Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary Clinton was right on the mark when she said in Morocco, "This is a plan that originated in the Clinton Administration.

Read more: Build a future based on empowering individuals, not ideologies (Fmr. Amb. Gabriel) | In this article: Hillary Clinton, Ideology, United States, Polisario Front, Morocco, and Barack Obama

"The secretary and [Mr Karzai] have a very good relationship, they can speak as politicians and they can talk in terms of not just the policy dimension of things but also the political ramifications," said a senior US official travelling with Mrs Clinton.

Read more: Coaxing Karzai | In this article: Hamid Karzai, Hillary Clinton, Afghanistan, NATO, Washington, US, Barack Obama, and Kabul

"It is critical Obama develops a channel to Karzai where hard messages can go both ways," said Bruce O. Riedel, who helped the administration formulate its initial Afghan policy. "It is time-consuming, but we can't hope to succeed without a political channel that works." Mrs. Clinton "combines the hard-headed strength, the political clout and the human understanding to do it right," said Mr. Riedel, who is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Read more: Clinton Emerges as Key Link to Afghan Leader | In this article: Hamid Karzai, Barack Obama, Afghanistan, White House, C.I.A., Richard C. Holbrooke, Brookings Institution, and Ahmed Wali Karzai

"My friends used to joke about, I think it's Control plus F10 [the computer shortcut that brings up] the word count," says Barbara Feinman Todd, who ghostwrote Hillary Clinton's 1996 best seller, It Takes a Village, among other books. Jenkins, meanwhile, recalls months of pumping out 40 pages a week for Armstrong's memoir. "You're a basket case afterward,"

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"Corruption is a very dangerous enemy of the state," he said, a day after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pressured him to implement meaningful reforms across the government. "Those who spread corruption should be tried and prosecuted."

Read more: Karzai sworn in, offers few specifics on corruption | In this article: Hamid Karzai, Abdullah Abdullah, Kabul, Afghanistan, U.S., Taliban insurgency, Taliban, Al Qaeda, and U.N.

"Mr Karzai and the secretary share the view that over the past year we have not always been the most consistent partners," said the senior official, adding that there were "legitimate questions about how effectively we are helping them to help themselves". Mrs Clinton, who has spoken to Mr Karzai several times about her own experiences as a politician, said: "I've always tried to listen to him to hear what's really on his mind, his concerns, how he views the problems he faces, and then to be responsive but also to offer a perspective that is perhaps useful."

Read more: Coaxing Karzai | In this article: Hamid Karzai, Hillary Clinton, Afghanistan, NATO, Washington, US, Barack Obama, and Kabul

"I have made it clear, as have others, that we would far prefer that the president have people in the cabinet with professional skills, with experience and expertise who can actually do the work that is required," Clinton said. Producing an acceptable cabinet will not be easy, a European diplomat said on condition of anonymity. "He has to reward the people who delivered votes to him, but he is under enormous pressure from the international community to put the people they want into positions of power,"

Read more: Finding decent cabinet is Karzai's big challenge | In this article: Hamid Karzai, Hillary Clinton, United States, NATO, Taliban, Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Washington, Opium, and European Union

Clinton said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. that American officials monitoring U.S. aid would undertake a "very rigorous analysis of who we can really count on to spend that money the way we intend it to be spent. "

Read more: Karzai sworn in for second term - Fri, 20 Nov 2009 PST | In this article: Hamid Karzai, United States, Afghanistan, Kabul, Allegation, Afghan army, U.S. Army, and Los Angeles Times

"When I came into the administration, I was one of the few people who had a long-term positive relationship with President Karzai," Mrs. Clinton said in an interview on Thursday, hours after seeing him get sworn in. "I continue to believe he has a tremendous historical opportunity."

Read more: Clinton Emerges as Key Link to Afghan Leader | In this article: Hamid Karzai, Barack Obama, Afghanistan, White House, C.I.A., Richard C. Holbrooke, Brookings Institution, and Ahmed Wali Karzai

"He could have been very vague and talked about how we're all against it and all want to end it, but he was much more specific, and we're going to, along with the people of Afghanistan, watch very carefully to see how that's implemented," said Clinton, who attended Karzai's inauguration. But she said setbacks are inevitable. "We are under no illusions about the difficulties of this mission,"

Read more: Afghan president promises stability | In this article: Hamid Karzai, U.S., Suicide, Taliban insurgency, Bela Lugosi, and NATO