Hillary Clinton Drinks Beer, Dances in Colombia After Summit Talks
Hillary Clinton danced, drank beer, and let of some steam in Colombia's Café Havana after a long day of meetings at the Summit of the Americas. The Secretary of State visited Cartagena's local hotspot with aides, friends, and of course, security.
Hillary Clinton toasted the end of the Summit of the Americas by drinking what seemed to be an Aguila pilsner beer and dancing the rhumba, according to The New York Post. Her party, consisting of 12 others, took the last table available, ordering 12 beers, two glasses of whiskey, and bottles of water.
"She looked like she was having a great time," one onlooker who asked not to be named told Reuters. Pictures of the outing surfaced not long after the party, and have been broadcast worldwide.
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A U.S. State Department official also confirmed that the former First Lady had "a lot" of fun dancing to the Cuban rhythms of the 11-musician band playing that night.
Clinton's stint in Café Havana is most likely the only time Cuba was mentioned during the journey, as the Communist nation was denied the right to attend the Summit of the Americas. The 33 countries involved in the forum remain sharply divided over whether to include Cuba in the talks. President Obama did not make a decision to include Cuba or bar it, possibly to avoid alienating Cuban voters in Florida.
Despite the lighthearted tone of most media outlets concerning the Secretary of State letting loose in the Colombia club, the action had its detractors. Nile Gardiner of the U.K.'s Telegraph questioned if Clinton would be seen as an "embarrassment" to American politics.
"I suspect that a lot of US taxpayers will see it … as a senior government official having a jolly time on an official overseas junket at taxpayer's expense," he wrote.
More negative press was garnered by the trip as 11 Secret Service agents allegedly brought prostitutes back to their room. The President called for a "rigorous investigation" of the incident, and told reporters that he would be "very angry" if the reports were found to be true.
