WASHINGTON  – A day after his White House meeting with President Barack Obama, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon raised congressional hackles by calling the United States a “deadbeat” donor to the world body.

Ban’s criticism Wednesday of the U.N.’s single biggest backer irked some members of the House Foreign Relations Committee. They were generally supportive of his leadership but voiced concern about U.N. efforts in areas from Sudan to Somalia.

“He used the word ‘deadbeat’ when it came to characterizing the United States. I take great umbrage (over) that,” Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the panel’s senior Republican, said after an hour-long, closed-door meeting. “We certainly contribute a whole lot of U.S. taxpayer dollars to that organization. We do not deserve such a phrase.”
 
Interviewed after the session, Ban said he had wanted to draw attention to the fact that the U.S. agrees to pay 22 percent of the U.N.’s $4.86 billion operating budget, but is perennially late with its dues – and now is about $1 billion behind on its payments.

That figure is “soon to be $1.6 billion,” Ban emphasized. Asked if he’d used the word ‘deadbeat’ during the meeting, he replied, “Yes, I did – I did,” then laughed mischievously.

Ban also urged Congress to adopt climate change legislation to boost chances for his top goal this year: clinching a global climate deal. The hope is for accord at a U.N.-sponsored conference in Copenhagen in December.

“I believe for the United States it’s a necessity. It will have a very politically important impact on the ongoing negotiation,” he said. “We need the U.S. leadership at this time. (The) whole world is looking at U.S. leadership.”

Ban generally got a “very respectful” reception from the House committee, said Rep. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., who chairs a subcommittee that oversees U.S. participation in the United Nations.

“Clearly they have an interest in the United States meeting its responsibility. In terms of peacekeeping, we’re about $670 million behind, and I think the argument is well-stated,” Delahunt said.

He noted America backs U.N. peacekeeping operations – and said it loses credibility if it doesn’t provide financial support. “And at the same time, we have to recognize that there are no American troops involved in the 17 different venues where there are peacekeeping operations,” Delahunt said.

Ban also met with Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who heads a House global warming panel, and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the Senate Foreign Relations chairman, and other of the committees’ members.

“Around the world, the United Nations is underfunded and overtasked,” Kerry said, standing beside Ban and Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind. Kerry said they talked about the need for the U.S. to meet its financial obligations to the U.N. and to adopt climate legislation this year to make cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

“I think there will be a very clear vision for all the participants in Copenhagen about what’s happening in the United States, and where we’re headed,” Kerry predicted.

During an Oval Office session Tuesday, Obama pledged to work to help bring peace to Darfur and called it “not acceptable” that Sudan’s president has been kicking out humanitarian aid workers from the region of western Sudan. President Omar al-Bashir was charged in an International Criminal Court arrest warrant with war crimes and crimes against humanity for targeting civilians.

Ban told Obama his support for climate legislation is “encouraging”, but said 2009 is a “make-or-break” year for the U.N. and its member countries on global warming, Darfur and other prominent conflicts.

WASHINGTON – Hillary Rodham Clinton took charge of the State Department on Thursday, proclaiming the start of a new era of robust U.S. diplomacy to tackle the world’s crises and improve America’s standing abroad.

Before a raucous, cheering crowd of about 1,000 people, the nation’s 67th secretary of state pledged to boost the morale and resources of the diplomatic corps and promised them a difficult but exciting road ahead.

“I believe with all of my heart that this is a new era for America,” she said to loud applause in the main lobby of the department’s headquarters, which President Barack Obama will visit later Thursday to underscore his administration’s commitment to diplomacy and announce the appointment of special envoys to the Middle East and South Asia.

“This is going to be a challenging time and it will require 21st Century tools and solutions to meet our problems and seize our opportunities,” Clinton said. “I’m going to be asking a lot of you. I want you to think outside the proverbial box. I want you to give me the best advice you can.”

“I want you to understand there is nothing that I welcome more than a good debate and the kind of dialogue that will make us better,” she said. “We cannot be our best if we don’t demand that from ourselves and each other.”

In her spirited 10-minute pep talk, she spoke of the importance of defense, diplomacy and development – the “three legs to the stool of American foreign policy” – and noted that the State Department is in charge of two of them.

“We are responsible for two of the three legs,” said the former New York senator and first lady. “And we will make clear as we go forward that diplomacy and development are essential tools in achieving the long-term objectives of the United States.”

Clinton’s mandate from Obama is to step up diplomatic efforts and restore the nation’s tattered image overseas. She has vowed to make use of “smart power” to deal with international challenges.

“At the heart of smart power are smart people, and you are those people,” she told the assembled throng. “And you are the ones that we will count on and turn to for the advice and counsel, the expertise and experience to make good on the promises of this new administration.”

