MONROVIA, Liberia U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton offered strong support Thursday for embattled Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and held up herself and President Barack Obama as models of political fence-mending. A ceremonial horn sounded inside the Liberian parliament to mark Clinton’s address, in which she urged lawmakers there to overcome long-standing animosities.
"I’ve won elections and I’ve lost elections," Clinton said, referring to her Senate wins and her hard loss to Obama in the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination contest. "There is no guarantee you are going to win. I spent two years and a lot of money running against President Obama and he won. "And then I went to work to elect him and then, to my amazement, he asked me to be his secretary of state." She said audiences around the world have repeatedly asked why she accepted the post. "Because we both love our country," she said, prompting a standing ovation from the Liberian lawmakers.
Earlier, Clinton pointedly avoided commenting on her stinging response this week to a question about her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Clinton had reacted angrily Tuesday when a Congolese student asked for her husband’s opinion about an international economic issue, snapping: "I’m not going to channel my husband."
Asked about that during a news conference in Monrovia, Clinton ignored the question and referred instead to an approving headline in a Liberian newspaper. Holding up the front page of a local tabloid, The Analyst, Clinton pointed to a smiling photograph of herself and to the headline, "Hillary Arrives, Liberia Glees."
