What is immediately apparent when you meet Bachelet is a warmth and sense of humanity that captures even the most serious audience of Washington policymakers. She smiles and laughs easily.
This is a woman who delayed her departure to Washington for her first official meeting with President Obama so she could console her national soccer team that just been defeated by Brazil in the World Cup games last Saturday.
Bachelet combines caring maternal instincts with the steely toughness of a global leader of South America’s most economically successful nation. She is also a loyal friend who never forgets where she came from or those who she met along the way.
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