Clinton takes over an agency that was often sidelined during George W. Bush’s eight-year presidency, particularly in his first term over the decision to go to war in Iraq. Although former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice restored some of the department’s influence, diplomats still complained of a lack of access to the top, as well as funding.

In introductory remarks, Steve Kashkett, vice president of the union that represents diplomats, noted that Obama and Clinton had both “decried the neglect that the foreign service and the State Department as a whole have suffered in recent years.”

Clinton, meanwhile, sought to reassure frustrated diplomats that they will be heard.

“This is a team, and you are the members of that team,” she said. “We are not any longer going to tolerate the kind of divisiveness that has paralyzed and undermined our ability to get things done for America.”

She predicted her team would experience “a great adventure. 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. … And now, ladies and gentlemen, let’s get to work.”

After her remarks, Clinton made telephone calls to foreign leaders, toured some of the department’s key offices and received briefings before hosting Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and national security adviser James Jones. They are to meet in a closed-door session before Obama addresses the diplomatic corps.

While he is at the State Department, the president is expected to name former Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell, D-Maine, to be a special envoy for the Middle East, and former U.N. ambassador Richard Holbrooke to be a special adviser on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The posts are the first of several new special envoys the administration plans to create to deal with particularly vexing problems abroad.

Congratulations, Mr. President-elect. Take a moment to relax and savor your victory – but not too long. There already are plenty of pressing matters piling up in your in-box:
 
ECONOMY: This is problem No. 1. The nation is in the midst of the greatest economic crisis since the 1930s. Unemployment now stands at 6.1 percent, and economists predict it could go as high as 7.5 percent in 2009. Consumers are pessimistic about the future and cutting back on borrowing and spending, the lifeblood of America’s economy. A painful recession is looming and in many parts of the country it already has landed with a sickening thud.

The good news? Congress has come up with $700 billion to bail out the sinking financial system by buying toxic mortgages. The bad news? Everybody wants some of the money and the program is rapidly changing to dole out money in unexpected directions. Shifting gears, the government decided to buy stakes in banks. Automakers and the insurance industry are clamoring for help. Others are, too. Many Democrats want Congress to pass another economic stimulus bill. Americans already have lost trillions of dollars in investments, savings and college accounts. What’s your move?

ENERGY: You’ve promised to move quickly to deal with the country’s energy problems and reduce U.S. dependence on Persian Gulf oil. But oil prices have plummeted and the political will to act may be waning as well. Getting agreement from Congress, where Democrats and Republicans have long-standing differences on the best approach, won’t be easy.
  
There are sharp divisions over offshore oil drilling and precious little federal money available to help develop alternative energy sources such as wind and solar. Increasing use of nuclear power would require finding a way to deal with nuclear waste, a politically volatile issue. You’ve said the government needs to act quickly to address climate change; the hard part will be working out the details with Congress for a plan to cap carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions.

FOREIGN POLICY: Iraq and Afghanistan may get most of the attention, but there are a host of other pressing foreign policy issues. At the top of your agenda is Iran’s nuclear program. While Iran denies trying to build a bomb, most experts say that’s the goal and your pressing task is to choose an option to stop Iran. Diplomacy with economic and political concessions remains the preferred approach. But there is the issue of whether to threaten Iran, either implicitly or explicitly.

U.S. policy on Pakistan needs retooling. Generous aid and warm embraces have not eliminated Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders thought to be hiding in frontier regions. U.S. decisions are pending on whether to expand U.S. attacks in those areas and whether to support the government as it moves ahead on reconciliation with some militants.

Russia, once on a promising path to democracy, has retreated somewhat. Apart from domestic crackdowns on the press and other hardline tactics, Russia has taken steps to revive its influence in Ukraine and other former Soviet republics and is in a tense standoff with Georgia on the future of two breakaway provinces. The question is whether a way can be found to restrain Russia while retaining its vital support on Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear programs.

Pyongyang has reached a tentative agreement to get rid of its nuclear weapons and capabilities in return for economic and political concessions from Asia and the West. However, it continues to zigzag on tough terms for outside inspections. A careful eye must be kept on whether North Korea backtracks on its commitments, obtained with promises of economic assistance.

In the Middle East, a pause is in order while Israel sorts out formation of a new government. But even before that is accomplished, decisions are needed on how much to intervene in the Arab-Israeli dispute, including whether to appoint a special U.S. mediator, and whether to outline a U.S. framework for a settlement with the Palestinians.

