Secretary of State Clinton: ‘This Is A Team’

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in her first remarks in her new post, stressed that she and State Department employees are part of a team with the President Obama and Vice President Biden.

“Among the many conversations that I’ve had with the president and with the vice president over years, but certainly much more astutely and in a concentrated way in the last weeks, we want to send a clear and unequivocal message: This is a team, and you are the members of that team,” Clinton said Thursday in Foggy Bottom. “There isn’t anything that I can get done from the seventh floor or the president can get done from the Oval Office unless we make clear we are all on the American team. We are not any longer going to tolerate the kind of divisiveness that has paralyzed and undermine our ability to get things done for America.”

While both Clinton and Obama talked about having a “Team of Rivals” when they both were presidential candidates, Clinton emphasized the need to work together and didn’t mention any past disagreements with Obama.

Obama will be visiting the State Department later on Thursday, Clinton said, “to let all of you know and all of who are serving on our behalf around the world how seriously committed he is to working with us.”

“So this is going to be a great adventure,” she added. “We’ll have some ups and some downs. We’ll face some obstacles along the way. But be of good cheer and be of strong heart and do not grow weary as we attempt to do good on behalf of our country and the world.”