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.
Later, with President Barack Obama at her side, Clinton introduced former Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell, D-Maine, as a special envoy for the Middle East. Former U.N. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke was announced as a special adviser on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
