A Gallup poll finds that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama "continue to be named by Americans as the Most Admired Woman and Most Admired Man."

Clinton has been the Most Admired Woman each of the last 10 years, and Obama has been the Most Admired Man four years in a row. Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin, and Condoleezza Rice round out the top five Most Admired women, while the top five Most Admired men also include George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Billy Graham, and Warren Buffett.

Environmental groups today sent a letter to the inspector general of the State Department asking for an investigation of its review of the Keystone XL pipeline project. The Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth and other groups list examples of what they say were violations of government ethics rules. (See their press release and a link to their letter here). 

The State Department has to decide whether to give a permit to the 1,700-mile pipeline from Canada's oil sands to Texas because it crosses the boundary. The decision ultimately is up to President Obama. The environmental groups say he should reject it.

Climate change alone is enough reason, said Michael Brune, the director of the Sierra Club, speaking in a call with reporters. "The problem is pretty simple, which is we have to quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from conventional fossil fuels," he said. The groups also oppose the pipeline because of the risk of spills on the land and into the aquifer under the Great Plains that supplies water to much of American agriculture.

Brune said the groups are waiting to see whether the administration approves new rules to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants, goes ahead with greenhouse-gas regulations for large plants, and rejects the pipeline. "We don't think we can mobilize our members (to work for Obama's re-election) until the president decides to fight climate change and stand up to big polluters," he said.

THE PRESIDENT and MRS. OBAMA

His Excellency Lee Myung-bak, President of the Republic of Korea

Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok

Mr. Charles C. Adams, Jr., Geneva, Switzerland

Mrs. Vera Risteski-Adams

Ms. Angella Ahn, Performer, Bozeman, MT

Mr. Michael P. Moore

Ms. Lucia Ahn, Performer, New York, NY

Mr. Christiaan P. Ahn

Ms. Maria Ahn, Performer, New York, NY

Ms. Young Joo Rhee, Cliffside Park, NJ 

The Honorable Brooke Anderson, Washington, DC

His Excellency Jae Hyun Bae 

His Excellency Jaewan Bahk

Secretary-General Ki-moon Ban, Secretary General, United Nations, New York, NY

Mrs. Soon-taek Ban

The Honorable Max Baucus, United States Senator

Ms. Melodee Hanes

The Honorable Howard Berman, United States Representative

Mrs. Janis Berman

Mr. James B. Biden, Merion Station, PA

Mrs. Sara Biden

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice President of the United States

Dr. Jill Biden

The Honorable Stephen Warren Bosworth, Medford, MA

Mrs. Christine H Bosworth

The Honorable Ann W. Brown, Washington, DC

Mr. Don Brown

The Honorable William J Burns, Deputy Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State

Ms. Lisa Carty

The Honorable Dave Camp, United States Representative

Mrs. Nancy Camp

The Honorable Kurt M Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian & Pacific Affairs

The Honorable Lael Brainard, Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs

The Honorable Jay Carney, Press Secretary

Ms. Claire Shipman

The Honorable Julián Castro, Mayor, San Antonio, TX

Mrs. Erica Lira Castro

Mr. David Chang, New York, NY

Ms. Chung Hi Chang, Howey-in-the-Hills, FL

Ms. JuJu Chang, New York, NY

Mr. Neal Shapiro

Mr. John Cho, Los Angeles, CA

Mr. June Jay Cho, San Antonio, TX 

His Excellency Guem Nak Choe

His Excellency Joong-Kyung Choi

Mr. Steve Choi, President, Founder and CEO, Korean-American Association, Annandale, VA

Mrs. Leena Prisca Choi

The Honorable Judy Chu, United States Representative 

The Honorable Mike Eng, California State Assembly, Sacramento, CA

His Excellency Yungwoo Chun

The Honorable Hillary R. Clinton, Secretary of State

Mr. Bruce Cohen, New York, NY

Mr. Gabriel Catone

Mr. Jeff Cooper, Edwardsville, IL

Mrs. Francesca Moroney Cooper

Rev Luis Cortes, Jr., Cheltenham, PA

Mrs. Damaris Cortes

Ms. Candy Crowley, Bethesda, MD

Mr. Harry Michael Rosselli, Washington, DC 

The Honorable Stephanie Cutter, Assistant to the President and Deputy Senior Advisor

