A candid Conversation in Manila with Hillary Clinton
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She came, she chatted away, and generally charmed the packed room of some 100 students and bloggers who were fortunate enough to get invited to A Conversation in Manila" with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday.
With the paintings of National Artist Botong Francisco as a fitting backdrop at the National Museum, Mrs. Clinton candidly answered questions about her family, whats inside her purse, and her brand of smartphone at the informal forum patterned after town hall meetings in her native United States.
But ever the savvy diplomat, she deftly evaded questions about ex-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyos travel predicament or what she thought about President Benigno Aquino IIIs bachelor status, leaving it up to the countrys past and present leaders to sort out their concerns.
On the whole, the forum struck what Mrs. Clinton called her favorite word balance, between tough questions about China and the military posturing in the West Philippine Sea, to solicitations for advice to the youth on the use of social media.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joins around 100 social media personalities, student journalists, and bloggers in 'A Conversation in Manila,' a forum moderated by GMA News anchor Vicky Morales and GMA News Online editor-in-chief Howie Severino. Joe Galvez
Relaxed and very much in her element, Mrs. Clinton clearly enjoyed talking more about lighter stuff in this forum than more weighty policy issues. She lit up when asked about her daughter Chelsea and the fond memories they shared with her mother Dorothy, who p! assed aw ay recently.
But she turned serious when asked about her political plans, telling the audience she was done aspiring for either of Americas top two posts. I will figure out other ways to serve," she mused.
Taking a page from the experience of her husband, former US President Bill Clinton, who has been active in charity work and the lecture circuit, Mrs. Clinton said, He knows that theres life after politics and Im looking forward to testing those waters."
For women who want to enter politics, she spoke at length about expectations and double standards" that come with gender bias, telling them to be prepared for criticisms and all kinds of accusations. Mrs. Clinton also shared former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelts advice for would-be politicians: grow a skin as thick as a rhinoceros" to withstand the brickbats that will come their way.
On her personal preferences, she confessed that her iPod contained mostly music I grew up with... the Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Who, the Doors," and that when it comes to phones, Im a Blackberry person," no doubt to the chagrin of iPhone users. As for her iPad, she reads mostly news sites.
Her candor showed up clearly when she talked about the US immigration system, which she agreed was broken," as the Pulitzer prize-winning Filipino journalist Jose Antonio Vargas put it in a question via Skype.
I think of America as an idea as much as a place," she reflected, adding that one of the difficulties that the nation of immigrants faces is the huge number of people who want to enter the country, compared to other nations where people want to leave their native land.
Mrs. Clintons comment on overseas Filipino workers also struck a chord with many viewers: I always find it a little bit sad that so many of your people have to leave the country to find work."
CONTINUE READING FROM ORIGINAL[SOURCE! ]Information Courtesy of GMA News
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