GLOBAL FINANCES: World leaders will meet Nov. 15 in Washington to address the global financial crisis – the first in a series of summits to address what could be a long and deep economic downturn. The first meeting will focus on the underlying causes of the crisis and the principles that should guide any reforms. President Bush will play host for the meeting, but the White House is promising to seek input from the president-elect.

GUANTANAMO BAY: There are about 250 detainees at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. The current defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff both want to see the detention center shut down, and it was a rare area of agreement on the presidential campaign trail, too. The hard part will be making it happen. Where to send the prisoners? How to try them? And how to shut down the Gitmo center itself?
 
HEALTH CARE: 45 million Americans don’t have health insurance, and expectations that coverage can be broadly expanded were stoked by both sides in the presidential campaign. Now comes the time to act. But history has shown that interest groups and patients become more wary of overhauling the system once they learn the details and potential trade-offs of a specific proposal. And the financial crisis made significant changes even more unlikely because any proposal will be costly.
  
HOME FORECLOSURES: Each day from July through September, more than 2,700 Americans lost their homes in foreclosure. That number, up from 1,200 a day a year ago, is a sign that the mortgage industry and government programs have done little to help troubled homeowners. The mortgage market’s troubles have proved to be far more serious and intractable than most in government or the private sector had predicted a year ago. All eyes are on Washington to see if the government can craft a fix.

INTERROGATION: The war on terrorism continues, and that means more prisoners and more interrogations. The military has its own set of rules restricting how interrogations can be carried out. But what rules should govern CIA interrogations? Will waterboarding be on the list? The technique – which critics liken to torture – remains an option for the agency, according to its chief, but has not been exercised since 2003.

IMMIGRATION: Now that the voting’s over, pressure to revisit immigration reform will build quickly from Latino supporters, immigration groups and some business interests. Larger Democratic majorities could help to move a bill through Congress, but those majorities will be built, in part, with Democrats from conservative districts who are wary of going too far. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said Democrats may have to give up some of their priorities in immigration reform to get an agreement, such as giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.

KATRINA FAMILIES: By March 1, you will need to find homes for as many as 11,600 families who were displaced after the 2005 hurricanes. Temporary housing for these families expires at the end of February.

MEDICARE/MEDICAID: Both of these government programs face huge financial problems. The expense of delivering promised benefits under Medicare, the giant health care program for older Americans, is expected to rise much more quickly than tax revenue. And Medicaid’s growing strain on federal and state budgets is unlikely to abate over the coming decade as the cost of providing health care to the poor is expected to increase by 7.9 percent annually.

SOCIAL SECURITY: The venerable retirement security needs a fix. Currently, 34 million retirees and their dependents receive monthly benefit checks, as do 6 million survivors of deceased workers and 9 million disabled workers and their dependents. Government experts project the Social Security trust funds will begin paying out more than they collect in payroll taxes in 2017, and be exhausted in 2041.

TERRORISM: The threat of terrorism is an ongoing reality in the years since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. Government planners worry about a window of vulnerability in the first days and months of a new presidency. Adversaries may try to take advantage of the shift in administrations, and the president-elect must be prepared for an early test. There are countless details that come with facing the threat of terrorism. For one, the government must find a way for America’s police officers and fire fighters to talk to each other during disasters. It’s been more than seven years since the 9-11 attacks, and this problem has not been resolved.

TRANSITION: You have 77 days to put together a government. This is the first wartime presidential transition in 40 years, and the first in the age of terrorism anxieties that became a reality after the 9-11 attacks. By one count, there are 7,840 presidential appointee jobs to be filled, including 1,177 requiring Senate confirmation. Some recommended deadlines: Try to choose your Cabinet members by Christmas, and have them briefed and ready for confirmation hearings by about Jan. 10. Try to have 100 appointees in place by April 1 and 400 by August. Those are worthy, but ambitious goals: No president has been able to complete confirmation for more than about 25 Cabinet and sub-Cabinet appointees by April 1, or more than about 240 by its eighth month.
 
WAR: The United States is fighting two wars at once. There are 152,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 32,000 in Afghanistan, where violence has escalated and American casualties are running higher than in Iraq. An immediate challenge: the U.N. resolution that governs the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq expires at the end of the year. The U.S. military has advised Iraqi authorities that it will have to shut down security and service operations in Iraq if the year ends without a security agreement or a renewed U.N. mandate for American forces. Then come the larger questions of when and how to draw down U.S. troops in Iraq, and how many more troops to send to Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin may point to Russia when pushing her foreign policy experience, but public records and interviews show the Republican vice presidential nominee has more face time with her neighbors in Canada.

With Arctic issues of melting ice, untapped energy, and increased trade opportunities, Palin could be expected to have a wider foreign policy background than she does, according to Chris Sands, a U.S.-Canadian relations expert.

