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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sidestepped questions about her presidential ambitions in 2016, though she was the beneficiary of effusive praise from her boss, President Barack Obama, in a new interview on Sunday.
Neither Obama nor Clinton would address the elephant in the room — whether the outgoing secretary of state, Obama's 2008 primary opponent, should seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 — in an interview aired Sunday on CBS's "60 Minutes."
"You guys in the press are incorrigible," a laughing Obama said in the interview, which was taped on Friday. "I was literally inaugurated four days ago. And you're talking about elections four years from now."
But the topic of a prospective second bid for the presidency by Clinton is already on the tongues of most political professionals of both parties. Clinton allowed a knowing chuckle at a congressional hearing last week when a Republican congressman, referring to her possible ambitions, said: "I wish you the best in your future endeavors — mostly."
Clinton leaves office as secretary of state arguably at the apex of her popularity; 56 percent of Americans expressed a positive opinion of the former first lady in January's NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, and she leaves office with a 69 percent approval rating.
But, in the rare joint interview with the president, Clinton refused to engage the speculation.
"I am still secretary of state. So I'm out of politics. And I'm forbidden from even hearing these questions," she said.
Clinton nonetheless offered a coy morsel of what she may or may not decide to do in 2016.
"I don't think, you know, either he [Obama] or I can make predictions about what's going to happen tomorrow or the next year," she said.
Should she decide to run, though, Clinton's campaign might return to Sunday's "60 Minutes" interview for clips of Obama's overflowing praise to use in campaign ads.
Obama, for instance, said that Clinton would go down in history "as one of the finest secretary of states we've had."
"I think everybody understands that Hillary's been you know, one of the most important advisors that I've had on a whole range of issues," Obama said at another point in the interview.
And the president even made a pronouncement that would have seemed unthinkable during the bitter 2008 primary campaign between the two former senators: "I consider Hillary a strong friend." (Clinton, for her part, described her relationship with the president as "very warm" and "close.")
"Look, that is just ancient history now," Clinton said of the animosity from the 2008 campaign. "And it's ancient history because of the kind of people we all are, but also we're professionals."
Still, as Clinton mulls her future options during the time she's expected to take to relax upon leaving office, other potential Democratic candidates might move forward with their own campaigns-in-waiting.
That includes another administration heavyweight, Vice President Joe Biden, who's seen as likely to preserve his own option to seek the Democratic nomination in 2016.
But lest Obama's praise for Clinton be interpreted as a tacit endorsement of his secretary of state over his vice president, the president heaped praise on Biden just a week ago, too.
"One decision I know was absolutely correct -- absolutely spot on -- was my choice of vice president," Obama said Sunday at an inaugural reception. "I could not have a better partner than Joe Biden."
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Squalling right wing rubes... How amusing...
Apparently the elections losses of 2 months ago had absolutely no effect...
Thankfully...
republicans maintained control of the house.....thank god...
Would that be exactly why the house has the lowest approval rating theyve ever had? Hmmm?
More obstruction from Republicans than ever in our history. Hmm
keep it up and there will no longer be a Republican Party. I say good riddance
Johnny - who will buy Government cheese for you and your fellow Dems? Just put your hand out like a good Dem. and try not to embarrass yourself any more with your stupid posts.
Off topic but the left wing BS just gets deeper and deeper!
"The former Media Matters for America staffer in charge of guarding the group’s leader not only committed multiple felonies when he carried firearms across the country but did so with the organization’s blessing and money, according to a report in the The Daily Caller Monday.
Multiple guns were reportedly bought and used to protect liberal leader David Brock. They were purchased with member money and were green-lighted by the head of the group, according to an unnamed source.
The Daily Caller reports that Brock's assistant carried a concealed Glock handgun without the proper permit.
The Glock-toting revelation flies in the face of the strong anti-gun stance Media Matters touts.
During one of Brock’s gun-guarded trips, he went to a Democratic summit in California. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who re-introduced a gun control package last week in the House including a renewed assault-weapons ban, was also there."
Committed multiple felonies! ruh roh hahahahahahah hypocrits!
@izamyt, reading your posts, you are correct, the BS is getting deeper everytime you say something. I carry my weapon almost everywhere I go, weather my CCL is honored or not by another state. The 2nd Amendment gives me that right. It does not say I need anyone's permission to carry a weapon. Only fools follow the gun laws that the politicians, from both parties made. Are you one of those that follow the gun laws on carrying weapons?
but theres lots of crime in Chicago!
Good Gosh Batman
Hillary Clinton, this tactless wind bag is one... just ONE of Obama's MANY MANY mistakes. Her failure at the State Department is one of the key factors as to why Obama's foreign policy is in the toilet. I hope she hasn't any further political aspirations. She's like the reluctant relative at Christmas who refuses to leave well after the party has ended.
