Secretary Clinton had nothing but glowing remarks for Malaysia’s leadership when she stopped there in November of last year. “We already have a strong partnership based on common values like respect for cultural diversity, pluralism, religious tolerance… We know that Malaysia is a leader in this region…. [and is] increasingly being looked to as both a thought leader and a model globally,” Clinton said at the time.

Fast forward to yesterday’s State Department briefing and it looks increasingly difficult to portray the U.S.-Malaysia relationship as being based on “common values” — especially when it comes to pluralism.