin America” a book written by notable left-wing writer Eduardo Galeano. Upon his acceptance of the book, Chavez said to Obama (in English) ‘I want to be your friend.’
http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/obama-wins-praise-summit-2654955
“We have decided to kill U.S. and French sailors if they happen to be among our future hostages.”
- Abdullahi Ahmed, member of Somalian pirate group, CNN.com, Apr. 13, 2009. Ahmed responded to the US Navy’s rescue of Captain Richard Phillips and killing of his three pirate captors.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/13/somalia.pirates.revenge/index.html
“This is a cautious first step by a president whose political advisers are looking at the Florida electoral vote, and who are not looking at this as a matter of foreign policy. That’s the big problem with Cuba policy. We have a policy toward Miami and not toward Havana.”
- Julia Sweig, director of Latin studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Associated Press, Apr. 13, 2009. Sweig commented on Obama’s decision to ease restrictions on travel to Cuba as well as restrictions on transferring money to the country.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090413/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_cuba
“The French and the Americans will regret starting this killing. We do not kill, but take only ransom. We shall do something to anyone we see as French or American from now.”
- Hussein, Somali pirate, The Boston Globe, Apr. 12, 2009. One of several Somali pirates who vowed revenge over the shooting of their comrades and the French military assault to rescue a yacht.
“This is a big wake-up to the pirates. It raises the stakes. Now they may be more violent, like the pirates of old.”
- Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Program, The Boston Globe, Apr. 12 2009. Mwangura commented on how the recent rescue of the hostage from the Somali pirates would change the stakes in future pirate attacks.
“Whether it’s Russia or Egypt or China or Zimbabwe, strong advocacy for human rights and democracy will be part of our approach.”
- Susan Rice, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, politico.com, Apr. 4, 2009. Rice discussed her decision to rejoin the troubled U.N. Human Rights Council. Rice called this time one of great optimism for the United Nations with the election of President Obama.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/20881.html
“[It was] caused and encouraged by the irrational behavior of white people with blue eyes, who before the crisis appeared to know everything but are now showing that they know nothing.”
- Luiz Ignacio Lula Da Silvia, president of Brazil, Financial Times, March 27, 2009. The President of Brazil spoke at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae4957e8-1a5f-11de-9f91-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1