•9:00 a.m.  Secretary Clinton meets with Chief Israeli Negotiator Yitzhak Molho, at the Department of State.

See: "Clinton meets Israeli pointman on Mideast deadlock"

•10:00 a.m.  Secretary Clinton meets with the Assistant Secretaries of the Regional Bureaus, at the Department of State.

•10:30 a.m.  Secretary Clinton meets with Save the Children Board Chair Anne Mulcahy, at the Department of State.

•11:00 a.m.  Secretary Clinton holds a bilateral meeting with Albanian Foreign Minister Edmond Haxhinasto, at the Department of State:

Remarks and video are here.

•1:00 p.m.  Secretary Clinton holds a bilateral meeting with Nigerian Foreign Minister Henry Odein Ajumogobia, at the Department of State:

Remarks are here.

•3:00 p.m.  Secretary Clinton delivers remarks at the 2010 Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Mid-Year Conference, at the Department of State.

Remarks are here.

•5:00 p.m.  Secretary Clinton meets with the Department of State's Employee Affinity Groups, at the Department of State.

Today, Sept. 1, is Libya's Revolution Day, the day on which in 1969 Muammar al-Qaddafi launched a military coup and became leader of the North African country. Normally, that's not something the U.S. government would be "congratulating," but Secretary Clinton, America's top diplomat, is reaching out to the people of Libya, stating, "Our governments have not always agreed on every issue, but our people share the dream of a safer world, a better life, and a brighter future for our children."

Here is her complete statement:

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Libya as you mark your National Day on September 1.

Our governments have not always agreed on every issue, but our people share the dream of a safer world, a better life, and a brighter future for our children. The United States is committed to working with Libya to achieve these common goals. Although we have only recently reestablished relations between our countries, I hope these new bonds will endure well into the future. We look forward to strengthening the partnership between our governments even as we work through difficult issues, and we seek always to strengthen the friendship between our peoples.

On this occasion, we honor your history and culture, and I offer the people of Libya our warmest wishes for a happy holiday and a peaceful and prosperous year to come. 

(In the photo above, Clinton meets with Libyan National Security Advisor Mutassim Qaddafi, Muammar's fourth son, in Washington on April 21, 2009.)

Secretary Clinton must have read the blog post I wrote Tuesday in which I encouraged her to at least make a statement about the more than 179 horrific gang-rapes that occurred in Congo recently. Wednesday she issued a statement in which she strongly condemns the atrocities and states that "my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families."

She also mentioned that only 11 months ago, she presided over a U.N. Security Council session in which members unanimously passed a resolution to end wartime sexual violence. It's an absolute shame then that the United Nations hasn't acted fast enough on this resolution, and it's outrageous that this despicable violence occurred only about 20 miles from a U.N. peacekeeping base, likely with peacekeepers' foreknowledge that rebels were in the area where the rape spree was perpetrated.

The United Nations spends $1 billion annually on this peacekeeping mission, which is tasked with protecting civilians. The international body claims the mission only found out about the rapes after they occurred. When Inner City Press asked why the mission was unaware of a four-day rape spree so nearby, a U.N. spokesman said the area is "densely wooded." You would think that by now the peacekeepers would have figured out how to operate in a thick jungle. Inner City Press offers a great suggestion: Use some of the $1 billion to give civilians flares and satellite phones so they can communicate about danger.

The Security Council will be holding emergency consultations on Thursday, the 26th, at 10 a.m., Inner City Press reports, so at least something appears to be happening. But really, so much more could have been done since the resolution's passage last September.

Clinton says the United States will do all it can to work with the United Nations to "create a safe environment for women, girls, and all civilians" in eastern Congo. Let's hope she and the State Department will continue to press the U.N. on this serious issue.

Clinton's complete statement:

The United States is deeply concerned by reports of the mass rape of
women and children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the
Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) - an armed,
illegal rebel group that has terrorized eastern Congo for over a decade -
and elements of the Mai Mai, community-based militia groups in eastern
Congo. This horrific attack is yet another example of how sexual
violence undermines efforts to achieve and maintain stability in areas
torn by conflict but striving for peace.

