Hilary Clinton Explains How to Order Takeout Diplomatically

When Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and President Clinton can't agree on what takeout to order on a Saturday night, she addresses the problem the same way she would any other type of diplomatic interaction. "We practice different models of negotiation around important issues like that," Clinton told two Australian radio hosts in an interview on Sunday. "Because if I were to say to him, as I have on many occasions, 'What shall we have for dinner tonight?' If he says to me, 'Oh, I don't care; you choose,' I know that's a really bad answer, because then I'm stuck with the responsibility. So I will come back and I'll say, 'All right. Well, so how do you feel about Chinese... or Mexican or Italian?' And if he says a second time, 'I really, really don't care,' then I will go choose."

Clinton continued, describing alternate diplomatic routes for this very significant decision.

This was just one of many tough questions she faced on the Hamish & Andy show. The Australian duo also asked Clinton about her  potato chip-eating and collecting preferences (she is, in fact, an 'eater of chips'), and her thoughts on checking the temperature of food before ingesting it.

QUESTION: Hamish and I have our own organization, and it's called checkyourtemps.org. It encourages young people to check the temperature of their food before they bite into it, because if they don't, they'll sear their mouth. That could ruin not just that meal but plenty of meals to come.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Right.

QUESTION: And we save declining moral across the globe.

QUESTION: How important is that issue on a world scale, do you think?

SECRETARY CLINTON: It has not previously been brought to my attention.

QUESTION: So you're breaking new ground in this way.

SECRETARY CLINTON: I am -- well, you're breaking new ground.

QUESTION: Well, we're happy to have you on for the --

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I have to tell you both, this is a --

QUESTION: Take this to the top.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Because if you just think about it, people go around with the tops of their mouths burnt. They can't communicate well.

QUESTION: You see a decline in peace.

CRETARY CLINTON: Decline in peace. They might stop eating. That adds to the increase in hunger --

QUESTION: We've already got enough hunger already.

SECRETARY CLINTON: -- malnutrition in the world.

Read the full transcript at the State Department. 

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/11/hilary-clinton-explains-how-to-order-takeout-diplomatically/66312/