The day before we celebrate our country's independence, most of us here in the United States are thinking about what it means to enjoy the exceptional status of being American citizens. Many of us are thinking about the sacrifices made by our forebears and loved ones whose service in uniform has made ours the most revered nation on earth - a beacon for liberty, and justice for all mankind. 

But on the day before we celebrate an event that fundamentally changed world history in ways few events in the history of mankind have, America's chief envoy to the world beyond our borders was thinking about other things during a telephone call with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. The purpose of Secretary Clinton's call:  To issue an apology to the government of a country which has not only become a critical incubator for terrorist groups that target U.S. and allied interest globally, but a government whose agents have also persistently meddled in our mission to deliver peace and stability to its neighborhood.