Hillary to India: Don't Err on Climate

Cites Mistakes Made by U.S. in Carbon Emissions; Expresses Solidarity with Victims of Mumbai Terror Attack

(AP)  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton opened a three-day visit to India on Saturday by urging India not to repeat American mistakes in contributing to global pollution, and she passionately defended U.S. demands for help in fighting terrorism.

"We acknowledge now with President Obama that we have made mistakes in the United States, and we along with other developed countries have contributed most significantly to the problem that we face with climate change," she said. "We are hoping a great country like India will not make the same mistakes."

She was referring to Mr. Obama's statement in Italy earlier this month that the U.S. had "sometimes fallen short" of its responsibilities in controlling its carbon emissions.

Speaking at a news conference on the poolside patio of the Taj Mahal Palace & Hotel, which was strewn with bodies after terrorists attacked this coastal city last November, she cast India and the United States as allies in the fight against terrorism.

"Yesterday's bombings in Jakarta, Indonesia, provide a painful reminder that the threat of such violent extremism is still very real. It is global. It is ruthless. It is nihilistic and it must be stopped," she said.

"We have a great sense of solidarity and sympathy, having gone through what we did on 9/11," she added.

Her voice rising, Clinton insisted that the U.S. demand for international action against terrorist should not be taken lightly.

"We know how important (it is). We are fighting wars to end the threat of terrorism against us, our friends and allies around the world." She said India can choose its own way of contributing but must be part of a broader effort to defeat the threat.

"We expect everyone" who shares the U.S. goal of a more stable world "to take strong action to prevent terrorism from taking root on their soil and making sure that terrorists are not trained and deployed" from their territory to carry out attacks elsewhere, she added.

Earlier, Clinton attended a ceremony commemorating the Mumbai attack, which killed 166 and raised tensions between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan. At the event were five staffers from the Oberoi Hotel and 10 from the Taj, including general manager Karambir Kang, who lost his wife and two children during the three-day siege.

The event was closed to reporters.

In a memorial book she wrote: "Americans share a solidarity with this city and nation. Both our people have experienced the senseless and searing effects of violent extremism. And both can be grateful and proud of the heroism of brave men and women whose courage saved lives and prevented greater harm on 26/11 and 9/11. Now it is up to all nations and people who seek peace and progress to work together. Let us rid the world of hatred and extremism that produces such nihilistic violence."

She also met with 11 Indian business leaders, including Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, the largest privately held company in India.

Echoing remarks made by Ambani at the meeting, Clinton said that India should leapfrog the developed world to come up with its own innovative way to encourage environmentally friendly growth.

"Just as India went from a few years ago having very few mobile phones to now having more than 500 million mostly cell phones by leapfrogging over the infrastructure we built for telephone service, we believe India is innovative and entrepreneurial enough to figure out how to deal with climate change while continuing to lift people out of poverty and develop at a rapid rate," she said.

Seeking to assuage Indian concerns that the U.S. pressured India into making concessions to Pakistan despite that nation's failure to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack, Clinton emphasized that the U.S. respects India's sovereign right to make its own decisions.

"Discussion between India and Pakistan is between India and Pakistan," she said.

The visit marked a return to the world stage for Clinton, who has been slowed since mid-June by an arm injury that forced her to cancel plans to attend international meetings in Italy and Greece last month and to accompany President Barack Obama on his visit to Russia earlier this month.

Clinton is scheduled to hold talks Sunday and Monday in New Delhi with Indian government officials on a wide range of issues, including nuclear nonproliferation, strengthening trade ties and combating climate change. She is to attend talks in Thailand later in the week with representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

What a bunch of doom and gloom nay sayer?s most of you are. Whiny little brats. When you people stop pumping CO2 and other things out of your blow holes, then you can speak. Until then get with the solution or get out of the way! All the negativity and "can't do" attitude you have is embarrassing. What are we decrepit? If you don't have something positive to say that's pro America, please leave the country. Thanks!

[pepperwood2]

On the day the new Congress convened this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband's real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms, the Washington Times reported.

Mrs. Feinstein's intervention on behalf of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was unusual: the California Democrat isn't a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with jurisdiction over FDIC; and the agency is supposed to operate from money it raises from bank-paid insurance payments - not direct federal dollars.

Good job Feinstein your Husband now has been awarded a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms. With record foreclosures it didn't take you Libs long to look the other way for the Pot of Gold. Pretty slick trick to pull on The American People.

[ubrew12]

Our Congresspersons have sold out?? Say it ain't so!

[tom10mac]

When will Clinton and Obama realize that this nation is fed up with their apology tour. Not only are Americans sick of it, other countries around the world are either laughing at these two clowns or looking for them to step up and be leaders. American exceptionalism is still a closely held value by the majority of this country. We are waiting for new leaders to wear this mantle.

