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Hillary Arrives in Haiti

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 02:05:54 PM EST
Tags: Haiti, Hillary Clinton (all tags)
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Hillary Clinton has arrived in Haiti. It's not clear if she's going to speak right away. More here.

20,000 bodies have been recovered so far, according to the Haitian Government. The medical situation remains dismal.

Update: MSNBC says she will be speaking at the airport (where she will be for four hours) and it will air her remarks live. Her plane brought supplies and will bring about 50 Americans home. She is the most senior U.S. official to visit Haiti since the earthquake.

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    Hillary Arrives in Haiti | 19 comments (19 topical)

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    A sidebar about security, aid and disaster relief (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by Ellie on Sun Jan 17, 2010 at 10:46:33 AM EST
    Well known, far-reaching and experienced NGOs (like the Red Cross and MSF/Doctors without Borders) have the experience and means to provide security with their aid. They minimize the risks for the workers and recipients of aid that otherwise would be prey to the inevitable opportunistic criminals, like kidnappers and strife-lords stealing supplies for re-sale to the desperate.

    SoS Clinton's appearance at the airport saves time, money and most importantly, lives, by providing safe passage for Americans out of Haiti.

    UN Sec'y Ban Ki-Moon summed it up better here. Note that key UN personnel in Haiti, including the acting Police Commissioner, were among the appalling death toll.

    GWB's admins turned the US State Dept and other liaisons (eg FEMA) for aid into a dumping ground for cronies (recall Katrina/NOLA for how that continues to play out).

    I'm glad to see GWB working with fmr Pres. Clinton and SoS Clinton on this.

    why, exactly? (2.25 / 8) (#1)
    by diogenes on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 03:31:52 PM EST
    Hillary has to be fed and guarded; I don't think that she is such a figure of hope to the Haitian people that her photo-op is worth the resources it is taking up.  The only person in the US political system whose immediate presence in Haiti would electrify the people enough to be worth the resource expenditure is Barack Obama...and he is in Massachusetts campaigning for Martha Coakley.

    Wow. (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by nycstray on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 03:38:14 PM EST
    Forget your CDS meds today?

    Parent
    who are you directing that to? (none / 0) (#4)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 03:44:09 PM EST


    Parent
    Not you! (none / 0) (#5)
    by nycstray on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 03:51:14 PM EST
    but feel free to delete.

    I just thought D's remark was off base, and not in an uninformed way . . .

    Parent

    Doesn't the "Parent" button answer ... (none / 0) (#7)
    by cymro on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 04:09:51 PM EST
    ... your question -- for any comment? The "parent" link is the direct result of initiating a comment by clicking on the "Reply" button.

    I don't understand how you can perceive any ambiguity regarding this, especially when you helped to design the blog in the first place.

    Parent

    The parent link isn't present in all views (none / 0) (#10)
    by Manuel on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 05:22:00 PM EST
    If you want to see all comments in order of arival a flat view without parents is best.  I usually stick to the tree view since thankfully I don't have to see all comments.

    Parent
    While I disagree with the OC (none / 0) (#20)
    by Socraticsilence on Sun Jan 17, 2010 at 02:57:49 PM EST
    I think they do have a point, given the entourage of a SOS, is it really worth it- I mean its' been noted that the airports are horrible right now and this will tie them up like Bush in NO post-Katrina.

    Parent
    Read up on the reasons she is there (5.00 / 10) (#6)
    by Cream City on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 04:03:26 PM EST
    as Secretary of State (not just as a longtime visitor to Haiti since her honeymoon decades ago).

    Are you reading up to know that even Obama could not reach the president of Haiti for three days?  That only yesterday were the Haitian officials finally willing to yield control of the damaged airport, after its staff was so overwhelmed that  aid could not be landed for hours, so that the U.S. could straighten it out (as it has done today).