Hillary, just do us a favor and drop away from the political limelight. Ghost write a couple of tepid books that no one is going to read and then jump on the lecture circuit at $100,000 a gig. Like Paris Hilton, the American people have had quite enough of you.
Heaping praise on Hillary is appropriate, but I sure hope the president heaped praise on Bill Clinton, as well, for helping him get re-elected. After the tailspin GWB put the country into, I sincerely hope the next four years will get us back to the thriving economy we had under Bill Clinton.
My biggest hopes for 2016 is that the new legislation being proposed here in Hawaii that further limits the 1st amendment regarding protecting "free speech" to only apply to individuals and not businesses. The distinction is an important one as we saw in 2003-2004 Fox News was given the legal right to lie in a "news" program to the world by a Florida appelate court as part of "free speech". We cannot allow mass media like TV news to actually lie hiding behind the 1st ammendment, that's aiding and abetting the use of political propoganda, which is exactly how Adolf Hitler got his start in Germany. Most german citizens that helped Hitler get into power were honest decent people and were simply lied to about what Hitler and the Natzis stood for and what horror they would bring to the world. Our major news stations in particular should be held accountable for the accuracy of what they call "news".
Anyone that says we should make lieing legal is GOP or Fox News supporter. Legalize lieing to the public on a mass scale like Fox News and Romney have done? Listen to yourself, talk about "nutjob" you hypocrit. Lieing to the public because you think they are stupid enough to let you under the 1st ammendment is a loophole you could drive world war four through. By the way what sort of party is "tea party" because overthrowing the government is in no way shape or form American or patriotic or even democratic, it's an act of terrorism.
Yeah tea party so successful, what happen to Allen West "troll"...
Bill ayers, oh wow.. This crazy kook is talking about bill ayers, hell even Fox News aint talking about this guy no more.
Left is one strange, crazy joker. I think this guy maybe mentally disable..
Fox has the number 1 show...
Maybe you should watch, before you comment.
And maybe the Tea Party should " Fundamentally Change " our country...geez, I wonder who said that.
Don't forget, the Dems are the KKK.
60 minutes is a joke. In fact, the entire press corp is a joke. They fawn over liberals like they're speaking to royalty and Obama with his hag Hillary just lap it up.
80% of our media is JUNK.
The joke is the Republican Party.
The rest of America including the media are moving forward.
see ya
Photo OP, PR and waste of bandwidth.
Man....I remember when 60 Minutes used to be a hard-hitting show........it was a joke. Not one question on Benghazi, not one question for her about the night of the attack....just a horrible interview on Kroft's part....what a pu**y job as a journalist....just horrible.
Why should there be any questions on Benghazi? There weren't any questions when all those people got killed at our embassy's when Bush was President. What makes this any different?
OH, I know why it's different, it happend on a D's watch. When it happens to a R, then its OK as You Are A Republican. Two different standards because some people hate the idea of a Black President in the WHITE HOUSE. Get over it guys, for the second straight Presidential election, you LOST.
We don't like obama because he's a DEMOCRAT!!!!
I know you take it personnally because you're a DEMOCRAT and the way you sound, you'd probably be disliked by Repubs if you were in office.
We won't like Hillary either...not because she's a woman( I think) but, because she's a DEMOCRAT.
If you don't want to feel disliked, don't be a DEMOCRAT!!!!
Get it?
So....we learned about 6 times that "the world is a dangerous place".....too funny
BTW, what is the President's approval rating sitting at? 53% positive 47% negative? Yeah, great job!
Hey GOP,tards
You,lost by 130 electoral votes,,now go look for a leader,,,,,and get,some dam healthcare,,lmao
I see left hater is still on spreading his food stamps around ,,loser
Do you have any other useless spew besides fox spew boy?
for 2016 IMHO there will be a false flag op that O will declare a national emergency and suspend elections indefinetly
Stop watching Fox news and or listening to Rush Limbaugh.
Its making you a paranoid imbecille.
Why does Rush scare you...he's funny
dont watch rush or fox but i do remember going to vietnam after the gulf of tonkin incident and has since been exposed as a false flag op and there have been a few since then
and you know insulting someone online that may not agree with your view is like winning the special olympics, you may win but your still retarded
Lmao
If the Democratic Party is foolish enough to nominate Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 , the Republican victory is guaranteed. I warned the Republican Party that Mitt was no match for Obama , only Ron Paul could have won with Obama. They were foolish enough not to see the obvious and they paid the price.
Joe are you kidding? Ron Paul?
Gee. wasn't it just a few months ago (48) he was calling her a racist, incompetent and not capable of presidential responsibilities? All politicians are scumbags starting at the top with the idiot in the White House.