Hillary Clinton stirs the pot on Afghanistan, abortion and the Arctic

[CHIMO]

Source: The Star

OTTAWA – Hillary Clinton was openly critical of Canada’s organization of an Arctic meeting, skipped a news conference on the topic with Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon and then went on national television to appeal to Canadians to stay in Afghanistan.

After all that, Canadian officials might have been excused if they woke up Tuesday wondering what the U.S. Secretary of State might do for an encore on the second day of her Canadian visit.

Turns out she had one more pot to stir, telling a Gatineau meeting of G8 foreign ministers that any initiative to improve maternal health – Ottawa’s signature global project this year – must include abortions, an option the Conservative government has tried to avoid.w

“You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health and reproductive health includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortions,” Clinton said Tuesday.




Read more: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/787841--hillary-clinton-stirs-the-pot-on-afghanistan-abortion-and-the-arctic?bn=1

[katandmoon]

1. Oh, the irony.

[uberblonde]

2. Yep.

Too bad she didn't give that speech here!

[Metric System]

3. The majority of comments on the Globe and Mail website are supportive of Hillary's words.

[DCKit]

4. She's brilliant. n/t

[troubledamerican]

9. "He SAYS he's not a Muslim"

[Vattel]

14. "Of course, he's not a Muslim"

[troubledamerican]

17. "... as far as I know" : link

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/03/hillary-obama-not-muslim-_n_89546.html

[chollybocker]

5. Nice smackdown of Harper and his Reform Party

aka, 'Progressive Conservative Party,' LOL.

Finally, someone is doing Ignatief's work for him.

[Oregone]

7. Except for the whole Afghan thing

[Control-Z]

6. Please, please, please

repeat that:

'“You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health and reproductive health includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortions,” Clinton said Tuesday.'

Tell it to the US.

[Heywood J]

8. Uh, as well-intentioned as this may be, I can't help but think

about specks, eyes, and beams. The US may wish to work towards making family planning accessible and fully legal first. After all, the HCR bill only narrowly avoided another Stupak amendment. Also, when working with your allies, going over the government's head in an effort to change public policy is generally frowned upon. Especially when what she's agitating for is grossly unpopular (Afghanistan).

Imagine if Gordon Brown, Nicolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel, or Kevin Rudd came to the US, insulted and blew off their hosts, then urged the American people to stay in Iraq, funnel more resources into a bottomless pit, and endure more dead troops.

[Shining Jack]

10. Well said.

:thumbsup:

[Metric System]

13. Um, actually David Miliband was in Canada today and echoed the US's plea to Canada.

[karynnj]

15. To the Canadian government or over their heads to the Canadian people? nt

[Metric System]

18. To the Canadian people. He was interviewed on CTV's Power Play, the same show Hillary was on the day

before. I'm not sure what the hand-wringing here is about. The Canadian press seems to like the straight talk and openness. It's quite a departure from the Harper government.

Link to Miliband:

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100330/afghanistan_2011_100330/20100330/?hub=TorontoNewHome

[X_Digger]

11. When does she get to the "B" topics? n/t

[Beacool]

12. Good for her!!!!!

“You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health and reproductive health includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortions,” Clinton said Tuesday.

“I do not think governments should be involved in making these decisions. It is perfectly legitimate for people to hold their own personal views based on conscience, religion or any other basis. But I’ve always believed that the government should not intervene in decisions of such intimacy,” she said.


:applause:

[optimator]

16. no access to abortions for american women

except for rich whites........