The United States has
repeatedly condemned the epidemic of sexual violence in conflict zones
around the world, and we will continue to speak out on this issue for
those who cannot speak for themselves. Less than a year ago, I presided
over the UN Security Council session where Resolution 1888 (2009) was
unanimously adopted, underscoring the importance of preventing and
responding to sexual violence as a tactic of war against civilians. Now
the international community must build on this action with specific
steps to protect local populations against sexual and gender-based
violence and bring to justice those who commit such atrocities.

Sexual
violence harms more than its immediate victims. It denies and destroys
our common dignity, it shreds the fabric that weaves us together as
humans, it endangers families and communities, it erodes social and
political stability, and it undermines economic progress. These
travesties, committed with impunity against innocent civilians who play
no role in armed conflict, hold us all back.

When I visited
the DRC last year, I learned an old proverb -- "No matter how long the
night, the day is sure to come." In the depths of this dark night of
suffering and pain, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims and
their families. The United States will do everything we can to work with
the UN and the DRC government to hold the perpetrators of these acts
accountable, and to create a safe environment for women, girls, and all
civilians living in the eastern Congo. 

At the President's Forum with Young African Leaders this afternoon, Secretary Clinton told a group of successful young African entrepreneurs and civil society leaders that, ultimately, progress in Africa is is "up to you."

After saying, "I see Africa as a continent brimming with potential, a place that has so much just waiting to be grasped," she went on to say:

Across Africa, more citizens believe they now have the power and the duty to shape their own lives, to help their communities, to hold their governments accountable.… I want to focus on these gains because it is through this positive progress that we can motivate and incentivize even more to take place. And ultimately, it is up to you. The president and I very much believe in Africa's promise, and we can do what's possible from afar to assist and to be front-row cheerleaders, if you will. But ultimately, it is up to you, and to citizens like you, to make sure that we sustain and deepen the progress.

Clinton noted President Obama's remark last year in Ghana: "Africa's future is up to Africans." And she added that the United States "stand[s] ready to be your partners," working "in a spirit of mutual respect and accountability."

The impression is that the United States doesn't want to be paternalistic. Even if it tried calling the shots in Africa, it wouldn't work. Rather, development must come from within, with every child growing up to be able to use his or her "God-given talents and potential" to make the continent thrive. At most, the United States can be a "cheerleader" or a partner, an actor with solely an auxiliary role. 

Ultimately, only the citizens within a country can build it and make it successful. Now, if only only there were more of this going on in Afghanistan.…

Secretary Clinton condemns the bombings in Uganda that took place while people were watching the World Cup final yesterday:

I join President Obama in strongly condemning today's attacks in Kampala, Uganda targeting innocent spectators watching the World Cup final.

We understand that American citizens may have been injured or killed and our embassy is reaching out to assist. Our condolences go out to the families and friends of the victims, in the United States and Uganda.

At this tragic moment, the United States stands with Uganda. We have a long-standing, close friendship with the people and Government of Uganda and will work with them to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice.

In the photo above, taken just moments after the bombings yesterday, survivors look frightened and dazed at an Ethiopian restaurant, one of the sites of the bombings.

Bill Clinton cheered so much at yesterday's World Cup game between the United States and Algeria that he lost his voice. He told the Associated Press today:

"I lost my voice yesterday. I had to come home and drink hot tea with honey for an hour.… I was very diplomatic until we scored, and then I was up there screaming and yelling with everybody."

After the game, Clinton -- who is honorary chairman of the USA Bid Committee that is trying to bring the World Cup to the United States in 2018 or 2022 -- spent about an hour in the locker room, celebrating with the U.S. soccer team, as seen in the photos at left. He even had enough of his voice remaining at that point to give a little speech, reports Yahoo! Sports. According to players and officials, he said:

"As someone who cares about our country, you made me proud to be an American."