    I have read in several sources that the power plays for control and the difficulties of communication are the reasons that it was decided that the Secretary of State would go there in person to get agreement from the Haitian president and others for better cooperation and coordination of relief.  And the reason that she is going no farther than the airport -- where the Haitian president has been since the collapse of the palace, parliament, etc. -- is exactly because of the security needs, to minimize those, much as Clinton may wish to go beyond the tarmac.

    Jeesh, read up and then react.  This is not esoteric information difficult to find, if you really do care about the Haitian situation.  Or maybe you had some other motivation here?

    Parent

    You guessed it (5.00 / 1) (#8)
    by christinep on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 04:18:22 PM EST
    Sometimes, as you suggest CC, the real motivations and agenda are hard to hide.

    Parent
    Oh, and she is bringing home (5.00 / 5) (#9)
    by Cream City on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 04:25:29 PM EST
    many Americans on her plane back, so that tourists don't keep using those resources you note and to reduce the number of charter flights being hired by companies, colleges, etc., to do so that also use up precious space at the small airport.  Of course, there will be room for those Americans on the plane, because it was filled with supplies for Haitians as well as U.S. officials who do have to stay there, so as to also reduce reliance on the resources of the island.

    Maybe we ought to bring all those U.S. officials home, and not send any more or military either, since they all are going to need the resources there.  That's where your logic takes you. . . .

    Parent

    WTF? You don't care (none / 0) (#12)
    by Cream City on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 06:43:29 PM EST
    about what's happening in Haiti, about how we can speed the relief to the people, and save lives?

    Explain, please, your inhumane attitude.  This is the first I've seen of an anti-Haiti contingent.

    Parent

    I think it was (none / 0) (#13)
    by ZtoA on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 09:38:01 PM EST
    snark. At least seemed like it. (btw, CC, I ALWAYS LOVE whatever you write - you are a hero to me)

    Parent
    oops (none / 0) (#14)
    by ZtoA on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 09:39:31 PM EST
    I guess yours was snark on top of snark. Sorry, what can I say? Sat nite and i'm working way way to late.

    Parent
    Awww. But no, mine was not snark (none / 0) (#15)
    by Cream City on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 09:55:32 PM EST
    nor, from his history here, do I suspect that Dark Avenger was snarking.  If I'm wrong on that, he can say so.

    (But you made my day . . . as did hearing that one of my grad students is having her first good day in several days -- her baby brother was trapped for two and a half days in Haiti, in a hotel elevator, but was found at last, and alive. Now we still await word on so many other relatives of others we know.  This tragedy affects so many everywhere.)

    Parent

    Okay. (none / 0) (#17)
    by Cream City on Sun Jan 17, 2010 at 10:31:18 AM EST
    Then forgive my reaction at the imputation that I am likely to be like the media in being more interested in interested in what she wore than in what she does -- or more interested in Hillary than in Haitians and what the heck is happening there, or not happening, to alleviate their suffering.

    Btw, to those who saw my earlier comments about my Haitian friend here trying to find family there who lived only a block from the palace, there still is no word about nine of them.  And my friend copes with his fears, I fear that he still has not slept for five days now.  It is all so horrifying.

    Parent

    you're wrong (4.42 / 7) (#2)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Jan 16, 2010 at 03:38:02 PM EST
    She and Bill have a long history with Haiti. It's great that she went personally.

    Parent
    "long history with Haiti" (4.00 / 1) (#19)
    by Andreas on Sun Jan 17, 2010 at 12:49:23 PM EST
    Yes, Hillary and William Clinton have a long history with Haiti. It is well known that they spent their honeymoon there while the dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier and the "Tonton Macoutes" death squads were in power - which were supported by US imperialism.

    Parent
    And let's blame Obama (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by Cream City on Sun Jan 17, 2010 at 03:12:06 PM EST
    for the cruelties in recent decade in Pakistan, since he went there once, too.

    Parent
    Hillary Arrives in Haiti | 19 comments (19 topical)

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