Mr. James Matthew Hock

The Honorable William Daley, Chief of Staff

Ms. Bernadette  Keller

Mr. D. Scott Davis, Chairman and CEO, UPS, Atlanta, GA

General Martin Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

Mrs. Deanie Dempsey

The Honorable Thomas Donilon, Assistant to the President, National Security Advisor

Ms. Cathy  Russell, Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden

The Honorable Shaun L.S. Donovan, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Ms. Liza Gilbert

Mr. Blair Effron, New York, NY

Mrs. Cheryl Effron

The Honorable Michael B.G. Froman, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs

Ms. Nancy Goodman

Mr. Robert L. Gallucci, PhD, Chicago, IL

Ms. Jennifer Emily Sims, Upperville, VA

The Honorable Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury

Mrs. Carole Geithner

Mr. Sloan Gibson, Charleston, SC

Mrs. Margaret Duncan Gibson 

The Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Washington, DC

Dr. Douglas Edward Goldman, San Francisco, CA

Mrs. Lisa Goldman

The Honorable Steve Jay Green, Miami Beach, FL

Mrs. Dorothea Green

The Honorable Duck-soo Han, Ambassador to the U.S., Government of the Republic of Korea

Mrs. Ah-Young Choi

The Honorable Orrin G. Hatch, United States Senator

Mrs. Elaine Hatch

Mr. William Hite, President's Export Council, Annapolis, MD

Mrs. Patricia Hite

The Honorable Thomas C. Hubbard, Washington, DC

Mrs. Joan Magnusson Hubbard

Mr. Changsoo Huh, Special Delegation, Republic of Korea

The Honorable Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor

Mr. Elvin Charity, Chicago, IL 

Mr. Henry H Kang, Douglas, MA

Ms. Cassi Bryn Michaelik

The Honorable Sukhee Kang, Mayor, Irvine, CA

Mrs. Joanne Wonhee Kang

The Honorable Mark Keam, VA House of Delegates, Vienna, VA

Mrs. Alex Seong Keam

The Honorable John Kerry, United States Senator 

Mr. Fred Khosravi, Mountain View, CA

Mrs. Flora Khosravi

Ms. Christina Kim, Los Angeles, CA

Mr. Raymond Meier, New York, NY 

His Excellency Dae Ki Kim

Mr. Chang-beom Kim

Mr. David Kim, Entrepreneur, C2 Education, Duluth, GA

Ms. Minjae Yuh

Dr. James Yong Kim, President, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH

Dr. Youn Sook Lim

His Excellency Kwan Jin Kim

His Excellency Sung-hwan Kim

Dr. Tae Hyo Kim

Ms. Billie Jean King, New York, NY

Ms. Llana Kloss

Mr. Robert Thompson King, Ann Arbor, MI 

Ms. Kathlene Eugenie King 

The Honorable Ron Kirk, USTR

Mrs. Matrice Ellis-Kirk

Mr. Harold Koh, Washington, DC

Ms. Mary-Christy Fisher

The Honorable Howard Kyongju Koh, Washington, DC

Ms. Claudia Anne Arrigg

Mr. Bon Moo Koo, Chairman of LG

Mr. Chris Korge, Coral Gables, FL

Mr. Andrew Korge

Mr. Peter Kraus, Dallas, TX

Mrs. Lisa Kraus

Mr. Peter Kwon, Washington, DC

Mrs. Jeanie Kwon

The Honorable Jim Leach, Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities, Bethesda, MD

