Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to spend her last day at Foggy Bottom Friday, as her designated replacement Sen. John Kerry is due to be sworn in by Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena Kagan that afternoon.
But before she departs, I wanted to take a look back at her first day, January 22, 2009 when she strode into the State Department to applause from employees wearing one of her famous pants suits.
What Clinton may be best remembered for will be her efforts to increase the influence of the agency, to restore its role in the federal government.
And Clinton, in her remarks to the crowd, clearly signaled her intent to elevate State.
There are three legs to the stool of American foreign policy: defense, diplomacy, and development. And we are responsible for two of the three legs. And we will make clear, as we go forward, that diplomacy and development are essential tools in achieving the long-term objectives of the United States. And I will do all that I can, working with you, to make it abundantly clear that robust diplomacy and effective development are the best long-term tools for securing America’s future.
Although the personal relationships that drove the reforms that supported her view will no longer be in place, those at State have voiced optimism that a culture change has occurred in the interagency dialogue. We’ll know soon if the introduction of Kerry changes that.