“She’s probably a little bit below average, given the number of issues that come through Alaska,” said Sands, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute.

Though Palin frequently sites her proximity to Russia as a feather in her world affairs hat (”We have trade missions back and forth,” Palin told CBS’ Katie Couric), the McCain-Palin campaign declined to discuss why Palin has not visited Russia despite at least two invitations– one from neighboring Chukotka province, which is less than 60 miles from Alaska’s northwest coast.

Palin passed on another opportunity to go to Russia last year when a group of eight Arctic countries comprising The Northern Forum met in September in central Russia. The forum brings the governments together to discuss energy, infrastructure, environment and rural issues.

“Governor Palin has not participated in any way in any of our meetings,” said Priscilla Wohl, the forum’s executive director.

The forum was founded by an Alaska governor in 1990 to unite state leaders from China, Japan, Russia, and other northern countries, and Palin is the first Alaskan governor to skip the forum’s biannual meeting, Wohl said.

In the past eight years, Wohl said she met with the foreign minister of Russia twice and other leaders from the European Union and United Nations.

“That’s the kind of access we provide as an organization to our members,” she said. “Some of the regions are taking advantage of that. They’re shaking hands. They’re finding funding.”

While Palin has continued Alaska’s payment of $15,000 annual dues to the organization, Wohl said the governor eliminated supplementary funding for the forum, which had ranged from $60,000 to $100,000.

Palin spoke to a similar group, the Conference of Arctic Parliamentarians, at its August 2008 meeting in Alaska.

But most of Palin’s foreign dealings have been with one country — Canada — and focused on one major issue – a $26 billion natural gas pipeline, for which she is credited with securing greater royalties for the state than her predecessor had negotiated.

In her first 21 months as governor, Palin met with Yukon Territory Premier Dennis Fentie three times and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell twice, according to the premiers’ offices. The meeting with Campbell in April 2007 was “brief and informal,” according to Campbell spokeswoman Bridgitte Anderson.

Four of the five meetings were on U.S. soil.

Fentie, said Palin was “very personable,” “well-versed on the issues,” and ready to collaborate on energy and transportation when they first met in January 2007.

At a later meeting in Anchorage, the two signed a deal to cooperate on the gas pipeline that is to run from Alaska’s North Slope through Canada to Chicago.

McCain-Palin campaign spokesman Ed O’Callaghan said Palin’s handling of “the detailed negotiations” on the pipeline “demonstrates her ability to work with leaders from Canadian border provinces.”

“This is a major claim to fame for her,” Sands said. “What it tells us about her approach is it’s all about doing a good deal.”

Fentie, a leader of the conservative Yukon Party, now shows a sense of regional pride in his counterpart’s political rise.

“Having somebody like the governor of Alaska in the office of the vice president is a good thing for us in this region,” he said. “The North has long struggled at getting situated on the national radar screen.”

Studies of U.S.-Canada relations show the international ties have often been strongest in the West, Sands said, especially in the Pacific Northwest, where “they have a tradition of self-reliance.”

“Out West they have two things going for them, they are relatively close together and far from their capitals,” he said.

Palin met British Columbia Premier Campbell once in Juneau, Alaska, and once in Wyoming for a Pacific Coast Coalition meeting with Campbell and western governors on climate change.

An archive of Palin press releases shows a governor much more inclined to host at home than travel abroad.

Her first month in office she welcomed 30 Canadian diplomats for an economic development conference.

“Alaska’s new administration needs to start early and energetically with expanding our strong, cooperative relationship with Canada,” Palin said at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region meeting in January 2007.

Two months later she welcomed diplomats from 13 countries, including Australia, China, Germany, Japan, Russia and others for a tourist-friendly Alaska Fur and Ice Event.

Palin traveled to New Orleans for a conference in September 2007 as chair of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, a mostly U.S. group that includes non-voting international affiliates in Canada and elsewhere to promote efficient and safe use of oil and natural gas.

But she did not attend the group’s May 2008 summit in Calgary, three weeks after the birth of her son Trig.

In a videotaped message, Palin applauded the commission for meeting outside the U.S. for its first time since its founding in 1935. “It’s about time,” she said.

Palin also addressed the International Whaling Commission when it was in Anchorage, Alaska that year.

The stay-at-home style of foreign policy can be seen as a governor prioritizing local concerns, Sands said.

“She is very typical for a governor – very domestic oriented,” Sands said, comparing Palin’s first foray into national politics to that of President George W. Bush, who had primarily met only with Mexican President Vicente Fox while governor of Texas.

“It’s more (experience) than she’s got,” he said. “Her activity is mostly local, but what she’s done is good and pragmatic.”