Mrs. Elisabeth Leach

Mr. John Lechleiter, Indianapolis, IN

Mrs. Sarah Lechleiter

Dr. Chang-rae Lee, Princeton, NJ

Mrs. Michelle Branca Lee

Ms. Seung Yun Lee, Daughter of Korean President Lee

Mr. Won Lee, Washington, DC

Mrs. Young Ja Lee

The Honorable Sander Levin, United States Representative 

Ms. Pamela Marie Cole

Mr. James E. Liguori, Wyoming, DE

Mrs. Stephanie I. Liguori 

Mr. Andres W. Lopez, San Juan, PR

Ms. Camelia Garrido

The Honorable Richard Lugar, United States Senator 

Ms. Deb Lugar

The Honorable Capricia Penavic Marshall, Chief of Protocol, U.S. Department of State

Dr. Robert Marshall

Mr. John P. Marttila, Boston, MA

Mrs. Nancy Ellen Marttila

Ms. Linda Mason, Manager, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Belmont, MA

Mr. Roger H Brown, President of Berklee College of Music

The Honorable Denis McDonough, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor

Mrs. Karin McDonough

Ms. Janelle Monáe, Performer

Mr. Nathaniel Irvin

Mr. Alan Mulally, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI

Mrs. Nicki Mulally 

Mr. Scott A. Nathan, Boston, MA

Ms. Laura A. Debonis

Mr. Mark Nichols, Washington, DC

Ms. Jane Siena

The Honorable Thomas Nides, Dep. Secretary of State for Management and Resources

Ms. Virginia Moseley

Mr. Spencer Arthur Overton, Professor of Law, GW Law School, Chevy Chase, MD

Mrs. Leslie Collins Overton

The Honorable Leon E Panetta, Secretary of Defense

Mr. Deven J. Parekh, New York, NY

Mrs. Monika Parekh 

Mr. Scott Pelley, Darien, CT

Mrs. Jane Boone Pelley

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Leader, United States Representative

Mr. Paul Pelosi, Jr.

The Honorable David Plouffe, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor

Ms. Olivia Morgan

Dr. Peter M. Rhee, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Mrs. Emily Rhee 

The Honorable Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, New York, NY

Mr. Ian Cameron

Ms. Carla A. Robbins, New York, NY

Mr. Guy B. Gugliotta

Mr. Lee Rosenberg, President, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Chicago, IL

Mrs. Nancy Rosenberg

The Honorable Pete Rouse, Counselor to the President, Washington, DC

Ms. Courtney M. Chapin

The Honorable Kathryn Ruemmler, Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President

Mr. Danny Russel, Chevy Chase, MD

Mrs. Keiko Abo Russel

Mr. Jin Roy Ryu, Los Angeles, CA

Ms. Helen Lho

Ms. Sheryl Kara Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook, Palo Alto, CA

Ms. Adele Frances Einhorn Sandberg, North Miami Beach, FL

Mrs. Elaine Schuster, Osterville, MA

Gerald Schuster

Mr. Sydney A. Seiler, Director for Korea, NSS, Washington, DC

Mr. Eugene Sepulveda, Austin, TX

Ms. Suzanne Deal Booth

Mr. Paull Shin, Washington State Senator, Lynwood, WA

Mrs. Donna Shin

Mr. Kyung-shik Sohn 

Ms. Unmi Song, Skokie, IL

Ms. Unhae U. Song, Washington, DC 

Mr. Bobby Stein, Jacksonville, FL

Mrs. Mary C. Stein

The Honorable Kathleen Stephens, Ambassador to the Republic of Korea

William C. Harwood, Emeryville, CA

The Honorable Ann S Stock, Acting Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

Mr. Stuart C Stock

Ms. Kathy Surace-Smith, Bellevue, WA

Mr. Brad Smith

Ms. Nancy Helen Sutley, Washington, DC

Mrs. Suzanne Beatrice Sutley, Jackson Heights, NY

The Honorable Tina Tchen, Chief of Staff, Office of the First Lady

General James D. Thurman, Commander UNC/CFC/USFK, Department of Defense

Mrs. Delia Lee Thurman

The Honorable Melanne Verveer, Ambassador at Large for Women's Global Issues, Department of State

The Honorable Philip Louis Verveer

The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary, Department of Agriculture

Mr. Bob Stallman

Ms. Jai Lee Wong, Executive Director, Women's Leadership Circles, Los Angeles, CA

Mr. Kent Douglas Wong

Before Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann, there was Geraldine Ferraro.

