Hillary stresses “core principles” in 4th of July message.

In a recorded video message sent to U.S. Missions around the world, Hillary focused on the core principles that unite the U.S. with other nations. 

Transcript of Secretary Clinton’s message -

Hello everyone. I am delighted to welcome you on behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States as we celebrate our nation’s 233rd birthday.

For Americans, the 4th of July is a day to reconnect with loved ones, to remember our history, and to renew our commitment to democracy, tolerance, and justice. As President Obama said in Cairo last month, these are not just American values, these are core principles we share with people everywhere. So it is fitting that we open our doors and share this day with our friends and neighbors around the world.

Our fates and our fortunes are intertwined like never before. No one nation can meet today’s global challenges alone. We all share responsibility for working together to ensure a more peaceful and prosperous future.

So I hope that today’s celebration will become tomorrow’s partnership. There’s nothing we can’t accomplish, no challenge we can’t meet, if we work together toward common goals and seek common ground.

Thank you so much for joining us and have a wonderful 4th of July.

Obama takes Hillary’s advice on Iran, then snubs her.

For days Barack Obama had been tip-toeing around the violence taking place in Iran, fearful that the Great Satan would once again be accused of meddling in Iranian affairs. His caution did not pay off as Iran’s government accused the U.S. of meddling anyway.

Behind the scenes, however, Hillary Clinton and the State Department were pressing Obama to take a more forceful stance against the Iranian crackdown. Several days after making their case, Obama did, indeed, use the language Hillary had been seeking: Obama finally said he was “appalled and outraged” by Iranian behavior and “strongly condemned” the violence against anti-government demonstrators.

A Washington Times story suggests that State Department employees were very familiar with Obama’s more forceful language because they had given it to him.

“It was a happy surprise,” one administration official said. “It was echoing the line the secretary had been pushing for a couple of days.”

Some in Washington are suggesting that Obama’s initial resistance to Hillary’s advice and then not acknowledging her assistance or at least informing her ahead of time that he had planned to communicate her perspective on the protests, is an indication of a strain between the two former Democratic primary adversaries.