[ubrew12]

I think American exceptionalism died with Bush. When people around the world saw him actually get RE-elected, they knew America, as they had once known and feared it, was dead. Because that was the American people saying 'No, we actually meant it the first time.' In case you haven't noticed, thanks to Bush America is seriously broke, and roundly and deservedly blamed for the financial firestorm that's taken banks out around the world. Bush didn't just double the national debt before handing things off the Obama (and wouldn't that extra $5.5 trillion come in handy right about now, when things really ARE falling apart), he handed Obama an economy in economic freefall. He literally looked the other way, and bade his regulators to do the same, as WallStreet drove the economy off a cliff.

Now Obama is busy repairing frayed alliances, and agreeing with the worst assessments of the U.S. by our suddenly emboldened trading partners (some of whom we owe enormous amounts of money to), and HES THE PROBLEM? No. YOU are the problem, for voting Bush not once but twice.

[iam4honesty]

The scientific community has been sounding the alarm about global warming for decades. The Artic ice cap is melting, actual pictures and data are available. Yet, the few remaining followers of the neocon movement deny, deny, deny.

Whatever you do, wingnuts, don't let the facts get in the way. If you begin to think that maybe all the scientists might be right... hurry and tune in Rush.

[ubrew12]

China and India will follow where we lead. If we fail to lead, they will take the cue, and follow our lead also, toward a dark future if you ask me.

[ubrew12]

China and India will follow where we lead. If we fail to lead, they will take the cue, and follow our lead also, toward a dark future if you ask me.

[pepperwood2]

I guess Hilary wasn't content to alienate N.Korea & Iran the last time she visited Asia. Now this smart SOS, puppet on a string, is showing her true GW agenda. Threatening India, Pakistan & China with this phony GW scenario.

Guess its time again for N.Korea to lauch a few more missiles. China to threaten to replace the dollar & Iran to terrorize its people.

It would be great to see what would happen to this GW agenda if all the people & countries would just cut back on their spending & usage of consumable goods. Slow down or stop buying building materials, automobiles, borrowing from the outlaw lending banks, & mortgage companies. After all they say they are counting on we the people to borrow, spend & charge up our personal debt to bail out this world wide economy that's they put into recession. Does that make any sense? Sometimes the best buys or deals are the ones we don't make.

This hypocritical GW crowd has no problem with Obama destroying our land & wildlife enviroment to build, of all things, more highways. Destroying our forests to build more homes. Poluting our waterways with pharmaceutical wastes. Money talks, it don't sing and dance & it don't walk. It sad to say but its a joke but its happens to be on us.

[nandrelli]

"We acknowledge now with President Obama that we have made mistakes in the United States..."

Yes, with the election of President 0bama, we have made mistakes for which we will pay for decades, IF the country can ever pull out of the debt that he is handing us.

And as far as global warming goes, there is more and more evidence that the bulk of it is naturally occurring. Meaning that the draconian cuts in energy production will have virtually no impact (the "Cap and Trade" legislation, with its trillions of dollars of expenditures, is predicted to cut only .11 degrees Centigrade by 2100). There are a lot of other things that can and should be done with that money.

[nazdackster]

Even Rajendra Pachauri knows that global warming is a non-issue for India, so I give him credit for recognizing this fact. He does however, as a typical UN hypocrite, see that global warming is an issue for the USA and thinks we should cap our carbon while his country doesn't. Just another bought and paid for IPCC official... Give it up Hilary, there is no measured connection between CO2 and climate, never has been.

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2008/07/26/lawrence-solomon-in-india-growth-trumps-sustainability.aspx

[andylance1]

Hillary broke her elbow by leapfrogging over the truth with India over climate change and Honduras and numerous other garden spots across the globe. Is Hillary a licensed preacher or does just living in the governor's mansion in Arkansas qualify her as a preacher?

Is she Madeleine Albright, Part Deux?
Bad break, Mrs. Clinton.

[tbbaot]

I bet the world loves the message "don't make the same mistakes the USA did". What she is saying in reality is "We don't want you to have your own industrial revolution, just remain poor because it's better for the planet" I'm sure that message is popular.

[saswi]

I am so tired of this whole global (warming) change scam ala Al Gore. Simply a way to gain money and power. It's a sham! The Dem's are a sham and they are going to destroy this country! They are shameless. I'm all for the environment but does anyone really think we can control the climate? That's the stuff from Batman cartoons! The masses are so gullible it is truly scarey. Can anyone trust Hillary.. sure, sure, she was shot at coming off the plane. Remeber that? Nothing but self interest all the way!

[ubrew12]

If you are a conservative Republican, your chance of thinking Global Warming is human caused is 21%. If you are a scientist, any kind of scientist, Republican or otherwise, its 84%.

