Declaring that “we hope you won’t make the same mistakes we made,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton invited China to join the United States in an ambitious effort to curb greenhouse gases, as she toured an energy-efficient power plant in Beijing on Saturday. “When we were industrializing and growing, we didn’t know any better; neither did Europe,” Mrs. Clinton said. “Now we’re smart enough to figure out how to have the right kind of growth.” The gas-fired power plant, which uses sophisticated turbines made by General Electric, is nearly twice as efficient as the coal-fired plants that supply much of China’s electricity and that helped vault China past the United States as the world’s leading emitter of carbon dioxide. – From NY Times

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will meet in Washington next month to work out details for talks between the presidents of their two countries in April. Clinton met with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao Saturday in Beijing, the last stop on her tour of four Asian countries. – From Voice of America

China and United States on Saturday agreed to work more closely in dealing with the global financial crisis, climate change, energy, environment and other issues of common concern. The agreement came out of the talks between Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday morning which marked the first face-to-face diplomacy between the two countries after the Obama administration took office last month. – From the Hindu

Andrew Cuomo, come on down!

The search to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate was thrown into chaos Wednesday night after sources said Caroline Kennedy had withdrawn her name from consideration. The startling news came just as Gov. Paterson was set to choose Clinton’s successor – with Kennedy considered to be the front-runner. Even as some sources said Kennedy had told Paterson she was pulling out, there was confusion among her closest confidantes. A family source said cousin Kerry Kennedy spoke with both Paterson and Caroline Kennedy’s political consultant, Josh Isay, and neither was aware she was bowing out. – From NY Daily News

Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn from consideration for the vacant Senate seat in New York, according to a person told of her decision. Ms. Kennedy on Wednesday called Gov. David A. Paterson, who will choose a successor to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, to inform him that she no longer wished to be considered. – From NY Times

Caroline Kennedy, who was widely considered the front-runner for an appointment to replace Hillary Clinton as U.S. senator from New York, will remove herself from consideration for that post, according to three Democratic sources. Sources told CNN that, as of about 8 p.m. Wednesday, she had not yet informed New York Gov. David Paterson of her decision. And as the evening wore on, confusion still surrounded the situation — sources telling CNN they were unsure of exactly where the decision stood. – From CNN

Hillary Clinton was confirmed on Wednesday as the new U.S. secretary of state, a day after hitting a temporary snag. – from CBCNews

But the vote in the Foreign Relations Committee was not unanimous, reflecting misgivings by some members that charitable fund-raising by the Senator’s husband – former President Bill Clinton – might present conflict-of-interest problems for the new secretary. – from VOA News

The only two dissenters were Republicans Jim DeMint of South Carolina and David Vitter of Louisiana. The first “aye” vote came from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, who made an impassioned speech on Clinton’s behalf and declared that Obama had promised him “to be serious” about battling climate change. – from AFP

Caroline Kennedy, who is seeking appointment to New York’s soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat, is facing sharp criticism from rivals, intense scrutiny from the media and disparagement over everything from refusing to disclose her finances to not voting in some past elections. In the second week of a public introduction that even some supporters say has not gone smoothly, Kennedy is also facing resistance from some Democrats over the support of New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I), one of her highest-profile backers. – from Washpo

Speaking on CBS’ Face The Nation, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. (who has said he wants to run for Senate) called Kennedy a “People Magazine celebrity” who, as far as he knew, “has never held a real job. “How can the average New Yorker identify with Caroline Kennedy?” King asked. “She comes from an outstanding family, I’m sure she’s a wonderful parent, but she’s never taken a stand on any public issue. She’s never even held one news conference. She hasn’t gone to one American Legion hall or Knights of Columbus hall or Masonic temple, or one synagogue to answer questions. When she does go on her so-called listening tour upstate, she’s, like, running from city hall into the car to avoid reporters. – from CBSNews

The governor’s frustration follows reports last week that Kevin Sheekey, a top deputy to Mr. Bloomberg who has been advising Ms. Kennedy, had called a labor leader and told him that Ms. Kennedy was going to be senator, “so get on board now,” and that a member of Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s staff was helping Ms. Kennedy reach out to unions. – from NYTimes

As political debuts go, it was not an entirely brilliant start: Caroline Kennedy, America’s most famous political daughter, ducking the television cameras to dive into a waiting black four-wheel drive, only moments after announcing she wanted a seat in the Senate. The awkward scene offered a new take on Kennedy. Was this the fairytale ending at last for the erstwhile princess of Camelot, the survivor of a family that suffered more than its share of assassination, cancer, and tragic accidents? Or was this an example of Park Avenue privilege claiming what it saw as its due? – from Guardian

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a boost to Caroline Kennedy as a possible Senate candidate, saying she is experienced and “can do anything.” “Caroline Kennedy is a very experienced woman, she’s worked very hard for the city. I can just tell you she’s made an enormous difference in New York City,” said Bloomberg after meeting on Capitol Hill with other U.S. mayors to seek stimulus spending from Congress. – from AP

Gov. David A. Paterson said on Sunday night that Caroline Kennedy has not yet explicitly indicated to him that she wants to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton as senator. He added that he was still considering a number of candidates to fill the seat.

The chatter in Democratic circles has been dominated by the news that Mr. Paterson discussed the Senate seat with Ms. Kennedy last week, holding open the possibility that she might be chosen to occupy the seat once held by her uncle Robert F. Kennedy, and serve alongside another uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Mr. Paterson, for his part, has spent much of the past few weeks fielding questions about whom he will choose to replace Mrs. Clinton, who was picked to be secretary of state by President-elect Barack Obama. The governor made sport of the speculation during a speech in Washington on Saturday night.

But he said that though he and Ms. Kennedy had discussed the Senate seat, the ball was essentially in her court.

“I have enough qualified candidates that I don’t think I have to draft anybody,” he said in an interview on Sunday night. “Part of the consideration is how willing people are to serve, so I would figure if they were willing, they would make the request. I haven’t really taken anyone in hand and asked them.”

- from NYtimes

Amy Poehler made her first appearance on “Saturday Night Live” since she abruptly left the show to give birth to her first son Oct. 25.

“You thought I was gone, didn’t you?” she said, in character as Hillary Clinton, opening the show by talking about the appointment to Secretary of State.

“For me,” she said, “this job is almost a dream come true.”

In the sketch, the New York senator makes the case that she got the better job than her one-time rival for president. “Would you rather fix the economy or travel the globe?”

- from Here

For a while there this afternoon, President-elect Barack Obama’s immensely talented chief speechwriter, 27-year-old Jon Favreau, might have been pondering how to address that question.

That’s when some interesting photos of a recent party he attended — including one where he’s dancing with a life-sized cardboard cut-out of secretary of state-designate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and another where he’s placed his hand on the cardboard former first lady’s chest while a friend is offering her lips a beer — popped up on Facebook for about two hours. The photos were quickly taken down — along with every other photo Favreau had of himself on the popular social networking site, save for one profile headshot.

Asked about the photos, Favreau, who was recently appointed director of speechwriting for the White House, declined comment. A transition official said that Favreau had “reached out to Senator Clinton to offer an apology.”

- from Washpost