State Department Backs Off Claim Clinton Lost Her Cool Due to Mistranslation
By MARTHA RADDATZ and KIRIT RADIA
Aug. 11, 2009
The State Department today suggested there is more to the story of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's curt response Monday to a Congolese student who seemed to ask her to give her husband's opinion on a local issue.
Secretary of State Clinton gets irked when a student asks her what Bill thinks.On Monday, at a town hall in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a Congolese student asked the secretary and former NBA basketball player Dikembe Mutombo a question through an English translator.
"We've all heard about the Chinese contracts in this county, the interferences from the World Bank against this contract. What does Mr. Clinton think, through the mouth of Mrs. Clinton, and what does Mr. Mutombo think on this situation?" the translator said.
Clinton paused nearly nine seconds before responding.
"Wait, you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? My husband is not the secretary of state. I am. So, you ask my opinion, I will tell you my opinion. I'm not going to be channeling my husband," she said sharply.
Watch Video of Hillary Clinton's Response: "I'm Not Channeling My Husband"
Muted clapping and laughter could be heard from the audience, but most students may have likely been confused. It turned out the student had intended to ask about President Obama's opinion, not former President Bill Clinton's.
Clinton spokesman P.J. Crowley was very careful in his comments today, saying he doesn't know exactly what happened, but he suggested that the questioner misspoke instead of the translator, as Clinton aides first suggested on Monday.
Source: http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Politics/story?id=8297962&page=1
P.S. Folks, we can add another Crowley to the list.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiaI2EZ9ubwhttp://
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