24.

First of all, congratulations on becoming our new president. Secondly, I want to thank you for selecting Hillary Clinton to represent the United States as Secretary of State. I love what she is doing now on her Asian tour ... listening, listening, listening. This is so important and we need to have allies out there in the world, we are not in this alone. Her statement at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo that your administration, the Obama Administration, seeks to balance defense, diplomacy and development. To me this is the basis of encouraging the other D-word, Democracy, in the rest of the world.

The choice of Madam Secretary's visit to a mainly Muslim democracy, Indonesia, is of particular importance. Understanding that being a Muslim country does not mean human rights are violated or that individuals cannot embrace a more Western attitude. We are off to a good start in the diplomacy department.

Sincerely,
Cheryl Cato
Bastrop, TX