The Democratic New York congresswoman made history in 1984 as the first female candidate on a major presidential party ticket.

Former Vice President Walter Mondale, with Ferraro as his running mate, lost in a landslide to President Ronald Reagan.

It would be nearly 25 years before Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin made history again in 2008, and their candidacies weren't successful, either. But during that time, more women entered politics, from state legislatures and governorships to Congress. Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, in all regions of the country.

It's only a matter of time before a woman successfully achieves the highest office in America. And she'll have Gerry Ferraro to thank.

The guest list for tonight's State Dinner at the White House:

THE PRESIDENT and MRS. OBAMA

HIS EXCELLENCY HU JINTAO

The Honorable Madeleine Albright, Washington, D.C.
    Ms. Alice Albright

Ms. Christiane Amanpour, ABC News, New York, NY
    Mr. James Rubin

The Honorable David Axelrod, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor
    Mrs. Susan Axelrod

Mr. Jeffrey Bader, National Security Council
    Ms. Rohini Talalla

The Honorable Elizabeth Bagley, Washington, D.C.
    Mr. Kevin Frawley

Mr. Steven Ballmer, Microsoft, Redmond, WA
    Mrs. Connie Ballmer

Ms. Bette Bao Lord, New York, NY
       The Honorable Winston Lord

Mrs. Denise Bauer, Belvedere Tiburon, CA

The Honorable Howard Berman, Representative from California
      Mrs. Janis Berman
           
Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
       Dr. Jill Biden

The Honorable Joseph Beau Biden, III, Attorney General of Delaware, Wilmington, DE
       Mrs. Hallie Biden

His Excellency Zheng Bijian, Chairman, CIIDS

His Excellency Dai Bingguo, State Councilor

Mr. Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs, New York, NY
       Mrs. Laura Blankfein

The Honorable Antony Blinken, Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor, Office of the Vice President

The Honorable Stephen Breyer, United States Supreme Court
       Dr. Johanna Breyer

Mr. Greg Brown, Motorola, Schaumburg, IL
       Mrs. Anna-Louise Brown

The Honorable Dr. Zbigniew Brezezinski, McLean, VA
       Mrs. Emilie A. Brzezinski

The Honorable Kurt M. Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
The Honorable Lael Brainard, Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs

The Honorable James E. Carter, former President of the United States
       Mrs. Rosalynn Carter

Mr. Jackie Chan, Beverly Hills, CA
       Mr. Phillip Button

The Honorable Elaine Chao, Washington, D.C.
       Dr. James Chao

His Excellency Wang Chao, Vice Minister for Commerce

His Excellency Tung Chee Hwa, Vice Chairman, CPPCC, former Hong Kong Chief Executive

Mr. John A. Chen, Chairman, Committee of 100, New York, NY
       Mrs. Sherrie Chen

The Honorable Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey, Trenton, NJ
       Mrs. Mary Pat Christie

The Honorable Judy Chu, Representative from California
       Ms. Chiling Tong

The Honorable Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy
       Mrs. Jean Chu

The Honorable Hillary R. Clinton, Secretary of State

The Honorable William J. Clinton, former President of the United States

The Honorable James E. Clyburn, Representative from South Carolina
       Mr. John Clyburn

The Honorable Richard Daley, Mayor of Chicago, Chicago, IL
       Mrs. Maggie Daley

The Honorable William Daley, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
       Ms. Bernadette Keller

His Excellency Chen Deming, Minister of Commerce

Mr. Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan Chase & Co., New York, NY
       Mrs. Judith Dimon

The Honorable Thomas Donilon, Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor
       Ms. Cathy Russell, Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden

The Honorable Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education
       Mrs. Karen Duncan

