Clinton's hearing is smooth sailing

WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton gave a glimpse of the firm hand in the velvet glove she may employ as a diplomat, charming her way through the mostly gentle questioning of fellow senators at her confirmation hearing but testily deflecting ethics concerns about her husband's international charity work.

Completing a remarkable circle that began with her front-running White House bid upended by a rival now her boss, Clinton sat alone for a job interview before her former Senate colleagues on Tuesday. Her confirmation as secretary of state is not in doubt, and she could be on the job as soon as Barack Obama's first full day in office.

Clinton gave a smooth performance, offering ready, well-prepared answers to questions on crises and trouble spots including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iran, Cuba and Afghanistan. She offered few details about how she and President-elect Obama would handle those problems, except to say that in many cases they would offer a fresh approach after eight years of President George W. Bush.

But she also displayed the brisk, lawyerly persona she often uses to deflect controversy as she dealt with uncomfortable questions raised Tuesday about the international fundraising of her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Several Republican senators raised questions about the scope of an agreement between Bill Clinton's lawyer and Obama transition officials to deal with questions of possible ethics conflicts, and the current New York senator was quick to dismiss them.

"I am very proud to be the president-elect's nominee for secretary of state, and I am very proud of what my husband and the Clinton Foundation and the associated efforts he's undertaken have accomplished, as well," Clinton said.

Citing policy themes familiar from Obama's presidential campaign — and in many cases her own — Clinton said the incoming Democratic administration wants to elevate the role of diplomacy.

"The president-elect and I believe that foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principles and pragmatism, not rigid ideology, on facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice," Clinton said.

That was fine by everyone on the committee, apparently, as was nearly everything else Clinton said about subjects as complex as counterinsurgency strategy in Pakistan and as arcane as the international Law of the Sea.

Clinton's maintained her cool demeanor as she assured Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. that her husband's globe-trotting charity work would not pose even an appearance of conflict with her own world travels as Obama's chief diplomat. But her answers took on a prickly tone as Sen. David Vitter, R-La., bored in with more reservations.

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