Clinton: Pressure on Syria is "unmistakable message"

By: Jillian Hughes
Topics: Foreign Policy ,; Obama Administration

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the increasing international pressure on President Bashar Assad and the Syrian government from the Arab League, Turkey and France "an unmistakable message."

"If they ever didn't hear it... if they doubted that it was directed at them from their own neighborhood, there's no way they can escape that reality," she said.

In an interview with CBS News chief White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell today, Clinton added bluntly, "Assad's going to be gone, it's just a question of time."

O'Donnell spoke to Clinton in Bali, Indonesia, today where she was attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, or ASEAN, alongside the president. The trip marked a pivot to the Asia-Pacific in the Obama administration's foreign policy. (watch at left)

"There was some doubt at the beginning of the Obama administration whether the United States would remain active in the Asia-Pacific region," she said. "[But] as we are winding down the war in Iraq, [and] transitioning in Afghanistan, we are now focused on the opportunities."

Turning to politics, while she was reluctant to comment on the current Republican primary race, she did say, she believes the rhetoric the Republican candidates are using on the campaign trail won't work in practice.

"I think they have such a difficult electorate to appeal to that they're going to say a lot of things that don't particularly stand the test of time or accuracy," she said.

On her own desire to seek the office in the future, Clinton said, as far as she's concerned, a run for president is squarely in the past.

"I had a great run, I was very grateful that I could do that," she said, "I felt just really good about the experience, but that was then and this is now and I'm looking forward."

Obama schedules Clinton a trip to Myanmar

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by myronfagan November 19, 2011 5:28 PM EST

How more TYRANNICAL can one be than to attack a small country under the pretext of humanitarian, and then destroy the infrastructure, slaughter thousands, and terrorize the civilians with daily bombing raids for months, causing suffering. This pattern of Libya, Syrian is the worse kind of dictatorship of lying in the media. Assad is not killing civilians; he is putting down a revolution just as ANY leader would have to do.
Assad is gone.(hillary) Hillary is gone. (voters)

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by catdayz100 November 19, 2011 7:25 PM EST: It's good to see an awaking in the minds of everyday US citizens knowing this truth and commenting on it.
These invasions of "unprotected" foreign countries from US, UK, France, etc. [must] stop. What kind of evil, greedy, immoral, unscrupulous, unethical terrorist Govt. has the United States of America become? to go in and bombard to steal another's land! Murdering thousands of innocent people is a cardinal sin and this cannot go on to be tolerated. Where is the court of international law to stop the US and others from doing? and the lies being told of Iran too, it's got to stop.
The British are lined up to make big money to rebuild what they helped to destroy in Libya which was pre-meditated just for that. The people don't have their leader Gaddafi who gave them all that they needed to live a good life and they were happy until we came along and took it away and murdered their leader.
Hillary is the coldest woman in the world, her reaction to Gaddafi being murdered was horrifying to watch and she will go to hell. I am not a proud American, no, not anymore.


by LoadedAndDangerous November 19, 2011 7:28 AM EST: Hillary, see a doctor, you don't look well. I'm a Republican and I really do care about you, really?; Reply to this comment


by Anotheryahoo November 18, 2011 9:43 PM EST: Dictators Tyrants and Autocrats understand only one thing about giving up power, that is they will give up their power when they are dead. sad but true. Murdering Assad will need to meet the same fate as Saddam or Gaddafi or others.; Reply to this comment


by LCCLYDE November 18, 2011 5:39 PM EST: Anyone with a little sense could see Libya and Kadafi were pushovers.No one was going to side with him.Washington is using a measured good sense apprroach to Assad.Eventually his own people will depose him.There is no need to rush in half ass like G.W.Bush and Co.did in Iraq.The Arab Spring is not over yet.Iran has a large population of people that will ,in time, take down the Mullahs also But all the West has to do is support those who cry for freedom.No need to Bomb every situation out of ignorant aranoia.; Reply to this comment


by ch47fe November 18, 2011 3:33 PM EST: ole ballless barry wont do anything about Syria....heck....thats where all his anti-american friends are at...; Reply to this comment