Immediately after the meeting on Saturday, Mr. Karzai's office issued a terse statement that seemed to point to at least a forceful exchange about the detainees and the facility, saying, "Any delay in its hand-over is considered a breach of Afghan national sovereignty".
The callers were all quite forceful, the exchanges were brisk and lively, and Nick Ferrari kept it all moving with smart, perky questions.
Rather than hiding behind security guards or scurrying to the changing rooms, however, Mel stood his ground, approached the disgruntled fans and spoke to them personally for several minutes, conducting a forceful but mutually respectful exchange of views.
In a 25-minute exchange that officials described as forceful but not angry, Mrs. Clinton spoke about America's commitment to Afghanistan and told Mr. Karzai that the United States had no control over American news coverage.
The two also tussled over which of them would be the more forceful advocate for North Carolina's tobacco farmers, who are seeking buyouts in exchange for switching from quotas and price supports to a more market-driven system.
These might include further quantitative easing, more forceful promises about short-term interest rates, and perhaps moves to lower the exchange rate.
Mr. Ban called his exchange with the generals "frank," and a senior United Nations official described the discussion as "forceful" on both sides.
