An article from BBC News, released on Feb. 19, 2009, talks about Nobel Peace laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu expressing his positions on relevant topics including Barack Obama’s presidential victory, the risk of wasting the goodwill Obama’s election has generated, his call for the United States to reach out to other nations, and Britain’s role in the “war on terror.”

Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu recounted his jubilance over the presidential victory of Barack Obama, referring to Obama’s election as an “epoch making event” that gave the world hope that change may be at hand. The archbishop said that he wanted to “dance and jump and shout” after watching the U.S. election results that came in. Nevertheless, he cautioned the new president of possibly dissipating the goodwill the presidential election has brought forth. Additionally, Archbishop Desmond Tutu encouraged Obama to be tough on African dictators and urged the U.S. president, as well as the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to renew ties with other countries and listen to them.

Moreover, Archbishop Desmond Tutu said it would be wonderful if President Barack Obama apologized, on behalf of the American people, for the Iraq invasion led by the United States. The South African activist further noted that Britain’s cooperation with the United States in the “war on terror” has definitely injured Britain’s status in the world. Even so, he commended the British Council’s endeavor of helping Nelson Mandela’s government with the reformation of the post-apartheid diplomatic service and the training of black teachers.

About Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu is an Anglican Archbishop emeritus who gained worldwide attention for his remarkable efforts in opposing the apartheid during the 1980s, which led to his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

He was born in Klerksdorp, Transvaal, South Africa in 1931. In 1960, he was ordained as an Anglican priest. Following his theological studies, his teaching stint and his theological work in South Africa, Desmond Tutu became Bishop of Lesotho and then went on to become the General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) from 1978 to 1985. He soon became Bishop of Johannesburg and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996.

As a peace advocate, Desmond Tutu has served as chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; patron of the World Campaign Against Military and Nuclear Collaboration with South Africa Beacon Millennium and Action from Ireland; and patron of American Harmony Child Foundation, among others. He currently serves as Chairman of The Elders. In addition, Desmond Tutu founded the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation with an aim to seek funding for the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre located in Cape Town; and the Desmond Tutu Foundation USA, to collaborate with universities nationwide in creating leadership academies.

Related Sources:

- Visit the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation website and learn more about its
programs and the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre.

- BBC News features an article on Archbishop Desmond Tutu condemning the
Guantanamo Bay prison camp.

- Nobelprize.org features an interview of Desmond Tutu as he discusses about
leadership.

The Los Angeles Times’ Top of the Ticket for Nov. 21, 2008 reports that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has finally decided to accept President-elect Barack Obama’s offer as the United States Secretary of State.

Reports revealed that the senator is giving up her Senate seat in order to prepare for her new role as the country’s top diplomat. Talks between the former first lady and the president-elect have been progressing steadily since Hillary Clinton was first asked to fill in the position in mid-November.

When the Obama administration takes over the White House, Hillary Clinton will become only the 3rd woman in U.S. history to serve as Secretary of State, after Madeleine Albright and Condoleeza Rice.

View the article about Hillary Clinton added to Obama’s Cabinet at Secretary of State.

About Hillary Clinton

The former first lady was born Hillary Diane Rodham on October 26, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois. She was an active student at Maine East High School where she was selected for the National Honor Society. She finished her senior year in high school at Maine South High School as a National Merit Finalist. Hillary completed her Bachelor of Arts in 1969 at Wellesley College with departmental honors in political science. She received her law degree from Yale Law School in 1973.

Before marrying William “Bill” Clinton in 1975, Hillary Clinton worked as staff attorney for the Children’s Defense Fund in Cambridge, Massachusetts; as consultant to the Carnegie Council on Children; as an advisor to the House Committee on the Judiciary during the Watergate scandal; and taught at University of Arkansas’ School of Law where Clinton was also a faculty member.

Prior to becoming first lady of Arkansas, Hillary joined the Rose Law Firm and specialized in patent infringement, intellectual property law, and pro bono in child advocacy.