Clearly, the reason conservative Republicans don't think GW is real is political. Scientists, being scientists, find it much harder to dismiss hard evidence as there is for GW, despite their party affiliation.

http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1550

Note I said scientists', not 'atmospheric scientists', or 'climatologists'. American scientists, in general, think Global Warming is real and human caused by a percentage of 84%. And they think GW is a 'very serious problem' by a percentage of 70%.

Conservative Republicans: As usual, bringing up the rear.

[TryTakingMyMoney]

Yeah...all this nonsense while Obama's message to NAACP is...since you can't take care of yourself...(hold down a job, provide for yourself, provide for your own kids, pay for your education, pay for your own health-care), I'm here to do it for you! WAKE UP AMERICA!

[xlib]

Naw, he's not there to take care of them. We are. That's what we're here for. Work, pay taxes, etc,etc.
As far as I'm concerned what he spots is the worse form of racism. Telling an entire population that they a not capable of doing for themselves.

[govwatch2]

India to Hillary, "go back to school and learn how to study the facts." Plants love CO2, the more there is the faster they grow and use it up. People produce CO2 just by breathing, politicians more than others. Maybe the solution is to tax the politicians more and let the grass grow.

[ubrew12]

We have released the same amount of CO2 in the last 150 years that it took nature 100 million years to fix by natural processes. So yes, plants will be happy, people, not so much. And it'll take 200-600 years to get what we've released out of the atmosphere by natural processes. In the meantime...

[beaumuff]

Don't pick on Mrs. Clintstone, she will be the next democrap canidate to run for president, replacing Pesident Pelosi.

[maghop]

hummm! pelosi is not the president! i canonly believe you'r a lonely repuklicken!! wake up loser!

[nazdackster]

Even Rajendra Pachauri knows that global warming is a non-issue for India, so I give him credit for recognizing this fact. He does however, as a typical UN hypocrite, see that global warming is an issue for the USA and thinks we should cap our carbon while his country doesn't. Just another bought and paid for IPCC official... Give it up Hilary, there is no measured connection between CO2 and climate, never has been.

[edward1975-2009]

The nation we should be talking too is China, with a new coal burning plant coming on-line every few weeks, they will lead the world in emmissions. It is them we need to get the message across too.

[CBSAYArewayOmmiescay]

Hillary nobody on the planet believes that KRAP except the US government using it as a tool to scam more money off Americans...you people need to get a life...you're doing a pickle poor job in Washington...

I think it's time to cut your salaries...and immediately if you push your health care hoax...every person in government needs needs to buy a policy and contribute to your hoax...

I'm not buying your health plan hoax...I am healthy...and should I need health care, I will pay for it myself, tyvm. You can mandate it till the cows come home...what are you going to do throw me in jail like commies do?

[John_Merritt]

Hillary to India: Don't Err on Climate
'Cites Mistakes Made by U.S. in Carbon Emissions; Expresses Solidarity with Victims of Mumbai Terror Attack'

Speaking only on the Climate issue. Last time I looked the US was not a bastian of education when it comes to environmental constraint. We may have changed certain guidelines but we are a far cry from being the example of anything but arrogance in telling the world what they should do. Until we start be the shining example as we preach, we have nothing more than suggestions, recommendations and a helping hand to others.

[edward1975-2009]

We have come to climate dance late. But at least Hilarious is trying to get the message out. Others can learn from our failings.

[xlib]

Don't know where you've been living but I think we have made great strides in environmental constraints. Try looking towards the north the Canada and see the part they play in polluting. I am getting sick and tired of this administration and the constant knocking, bad mouthing and apologizing for us. We are not perfect, nor is any other country but for God's sake, let's try talking about some of the strides we have made.
I am also getting a bit tired at being called arrogant. Do a bit of research and see who is polluting.
We haven"t built a refinery in over 30 years, we can't drill for our own oil, etc.
I refuse to wear the sack cloth and ashes while flogging myself for living in America. Sure we have problems and made mistakes, last I knew we were all human.
Except for the newly elected thug messiah.

[ubrew12]

CarlR609 said: "India has over 70% poverty, millions of homeless and and hungry, yet somehow they're supposed to launch "dirty air" to the top of their priority list?"

Your chance of dying of lung cancer is twice as high in Los Angeles as it is in the rest of the nation. They may have a vested interest in keeping their air clean. Also, if Bangladesh goes underwater (as I think is all but inevitable no matter what anyone does now), where is that 100 million people going to go? India.

[ubrew12]

Venice is going underwater, London is going underwater, southern Florida is going underwater, the Florida Keys is going underwater, Bangladesh is going underwater. No amount of pneumatic jacking is going to prevent that fate. Its a fvckn8 waste. It didn't have to be.

[perceptions5]

For the American people when asked.............."which issue is most important to you?"

......CLIMATE CHANGE comes in dead last.......................

But it's important to our left-ist government and our left-ist MSM wolfpack press.

Which is probably why Obama has reached a NEW low in today's Rasmussen poll.

51% APPROVE
49% DISAPPROVE