Mr. James Fallows, The Atlantic, Washington, D.C.
       Mrs. Deborah Fallows

Mr. Xie Feng, Director General, MFA

Mr. Thomas Friedman, The New York Times, Washington, D.C.
       Mrs. Ann Friedman

The Honorable Michael B. Froman, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs
       Ms. Nancy Goodman

His Excellency Wan Gang, Minister of Science and Technology

The Honorable Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense
       Mrs. Becky Gates

The Honorable Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury
       Mrs. Carole Geithner

Mr. Mark Gilbert, Boca Raton, FL
       Mrs. Nancy Gilbert

The Honorable Chris Gregoire, Governor of Washington, Olympia, WA
       Ms. Courtney Gregoire

His Excellency Zhu Guangyao, Vice Minister for Finance

His Excellency Zhang Guobao, Vice Minister for NDRC

Mr. Herbie Hancock, Los Angeles, CA
      Mrs. GiGi Hancock

The Honorable Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Science and Technology

The Honorable Robert Hormats, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs

The Honorable Steny Hoyer, Representative from Maryland, Democratic WHIP

His Excellency Wang Huning, Director of the Policy Research Office of CCCPC

The Honorable Jon Huntsman, U.S. Ambassador to China
       Mrs. Mary Kaye Huntsman

Mr. Robert Iger, The Walt Disney Company, Burbank, CA
       Ms. Willow Bay

Mr. David Ignatius, The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Eve Ignatius

Mr. Jeff Immelt, General Electric, Fairfield, CT
       Mrs. Andrea Immelt

The Honorable Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement

His Excellency Li Jiaxiang, Vice Minister for Transportation

His Excellency Yang Jiechi, Minister of Foreign Affairs

His Excellency Ling Jihua, Director of the General Office of CCCPC

Mr. Robert Kagan, McLean, VA
       Ms. Victoria Nuland

Mr. Michael Kempner, East Rutherford, NJ
       Mrs. Jacqueline Kempner

Mr. Muhtar Kent, Coca-Cola, Atlanta, GA

The Honorable John F. Kerry, Senator from Massachusetts
       Mrs. Teresa Heinz Kerry

Mr. Robert King, UAW, Detroit, MI
       Ms. Julie Kushner

The Honorable Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative
       Mrs. Matrice Ellis-Kirk

The Honorable Henry Kissinger, New York, NY
    Mrs. Nancy Kissinger

Mr. Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times, Scarsdale, NY
       Ms. Sheryl WuDunn

Ms. Ellen Kullman, DuPont, Wilmington, DE
       Mr. Michael Kullman

Dr. Zhang Kunsheng, Director-General, Protocol Department

Ms. Michelle Kwan, Torrance, CA

Mr. Lang Lang, New York, NY
      Mrs. Zhou Xiulan

The Honorable Jacob Lew, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources

Ms. Maya Lin, New York, NY
       Mr. Daniel Wolf

Ms. Limin Liu, Reno, NV
       Dr. Hugh Shapiro

Mr. Andrew N. Liveris, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI
       Mrs. Paula Liveris

The Honorable Gary Locke, Secretary of Commerce
       Mrs. Mona Locke

The Honorable Christopher Lu, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary
       Ms. Kathryn Thomson

The Honorable Richard Lugar, Senator from Indiana
       Mrs. Charlene Lugar

Mr. Yo Yo Ma, Burbank, CA
       Ms. Jill Hornor

The Honorable Capricia Marshall, Chief of Protocol, Department of State

Mr. W. James McNerney, The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL
       Mrs. Haity McNerney

Mr. Evan Medeiros, Director for Asian Affairs, NSS

His Excellency Jiang Mianheng, Vice Chairman, CAS

Mr. Mel Monzack, Wilmington, DE
       Mrs. Ann Monzack

Admiral Michael G. Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Mrs. Wendi Deng Murdoch, New York, NY

Mr. James Murren, Las Vegas, NV
      Mrs. Heather Murren

The Honorable Thomas Nides, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources
       Ms. Virginia Moseley