When Bill Clinton won as Governor of Arkansas in 1978, Hillary became Arkansas’ First Lady. She actively supported her husband via various committees and projects. She took on the same role when Clinton was re-elected in 1982.

Hillary Clinton was the 1st First Lady to have a post-graduate degree when Clinton took on the presidency in 1993. She has been a senator of the United States since 2001. Hillary Clinton ran for the office of United States President in 2008.

In The Australian’s November 11, 2008 issue, it was revealed that United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was included in Glamour magazine’s “Women of the Year” list. Condoleezza Rice was cited for her dedication to women’s issues especially those related to the country’s foreign policy.

Other high profile personalities who made it to the celebrity and fashion magazine’s list of 10 include actress Nicole Kidman, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Chanel’s Maureen Chiquet. A 10-year old Yemeni girl who broke tribal rules by getting a divorce was also included in the list.

The awards were handed out to the 10 lucky women last November 11, 2008.

Glamour magazine has included the list in its December 2008 issue.

Conoleezza Rice is one of Glamour’s Women of the Year.

About Condoleezza Rice:

Condoleezza Rice, the 66th United States Secretary of State, made history as she became the 1st black woman and only the 2nd woman to hold the prestigious position.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Rice was an early learner as she began studying French, ballet, music, and figure skating at the age of three. She initially set her sights on becoming a concert pianist but eventually graduated at the age of 19 from the University of Denver with a B.A. in political science.

Condoleezza Rice first practiced her skills in political science when she worked in the State Department during the Carter administration. She then received her PhD in political science from Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the age of 26. Condoleezza Rice eventually moved on to higher, more significant positions.

Prior to becoming the U.S. Secretary of State, Rice was the Special Assistant to the Director of the Chiefs of Staff in 1986; Condoleezza Rice then served in President George H.W. Bush’s administration’s National Security Council where she became Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. From 2001 to 2005, Condoleezza Rice served as the National Security Advisor and left her teaching post (political science) at Stanford which she assumed in 1991. She was the first woman to occupy the position.

Condoleezza Rice became only the 2nd woman Secretary of State (after Madeleine Albright) in January 2005.

In the Nov. 24, 2008 issue of FoxNews.com, a transcript from the show America’s News HQ revealed several vital facts about what Geraldine Ferraro, 1984 Democratic vice presidential nominee, has to say about President-elect Barack Obama’s choice for Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton.

In the interview, Geraldine Ferraro expressed confidence that the former first lady will do well as the country’s top diplomat. Geraldine Ferraro believes that Hillary’s international credibility will help improve the country’s image. She also stressed that the Clintons are well-respected and so therefore, Hillary’s new assignment will do the country a lot of good.

Having worked with Hillary in her 2008 bid for presidency, Geraldine Ferraro is confident that Hillary will function well in the international community.

It is also important, she pointed out, that the new president and Hillary are able to agree on practically every issue.

The former vice presidential nominee also stressed that the main reason for choosing several key Clinton administration people for the Obama team is vast experience and nothing else. She likewise revealed that there are also a number of people with no Clinton ties who were chosen based on their performance and experience.

View the interview with Geraldine Ferraro from Fox News.

Geraldine Ferraro:

Born in Newburg, New York, Geraldine Ferraro went to Marymount Manhattan College on a scholarship and worked 2 or 3 jobs while studying. She took home her Bachelor of Arts in English in 1956 and became a licensed teacher. After working as an elementary school teacher, Ferraro studied law and eventually earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1960 from Fordham University.

Geraldine Ferraro got her big break when she became Queen County’s Assistant District Attorney and was tasked to head the Special Victims Bureau in 1977.

Prior to being nominated as Walter Mondale’s vice president for the 1984 Presidential Elections, Geraldine Ferraro was a member of the House of Representatives and represented New York’s 9th District.

During President Bill Clinton’s term, Geraldine Ferraro served as the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. She held this position from 1994 to 1996.

Geraldine Ferraro was inducted in the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1994. She helped found the National Organization of Italian American Women in 1980.