I'm sorry this will be a very short diary as Hillary's testimony is still in session right now.

I am watching SOS Hillary Clinton's testimony to the House Foreign Affairs committee on CNN.com whereupon some Republican congressman (Dana Rohrabacher) asked about the wisdom in releasing the torture memos, and went on to quote Dick Cheney's statement to Fox News that torture works to keep us safe. He continued with Cheney's claim that there are memos that show that torture techniques work. Hillary abruptly cut the congressman saying acerbically:

"It won't surprise you that I don't consider him (Dick Cheney) a particularly reliable source of information ... I believe we ought to get to the bottom of this"

UPDATE:

Ron Paul just now praised the President's new policy of engagement with our foreign adversaries rather than the cowboy posture of the past. Well, well...interesting. Hillary concurred.

UPDATE 2: Just In

Hillary Clinton strongly defended the Obama administration's support for Women's reproductive freedoms.

Hillary Clinton earlier in her testimony had strongly defended Women's access to reproductive freedoms worldwide when Congressman Smith (R-?) carried on and on about Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood) being a Eugenicist and racist. Hillary defended the administration's strong support for women's health, including the work she had done in the Clinton administration to reduce teen pregnancies. She noted that it was quite instructive that during the past eight years, teen pregnancies were on the rise rather than decline.

Just a few moments ago another Republican congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-Nebraska) had to go back to Margaret Sanger stating that

We should not use American Foreign policy to export abortion...it will be seen as neo-colonialism...inst3ad we should turn to Mother Teresa who ...fought abortion by adoption...

Hillary replied:

Congressman, let me say with respect to Margaret Sanger. I admire Thomas Jefferson, but I abhor his slaveholding...I admire Margaret Sanger but I abhor her racism...that is the way we deal with flawed human beings...

She went on to restate her strong support for women's reproductive freedom.

These hearings are very interesting to say the least.

UPDATE 3: HILLARY KNOCKS OUT THE CHAVEZ STUPIDITY!!!

Hillary is making me very very very happy. She just right now knocked away all that silly huffing and puffing about "handshake-gate." She described the book gift-giving incident as a case of Hugo Chavez camera hogging, including the way he deliberately positioned the book cover so that the title would catch the camera lens. She said:

I found it all amusing...President Obama was right; why should we be afraid of shaking somebody's hand...Iran is seeking influence in our hemisphere...we buy their (Venezuela) oil...let's see if we can turn some of this (animosity) around... [laughter]

To another "concerned Republican" about the Hugo Chavez handshake, she just said:

8 years of isolation hasn't worked. We've isolated him (Hugo Chavez), so he's gone elsewhere. He's a sociable guy, so he's found the sorts of friends we don't like. Eight years of isolation hasn't worked so let's try something else.

I tells ya there is no better way to knock out "teh stoopid"

UPDATE 4: SOS HILLARY CLINTON TELLS MIKE PENCE (R-IN) TO STFU

I have never heard a more forceful statement of willingness to serve than i just heard Sec. Clinton just state. Wow, just wow. Mike pence (R-In) went back to the Hugo Chavez well of Republican faux poutrage and tried to trap our SOS but she smacked him right back into the stone age!!!

Pence referred SOS back to her earlier segment that she was amused at Chavez's antics at the OAS summit. he claimed there was something wrong with the "leader of the free world being seen with a socialist...a Castro-wannabe." he then went on to quote HRC's comments during the debates in July 2007 when she said she "did not want to be used for propaganda purposes." he pushed saying;

Isn't it true that the leader of the free world... Isn’t it true that having the President of the United States be seen on the world stage warmly greeting a virulent socialist dictator...Our president was used for propaganda purposes...? ...There is nothing more demoralizing for people fighting for freedom than to see...

SOS Hillary Clinton slowly replied:

Well Mr. Pence, I have lived a long time now. I grew up during the Cold War when we were on hair trigger alert of nuclear war. I remember virulent anti-American communist dictators threatening our country on a regular basis. I remember our presidents meeting with them, shaking their hands and negotiating... ...I have also seen us establish normal relations with Vietnam. I have seen 30 years of normalized relations with China. And I don’t think there is any contradiction between standing strongly for our principles and our values, and the give and take of diplomatic encounter... ...My bottom line is I am here to serve my country, which I have loved since I was a little girl. I support my President because he is committed to doing whatever he can in the time he is given to serve to make this a better more secure safer world. There are different approaches. I respectfully say we spent 8 years trying to isolate Chavez, and what has been the result? I don’t think it’s been in America’s interest. So we are gonna try some different things. I respect your disagreement. We want as bi-partisan a foreign policy as possible.......constructive criticism. We want your feedback. But President Obama WON the election. He beat me in a primary in which he put forth a different approach. And he is NOW our President, and we ALL want our President to succeed...

'Nuff said!!!!!!!

***LATE VIDEO UPDATE****



FINAL UPDATE

1:25 PM EST Phew!!! Finally the hearings are over.

Madam Secretary you did us ALL Proud. Thank you thank you. You put an exclamation point on the administration's foreign policy and you taught a few of those congresscritters a thing or two. You showed that Democrats SHOULD NOT back down from our principles. Let Repugs defend their failure. Thank you again.

Now I hope the usually mealy mouthed Democratic congress members will take a page out of our Secretary of State's book of how to TALK back at Republican obstructionists.