Hillary: We Can't Give Up on Middle East Peace

Hillary Clinton just finished testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for her confirmation hearing to be secretary of state.
She said that we can't give up on peace in the Middle East. Israel's security needs must be addressed but at the same time, Palestinian aspirations must also be addressed.
She talked about the reduction of nuclear weapons and "smart power," the use of non-military might such as diplomacy and persuasion.
The gravest threat, she said, is weapons of mass destruction getting into the hands of terrorists.
She talked about strengthening ties with Europe, Japan, Canada, our No. 1 trading partner, Mexico, No. 3 trading partner, Latin America, India, China and other Mid-East countries, such as Egypt and Jordan.
She described relations with Russia as "cooperative engagement." The U.S. also needs to seek agreements with Russia to reduce nuclear stockpiles.
At the end of her testimony, she talked about Ann Dunham, Obama's mother, and her work in micro-financing and how important small loans are to developing parts of the world. 
Hillary is expected to be confirmed.
Read more at the Swamp and NYT is live blogging the hearing.
John Kerry wrote a piece for the Boston Globe on the new direction of foreign relations. He emphasized multilateral problem solving, as opposed to Bush's unilateral approach, with strong diplomacy.
Video will be up at C-SPAN.org. I'll post it when it's available.
Here is the upcoming senate confirmation hearings schedule.
Obama's energy pick Steven Chu, and Arne Duncan, education, and a couple of others are scheduled to testify today.

It's Confirmation Time - Solis Today Hillary Tuesday

Here is video of Obama's labor secretary pick, Hilda Solis, getting her turn. Here's the story of how it turned out if you don't want to sit through TWO HOURS.

It seems to me they blabber on too much. They could be more efficient if they were less verbose. 

Unions are excited about Solis. 
On Tuesday, it's Hillary Clinton's turn to be heard for secretary of state. That should be interesting. Arne Duncan, Obama's pick to head up the education department, along with a few others, also go through hearings on Tuesday. Tom Daschle had his turn yesterday. 

Here are the upcoming scheduled hearings from the U.S. Senate Website:

9:30 am
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Hearings to examine the nomination of Hilda L. Solis, to be Secretary of Labor.
SD-430

Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009
9:00 am
Budget
Hearings to examine the nominations of Peter R. Orszag, of Massachusetts, to be Director, and Robert L. Nabors II, of New Jersey, to be Deputy Director, both of the Office of Management and Budget.
SD-608

9:30 am
Foreign Relations
Hearings to examine the nomination of Hillary R. Clinton, to be Secretary of State.
SH-216

10:00 am
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Hearings to examine the nomination of Shaun Donovan, of New York, to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
SD-538

10:00 am
Energy and Natural Resources
Hearings to examine the nomination of Steven Chu, to be Secretary of Energy.
SD-366

10:00 am
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Hearings to examine the nomination of Arne Duncan to be Secretary of Education.
SD-430

Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009
10:00 am
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Hearings to examine the nomination of Thomas J. Vilsack, to be Secretary of Agriculture.
SD-G50

10:00 am
Environment and Public Works
Hearings to examine the nominations of Lisa P. Jackson, to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Nancy Helen Sutley, to be Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality.
SD-406

10:00 am
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Business meeting to consider pending calendar business.
SD-430

10:00 am
Veterans' Affairs
Hearings to examine the nomination of Eric Shinseki, to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
SD-106

2:00 pm
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Hearings to examine the nominations of Peter R. Orszag, of Massachusetts, to be Director, and Robert L. Nabors II, of New Jersey, to be Deputy Director, both of the Office of Management and Budget.
SD-342

Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009
9:30 am
Armed Services
Hearings to examine the nominations of William J. Lynn III, to be Deputy Secretary, Robert F. Hale, to be Under Secretary (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer, Michele Flournoy, to be Under Secretary for Policy, and Jeh Charles Johnson, to be General Counsel, all of the Department of Defense.
SD-106

9:30 am
Energy and Natural Resources
Hearings to examine the nomination of Ken Salazar to be Secretary of the Interior.
SD-366

9:30 am
Foreign Relations
Business meeting to consider the nomination of Hillary R. Clinton, to be Secretary of State; to be followed by a hearing to examine the nomination of Susan E. Rice, to be Representative to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador, and the Representative in the Security Council of the United Nations, and to be Representative to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations during her tenure of service as Representative to the United Nations.
SH-216

9:30 am
Judiciary
Hearings to examine the nomination of Eric H. Holder, to be Attorney General of the United States.
SR-325

10:00 am
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
Hearings to examine the nominations of Mary Schapiro, of New York, to be Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Christina Romer, of California, to be Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, Austan Goolsbee, of Illinois, and Cecilia Rouse, of New Jersey, each to be a Member of the Council of Economic Advisors, and Daniel Tarullo, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
SD-538

10:00 am
Budget
Hearings to examine the debt outlook and its implications for policy.
SD-608

10:00 am
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Hearings to examine the nomination of Janet A. Napolitano, to be Secretary of Homeland Security.
SD-342

10:00 am
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Hearings to examine investing in health information technology (IT), focusing on stimulus for a healthier America.
SD-430

2:30 pm
Indian Affairs
Hearings to examine job creation and economic stimulus in Indian country.
SD-628

Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009
9:30 am
Armed Services
Hearings to examine challenges facing the Department of Defense.