Bush's Legacy

Speaking in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday, a gutsy Secretary Clinton told it like it is.

With Islamist militants just 60 miles from Islamabad, the capital of nuclear-armed Pakistan, she declared: "[We] cannot underscore [enough] the seriousness of the existential threat posed to the state of Pakistan by the continuing advances."

As you may know, a recent "peace" deal in Pakistan gave control of Swat Valley to pro-Taliban militants who have been imposing their extremist version of sharia there. It appears to be a case of "give them an inch; they take a yard." The leader of the main opposition party said: "The last few days show that gun-carrying Taliban are spreading to more areas and eventually want to capture the whole of Pakistan." Yikes! And Clinton would agree. She said the Pakistani government, in signing the deal, was "basically abdicating to the Taliban and the extremists."

In another bold move, when Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) asked Clinton about former Vice President Dick Cheney's effort to declassify documents he says prove the "success" of harsh interrogation techniques, Madame Secretary had this zinger:

Well, it will not surprise you that I do not consider him a particularly reliable source of information.

Clinton seems to be displaying the controlled and competent essence of her "newly launched" fragrance line, Authorité.

Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images