Mr. Paul Otellini, Intel, Santa Clara, CA
       Mrs. Sandy Otellini

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Representative from California, Democratic Leader
       Mr. Paul Pelosi

His Excellency Zhang Ping, Minister of NDRC

The Honorable David Plouffe, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor
       Ms. Olivia Morgan

Mr. Tom Pritzker, Pritzker Organization, Chicago, IL
       Mrs. Margot Pritzker

His Excellency Wang Qishan, Vice Premier of the State Council

Ms. Jean Quan, Mayor of Oakland, CA
       The Honorable Edwin M. Lee, Mayor of San Francisco, CA

Ms. Azita Raji, JP Morgan Securities, Inc., Belvedere, CA
       Mr. Gary Syman

The Honorable Ben Rhodes, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting
       Ms. Ann Norris

The Honorable Susan Rice, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, New York, NY
       Mr. Ian Cameron

Mr. Robert Roche, Shanghai, CN

Mr. Kenneth Roth, The Human Rights Watch, Washington, D.C.
       Ms. Annie Sparrow

The Honorable Pete Rouse, Counselor to the President
       Ms. Courtney Chapin

Mr. David M. Rubenstein, The Carlyle Group, Washington, D.C.
       Mrs. Alice Rubenstein

Mr. Kirk Rudy, Austin, TX
       Mrs. Amy Rudy

The Honorable Brent Scowcroft, The Forum for International Policy, Washington, D.C.

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services
       The Honorable Gary Sebelius

The Honorable Susan Sher, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady
       The Honorable Neil Cohen

Mr. Robert Sherman, Boston, MA
       Ms. Kim S. Sawyer

His Excellency Chen Shiju, Chief of the President’s Office

The Honorable George Shultz, Stanford, CA
       Mrs. Charlotte Shultz

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Culver City, CA
       The Honorable Phil Gordon, Mayor of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ

The Honorable Gene Sperling, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy & Director of the National Economic Council
       Ms. Allison Abner

The Honorable Jim Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State
    Ms. Sherburne B. Abbott

Ms. Barbra Streisand, Malibu, CA
Mr. James Brolin

The Honorable Tina Tchen, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement

Mr. John Thornton, The Brookings Institution, HSBC North America, Palm Beach, FL
       Mrs. Margaret Thornton

His Excellency Cui Tiankai, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs

Dr. Stanley Toy, Jr., Pasadena, CA
       Ms. Lana Toy

Mr. Luis Ubinas, The Ford Foundation, New York, NY
       Dr. Deborah Tolman

Mr. Jose Villarreal, Commissioner General, Shanghai Expo, San Antonio, TX
       Ms. Sara Villarreal

Ms. Vera Wang, New York, NY
       Mr. Arthur Becker

Mr. Steve Westly, Menlo Park, CA
       Ms. Anita Yu

Ms. Anna Wintour, Vogue Magazine, New York, NY
       Mr. Shelby Bryan

Ms. Patricia A. Woertz, Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur, IL
       Mr. Kelvin R. Westbrook

Mr. B.D. Wong, New York, NY
       Mrs. Roberta Wong

Mr. Charles Woo, Mega Toys, Los Angeles, CA
       Mrs. Ying Woo

The Honorable David Wu, Representative from Oregon
       Ms. Anna Kopperud

His Excellency Xie Xuren, Minister of Finance

His Excellency Zhang Yesui, Chinese Ambassador to the United States
    Madam Chen Naiqing

His Excellency Sun Yibiao, Vice Minister for Customs

The Secretary of State was asked today about the return of former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier. She said it would be up to Haiti to prosecute him.

"We are very clear going back many years about the abuses of that regime," she said on CBS's The Early Show. "And certainly, we believe that his record is one of repression of the Haitian people. Ultimately, a decision about what is to be done is left to the government and people of Haiti. But we're focused on trying to maintain stability, prevent chaos and violence in this very unpredictable period with his return, with cholera still raging, with the challenges of reconstruction, with an election that’s been challenged. It sometimes seems as though the Haitians just never get a break; they just don't get enough of a period where they can regroup and take the necessary actions that will give them a stronger future.

