That's why Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on a three day trip to Pakistan. And based on her rhetoric, she's taken a page from Dr. Phil for these talks…

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday she did not come to Pakistan for "happy talk."

Her three-day trip is aimed at getting frank, open discussions going about the fight against terrorism, and that includes presenting U.S. concerns about how much success Pakistan is having, she said.

In an interview with CNN, Clinton said it's time to "clear the air" with a key U.S. ally. She added, "I don't think the way you deal with negative feelings is to pretend they're not there."

There ya go. Pervez Musharraf won't be able to counter that. Especially not if she follows it up with a "So, you first gained power via a military coup… How's that working out for you?" Then when he's all, "You're not the same country, I did photo ops with eight years ago," she can be all "I can't help you, Pakistan. Only you can help you."

Faced with that kind of diplomacy, Musharraf's only option would be to Springer it up with a "It's my country, I do what I want!"

And that, my friends, is how we win this war on terror.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney…

A decision by the University of Wyoming to name a new center for international students for former Vice President Dick Cheney is drawing criticism from people who say Cheney's support for the Iraq war and harsh interrogation techniques should disqualify him from the distinction…

The center is funded in part with $3.2 million the Cheneys donated to the university in several installments while he was vice president…

"We feel that by naming it the Cheney International Center, that the programs and UW can't avoid being identified with that ideology and that approach to global politics that the Bush-Cheney administration championed," Pelican said Tuesday.

Awesome! The new Cheney Center for International Students should really fill out the quad nicely, right alongside the university's excellent Lohan Center for Feminist Studies and the Vick Center for Veterinary Medicine.

At any rate, it's gotta be more popular than the old Cheney Center for International Students (his basement).

A Pew Research Poll released today shows that the image of the United States has "improved markedly in most parts of the world," largely because of the high levels of global confidence and trust in Obama. Improvements were especially high in Western Europe, but attitudes toward America also warmed in Canada, Mexico, Argentina and urban populations in Brazil, India and China. Nearly 27,000 interviews were conducted in 24 nations, as well as the Palestinian territories.

"His personal popularity and new respect for the U.S. having elected him translates positively for the U.S. image," former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said…

Hmmm… Bet you can't guess the one country in which, according to Pew, Obama's presence hasn't been having quite as much of a positive effect recently.

On second thought, I'll bet you can.

Next on Ms. Palin's agenda? A trip to Asia, her first ever, to address the CLSA Investors' Forum in Hong Kong. Take that, everybody who says Sarah Palin lacks foreign policy experience…

CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, a Hong Kong-based brokerage, announced Monday that the former Republican candidate for the U.S. vice presidency and, until she resigned last month, governor of Alaska, will address the Sept. 21-25 [Investors' Forum] in what a press release called "her first international speaking engagement outside North America."

But look! Also too! The CLSA forum is "Asia’s premier investment conference providing unrivaled corporate access to 1,300 global fund managers from 32 countries, representing more than $10 trillion in funds under management," which means that Sarah Palin will simultaneously become an expert in international finance, all in one trip!

And if the multitasking Ms. Palin samples a traditional dim sum feast during her visit, why, she'll be able to launch her own gourmet cooking show just as soon as she gets home.

What would you rename the War on Terror?

Add your captions in the comments section of this post.

During an appearance with her Czech counterpart, Karel Schwarzenberg, Clinton was asked about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's statement that Iran would welcome talks with Washington if they are based on mutual respect. Iran and the U.S. have not had diplomatic relations for nearly 30 years.

"There is an opportunity for the Iranian government to demonstrate a willingness to unclench their fist and to begin a serious and responsible discussion about a range of matters," Clinton said.

"We still persist in our view that Iran should not obtain nuclear weapons, that it would be a very unfortunate course for them to pursue, and we hope there will be opportunity in the future for us to develop a better understanding of one another and to work out a way of talking that would produce positive results for the people of Iran."

In other words: "We really hope that Iran takes this opportunity to capitulate to our demands and do so with a nice big friendly smile. If they're willing to do that, we're on board."

This is why diplomacy should never been seen as secondary to military force. It take waaaaaaaaay bigger balls.

In a speech at the Brookings Institute on Thursday, Sen. Joseph Lieberman praised the new commander-in-chief for his commitment to deploying more armed forces to Afghanistan, saying he was confident in Obama's position and the team charged with its execution.

"He has made it very clear that this is a war he intends to win and he has moved swiftly to take command of it. He has not wavered in his pledge to deploy more troops to the region. In fact, the first new brigade combat team is deploying there right now," said the Connecticut independent.

Oh, god! It's even worse than I thought.

Lieberman actually approves. That can't be good for anybody.

Hillary Clinton has been officially confirmed as the Secretary of State…

Republicans and Democrats alike said her swift confirmation was necessary so that Obama could begin tackling the major foreign policy issues at hand, including two wars, increased violence in the Middle East and the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

"It is essential that we provide the president with the tools and resources he needs to effect change, and that starts with putting a national security team in place as soon as possible," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Absolutely! Barack Obama is going to need all the help he can get in lying to the United Nations and deciding which foreign country to invade.

That is what secretaries of state do, right?

In other news, David paterson has almost just about kinda sorta figured out a way to place Caroline Kennedy in Clinton's empty senate seat and somehow make it seem like a good decision.

He's just tweaking the delivery a little bit, but he should be ready to give in to complete nepotism by the weekend.

However, a little more than midway through the video, it takes a decidedly more unsavory, weird and creepy turn, when all the millionaire celebrities begin pledging their everlasting support to incoming President Barack Obama (who, apparently, lives inside Anthony Kiedis' biceps)…

MySpace Celebrity and Katalyst present The Presidential Pledge

I pledge to never do anything like this… ever.