Hillary's smackdown of Mike Pence shows why she was such a terrific choice for Sec of State, she's smart and unflappable. And, fyi Mr. Pence, Hugo Chavez was elected so, while he might be a distasteful opponent, he's not a dictator.

During today's hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Hillary Clinton made something clear to a very critical Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN): President Obama won the 2008 election.Pence gave a lengthy question in which he criticized Obama for being seen shaking hands with Hugo Chávez, and asked Hillary about the negative effects of this event. In her response, Hillary explained that Obama is taking a different approach than what has been tried in the recent past and didn't work -- and that Obama is the president: "We want your constructive criticism, we want your feedback," said Clinton. "But President Obama won the election. He beat me in a primary, in which he put forth a different approach, and he is now our president. And we all want our president, no matter of which party, to succeed, especially in such a perilous time."

more at cspan.org April 22, 2009