Clinton, who was president when the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994 and women's World Cup in 1999, was in Africa primarily to lobby FIFA's executive committee on the U.S. bid for 2018 or 2022, though his trip includes visits to Malawi and Tanzania to check up on Clinton Foundation projects. Clinton is so enthused by yesterday's U.S. win he has changed his schedule so he can attend Saturday's U.S.-Ghana match.

(In the top photo, Clinton shakes hands with Steve Cherundolo. In the bottom photo, he poses with the team.)

I know Secretary Clinton is busy today with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, but I hope she continues to shine a spotlight on the rape capital of the world -- the Kivu provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Last summer, Clinton boldly defied security advice and flew to Goma, the epicenter of the region where rape has been used as a weapon of war, as I wrote last August. Tears welled up in her eyes as women told her their horrific stories, like that of the woman who was raped while pregnant and lost her baby. Many of these women, like those in the photo above, have been raped so viciously that they must undergo surgery to repair the damage.

So, I was disturbed to receive this message from a representative of the UNHCR (U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees):

In the first three months of 2010 more than 1,200 women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were sexually assaulted - an average of 14 assaults a day. The majority of the violence is taking place in North and South Kivu provinces in eastern DRC. The region hosts some 1.4 million people displaced by on-going violence in the country. Some 100,000 are living in camps run by the UN refugee agency. UNHCR is alarmed at the scale of the sexual violence and the lack of justice for the victims and is working to protect vulnerable women. 

I know Clinton cares, so I hope she'll use her position to help bring an end to this barbaric violence.

Three other bits of Clinton-related news:

•China's Xinhua news agency reports that Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi had a phone conversation today (perhaps Chinese time today?) in which they agreed to "spare no efforts in building a positive, cooperative and comprehensive Sino-U.S. relationship."

•After the attack against the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, yesterday, Clinton said in her remarks, "The Pakistani people have suffered grievous losses, but they are standing firm in the face of this intimidation -- and the United States stands with them."

•After the noon news briefing on the new U.S. Nuclear Posture Review, Clinton will have Nigeria on her mind, launching the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission at 3 p.m. today, after a bilateral with the Nigerian secretary to the federal government.

Addressing the recent slaughter of an estimated 500 Christians by Muslim gangs in renewed violence between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria, Secetary Clinton said on Monday, after her meeting with Gabonese President Ali Bongo:

We continue to urge all parties to exercise restraint and seek constructive means for addressing the cycle of violence in Plateau state. The Nigerian government should ensure that the perpetrators of acts of violence are brought to justice under the rule of law and that human rights are respected as order is restored."

A roundup of Clinton-related news:

•Former first lady Laura Bush expressed admiration for Secretary Clinton during a talk in Dallas on Monday:

Our [political] campaigns are so long and so brutal that the people who finally win are almost self-selected because they have emotional and physical stamina to run for office. As I watched Hillary Clinton during her run, I had and have a lot of admiration for her. It's tough every day. It's not just physical or emotional, but just the chance of saying one thing that gets blown up by the media."

•Clinton spoke with CBS' Katie Couric yesterday.

•In a video message, Clinton says she wants you to help girls and women through www.Oprah.com/forallwomen.

•"Criminality of the greatest degree" is how Clinton has described the rapes and killings by government forces in Guinea.

•Clinton met yesterday in Washington with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Medmood Qureshi, above, to discuss U.S. aid to the Pakistani government and the Afghanistan situation. Clinton stressed that the $7.5 billion Kerry-Lugar bill, which provides nonmilitary aid to Pakistan for five years and was approved by U.S. Congress last week, will not infringe on Pakistan's sovereignty.

Photo: TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images

Above: Secretary Clinton poses with a Liberian newspaper as she meets with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Aug. 13 in Monrovia, the Liberian capital.

For a photo summary of Secretary Clinton's 11-day, seven-country visit to Africa, please check out FP's latest photo essay: "Hillary in Africa"

And check out the photo essay "The Obamans Abroad" for a summary of Clinton's July trip to Asia and Vice President Joe Biden's trip to Eastern Europe.

