Clinton Trip To Saudi Arabia Announced Via Twitter

WASHINGTON — In a first for U.S. diplomacy, the State Department has used Twitter to announce an upcoming overseas trip by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Followers of the department's "Dipnote" Twitter feed were the first to get official word of Clinton's Feb. 13-16 trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia shortly before 1:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday. That was well before the formal announcement, which was not expected until later Tuesday.

Aides to Clinton said it was the first time the State Department has announced a secretary of state's travel plans through Twitter.

Comments

[Lutfi]

10:22 AM on 02/10/2010

I welcome her visit to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and she should speak with all the Women leaders that are in those country, whether they are Government or Business and welcome there idea on solving problem on both side of the world.

[T-Faz]

05:32 AM on 02/10/2010

Better get the burka out from the closet. Better yet send Palin to Arabia.

[Lauteur Calme]

01:03 AM on 02/10/2010

As a distant observer, it is astonishin­g U.S. tax payers have been fooled into thinking the failure of AIG would have been catastophi­c by underminin­g confidence in the financial system. In essence, this veil of deception allowed a Coup d'etat of the U.S. Government and Treasury by the banking system elite.

It is undeniable that politician­s in Washington D.C. have been bought and sold for years by financial lobbyists in favor of Wall Street's interests at the expense of U.S. tax payers for many generation­s to come.

A most glaring abdication of duty by U.S. politician­s indeed! (i.e.,.Pau­lson, Richard Shelby, Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, Geitner, Bernake, and both the Clinton and Bush Administra­tions, etc...).

One must ask the question who was responsibl­e for supervisin­g and overseeing the behavior of AIG and Wall St. firms while U.S. politician­s basically rolled the dice in providing subsidized housing (i.e., Fannie/Fre­ddie via Clinton's State of the Union Address)?

From the U.S. tax payer viewpoint, the actions of U.S. politician­s and Wall St. are totally indefensib­le and is the apotheosis of utter incompeten­ce, greed, arrogance!

The smell of this egregious behavior by the U.S. permeates from Shanghai to Dubai!

[faith]

12:07 AM on 02/10/2010

Secretary Clinton is going to a nation that practices Wahibism, the strictest form of Islam? Women are not allowed to drive there and no matter what Ms. Clinton wears it will not be modest enough for a nation that enforces burka garb. What a waste. This trip is strictly for show and tell, but why?

The Saudis should be at arms length. I would not trust them as far as I could throw them. They think we are simple. We are foolish if we do not realize that they must want something from us and I doubt it is good. I vote for leaving the middle east to its own resources. And, Qatar of all places, has little respect for anyone not of the House of Saud. What a terrible assignment­. We built their oil rigs, as I understand it, what, fifty years ago? And they sent to us what, the majority of those horrific hijackers 9/11? Leave the Saudis to Bush family. We should keep them at arms length.

[faith]

12:10 AM on 02/10/2010

..and what do you want to bet but the Saudis want to buy U.S. property? I usually give the benefit of the doubt, but not to Saudi Arabia. We need to remain acquaintan­ces and not friends.

[mike72]

08:50 PM on 02/09/2010

Is she going to talk about Informatio­n Freedom Rights?

[Tidyus]

10:20 PM on 02/09/2010

Hopeing she gets informed on how not to roll over again for Israel.

[EuroPreacher]

07:02 PM on 02/09/2010

Are blogs leading the way now? Answer at http://www­.surveymon­key.com/s/­WSGJDX6 please!