When [Department of State Spokeswoman Jen] Psaki announced that the 2014 edition of the [Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, or QDDR] is now underway, to "build on the foundation established by the 2010 review," Associated Press reporter Matt Lee asked: "Off the top of your head, can you identify one tangible achievement that the last QDDR resulted in?"
Psaki could not. ...
"So I’m sure there are a range of things that were put into place that I’m not even aware of were a result," Psaki concluded.
"I won't hold my breath," said Lee.
Psaki's non-answer created an obviously embarrassing situation for the Department, and on Wednesday Psaki came to the briefing with an answer ready to go. ...
With plenty of time to prepare, the State Department came up with a number of mostly bureaucratic reorganizations as the legacy of Secretary Clinton's QDDR. ...
After a bit of back-and-forth, Lee tried again: "I'm asking for actual demonstrable outcomes, not the creation of a new position or a new job." ...
Hillary Clinton's memoir of her time as secretary of state, "Hard Choices," is scheduled to come out in June. If, as many observers believe, it is part of the rollout of Clinton's 2016 presidential candidacy, the recent statements from the State Department raise a question: Will voters care if Clinton reorganized the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment? Or will they be looking for something much, much bigger?
No doubt, Hillary Clinton faced hard choices. But were there any decision points that she actually acted on? Or did she just get the Participation Ribbon?
On the bright side, she can get a lot of mileage simply by not being Secretary of State Kerry.