"So we stand with the Haitian people and with their aspirations, and we hope that we can get through this difficult period and get back to a more stable relationship within Haiti and between Haiti and the rest of the world."

Read what you like into it. Campaigning in Delware today with Delaware's own, Vice President Joe Biden, on behalf of Democratic Senate nominee Chris Coons, President Obama told the crowd in Wilmington that of all the decisions he's made in the past two years "the single best decision that I have made was selecting Joe Biden as my running mate - the single best decision I’ve made. I mean that."

Obama's public vote of confidence comes after speculation that the White House has been batting down that Obama might always decide to replace Biden on the 2012 ticket with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The White House continues to reject the scenario, most recently promoted by journalist Bob Woodward in a CNN interview, that President Obama could decide to swap Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden for the 2012 ticket. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said today that "it's just absolutely not true" and "it's not a discussion that's happening." Gibbs said Obama feels Biden is "doing an extraordinary job" and is "quite pleased" with Clinton's performance. A British journalist called Gibbs out on the "quite pleased" qualifier, prompting Gibbs to feign speechlessness and then lob an across-the-pond jab, saying how about if he changed "quite" to "enourmously" - "with an extra 'u'."

Gibbs also quipped of Clinton, “I think she’s going to the DNC” - a reference to rumors, which he has been less vociferously discouraging, that Gibbs himself may shift to the Democratic National Committee in the coming months.

Nearly two months after his country was ravaged by an earthquake, Haitian president Rene Preval met with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton who told reporters the two governments are meeting today, tomorrow and Thursday "to discuss in depth what we need to do still to alleviate suffering and what we will do together to help build back Haiti better.

"The United States and the international community mounted the largest ever rescue and relief effort,"she said. "Progress has been made, but not nearly enough." The U.S. has already contributed $700 million, she said, and nearly half of all U.S. households have contributed to private relief efforts.

Preval's visit -- he meets with President Barack Obama Wednesday -- comes as the country's major donors prepare for a March 31 conference.

"We are listening very carefully to President Preval and the voices of the Haitian people as to what our next steps should be," Clinton said, noting Preval brought up the need to hold elections in the country.

She noted the problems to be discussed include getting people into safe housing before the rainy season, providing fertilizer and seed to Haiti’s farmers, getting Haiti’s factories up and running and convincing other countries to extend favorable tariffs to Haiti like the U.S. does.

"I want to assure you again that the United States and President Obama and our Administration remain committed to you," Clinton told Preval. " We believe in Haiti’s promise and we are committed to Haiti’s future.

Preval expressed condolences to Americans who were killed in the Jan. 12 earthquake and gave his "deepest thanks" to the U.S and its government "for all of the help and support that you have provided to Haiti."

Former President Bill Clinton was reported to be in good spirits Thursday evening after suffering chest pains and having two stents in one of his arteries.

“Today, President Bill Clinton was admitted to the Columbia Campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital after feeling discomfort in his chest,” Clinton aide Douglas Band said in a statement.

“Following a visit to his cardiologist, he underwent a procedure to place two stents in one of his coronary arteries.”

Stents are wire mesh tubes that expand and prop up an artery to relieve blockage. Clinton, now 63, had a quadruple bypass operation in 2004 that successfully freed four blocked arteries. 

 Band signaled that Clinton was not in grave danger Thursday. “President Clinton is in good spirits,” he said, “and will continue to focus on the work of his Foundation and Haiti's relief and long-term recovery efforts.” Clinton has been active in Haiti relief efforts

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was finishing a regular weekly meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House Thursday afternoon about the time he husband was taken to the hospital. She left for New York soon after that.

It was unclear whether she would postpone a scheduled trip on Friday to Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

“If we have anything to add beyond that, we will, including any changes to her schedule in the coming days," said a statement from the State Department.