Below: Clinton shakes hands with the prime minister of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves, on Aug. 14.

Photos, top to bottom: GLENNA GORDON/AFP/Getty Images, STR/AFP/Getty Images

Secretary Clinton took on corruption in Nigeria yesterday, saying that Nigeria had the potential to become a G-20 country, "but -- a big but -- the corruption reputation … it is a problem."

Clinton also took on Nigeria's "flawed electoral system." (Foreign Policy named the "comically flawed" 2007 election of President Umaru Yar'Adua -- with hands raised in the photo above -- as one of the world's ugliest elections.) In an invitation-only town-hall meeting that included democracy activists, business leaders, and state governors, she drew a big laugh when she said, "I know a little bit about running in elections, and I have won some elections and I have lost some elections. And in a democracy there have to be winners and losers."

Referring to her home country, Clinton went on to say: "Our democracy is still evolving. You know we've had all kinds of problems in some of our past elections, as you might remember. In 2000, our presidential election came down to one state where the brother of the man running for president was the governor of the state, so we have our problems, too."

U.S. conservatives pounced on those words. A spokesman for former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush, referred to them as "ill-advised comments," in an ABC News report. Meanwhile, The Guardian called it a "gaffe."

As usual, the State Department's P.J. Crowley clarified in order to calm the right-wing hysteria: "The point she is making is that it's about a disputed result and then the willingness of the candidates to accept a flawed result rather than, say, resort to violence."

Photo: EMMANUEL WOLE/AFP/Getty Images

Yesterday I highlighted a phrase used by Secretary Clinton on Monday: "mark of shame." She used that phrase when discussing the use of rape as a weapon of war in eastern Congo, saying of sexual violence:

It should be a mark of shame anywhere, in any country. I hope that that will become a real cause here in Kinshasa that will sweep across the country."

The phrase caught my attention because shame is often the emotion that rape victims feel, even though it's the perpetrators who ought to be ashamed. John Boonstra over at U.N. Dispatch noticed the reversal of meaning, too. He did write, however, that it would be difficult to use shame as an emotion to "galvanize" a movement to reform the country's policies and change cultural attitudes that stigmatize rape victims.

To feel shame, you have to feel like you've lost the respect of someone who's opinion you value. In the case of sexual violence in Congo, Congolese would have to feel ashamed in front of the international community or their own local communities. International condemnation doesn't seen to have shamed the Congolese government into eradicating the problem. And how do you change local communities so it's the perpetrators who are stigmatized, not the victims and their families?

My hunch is that -- just as in Western countries -- it's going to take the collective action of women speaking out, a free press that names (and thereby shames) rapists, and other grass-roots efforts to shift shame from victims to perpetrators. And to get all this, you need, among other things, women's education, women's rights, and women who reach high-profile positions in politics, business, academia, religion, and other spheres of society.

Photo: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images

If you had been Secretary Clinton, how would you have responded Monday when a Congolese university student at a town-hall meeting asked what husband Bill thought about an issue?

Yesterday, I suggested speaking diplomatically and possibly using grace and humor. (This is not to be confused with acting demure, passive, and ladylike.) If I had been her, I would have calmly but assertively asked, "I'm curious to know: Why are you so interested in my husband's opinion when I'm the one who's secretary of state and my husband is no longer in government?"

Such a question would have: 1) clarified any mistranslation and 2) revealed the sexism in the student's question. It could have led to a larger, more constructive discussion about the need to listen to women's voices in a country where females are being raped with impunity.

Generally speaking, when someone asks an offensive question, one tactic that often works well is to simply ask the person why he/she asked the question. It puts the questioner in the position of having to explain the motive behind asking such an offensive question in the first place.

I give Clinton full credit for boldly laying the smack down when needed. As feminist Laurel Thatcher Ulrich wrote, "Well-behaved women seldom make history." But snapping at a college student seldom helps you as the United States' top diplomat.

Photo: SIMON MAINA/AFP/Getty Images