Hillary Clinton has broken into the news lately, today it’s surrounding the latest trading of insults salvo between the Secretary and North Korea’s Foreign Minister, which is rather amusing.
At a meeting of southeast Asian nations in Phuket, Thailand, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman blasted Clinton for what he called a “spate of vulgar remarks unbecoming for her position everywhere she went since she was sworn in,” according to the state-run KCNA news agency.
The spokesman called Clinton “by no means intelligent” and a “funny lady.”
“Sometimes she looks like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping,” the statement said.
Ouch. “A pensioner going shopping”?
Here are Clinton’s remarks that sparked this rather churlishly personal response from North Korea:
“What we’ve seen is this constant demand for attention,” Clinton, who is in India, said in an interview that aired on Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “And maybe it’s the mother in me or the experience that I’ve had with small children and unruly teenagers and people who are demanding attention — don’t give it to them, they don’t deserve it, they are acting out,” she said.
Of course, Clinton is right on. There is a “look at me, look at me” quality to all things North Korea.
But this isn’t the only attention Secretary Clinton has garnered recently, even before her world power tour. There was quite a discussion back and forth about her disappearing from the spotlight, which she and her team slapped down as best they could, though one has to wonder why they’re so worried about her prowess in the press. She’s secretary of state, not president, which may be why the presidential question won’t go away, no matter what Clinton says, including that she’s happy with the arrangement she has with her boss.
“He said, ‘Look, I really need you and I believe that we can have a great relationship.’ And we do. It’s been everything I could have hoped for,” Clinton said.
That said, Clinton’s “defensive umbrella” remark, talking about the Middle East and if Iran nuclear weaponizing capabilities, recently was evidently swatted down by the Obama administration, according to David Sanger, who, in an interview on MSNBC, said the Administration responded to Clinton’s remarks by saying “she was speaking personally.” The result, however, was a “clarification” from Clinton.
Clinton later clarified her comments on Iran, delivered in advance of a regional meeting here, saying that her warning that the United States would create such a “shield’’ did not represent any backing away from the Obama administration’s position that it must prevent Tehran from obtaining a bomb capability. But her words suggested the administration is already thinking ahead to what would amount to a containment strategy, should all efforts at negotiation fail.
We’ll see how this plays out on Sunday when Clinton is on “Meet the Press.” Want to bet whether Gregory asks the presidency question? Biden got it.
The best write up on the presidential question comes from Glenn Kessler, who’s traveling with Clinton.
Clinton said that from her own experience living in the White House as first lady, she understands that the president is always going to be the top policy-maker. “The president is the president. You know, I tried to be the president but I was not successful,” she said to loud applause. “But I know — the president is the president.” The questioners pressed Clinton on her run for the presidency and whether she still entertained the notion of running again.
“That’s not anything I’m at all thinking about,” she replied.
She was asked if she had ever given up hope, and she said: “I don’t know, but I doubt very much that anything like that will ever be part of my life.”
Is it wait and see? “No, no, no, no.”
Finally, one questioner pressed, “Never say never,” and Clinton seemed to shut the door.
“Well, I am saying no because I have a very committed attitude to the job I have and so that’s not at all on my radar screen.”
It’s a futile exercise to wonder what might happen in 2016, but that hasn’t stopped anyone from wondering. It’s 7 years away, with a lot of travel and SoS duties lying in between. But Hillary’s fans haven’t given up and still pine for that moment when she throws her hat in the presidential ring once more.
Back in reality, there is no evidence whatsoever of the competitive Clinton we saw in the 2008 primaries. As secretary of state there shouldn’t be. But beyond her relevancy campaign, because the press was writing her out of the spotlight, the fact is that her current job is not a center stage position. However, the bigger point is that it’s also far afield from politics as usual and the fight and struggle for political stardom that makes a presidential bid possible. The other thing to think about is to gear back up for the food fights after being on the world stage, handling matters beyond the petty stuff that’s required to run for office, Hillary Clinton just might have found some peace.
Hillary’s poll numbers have never been higher. She’s obviously suited for State, and she’s thrown off any pretense of ego that had her coiffed, highlighted, dressed to the nines and aggressively enjoying her place in the sun. Whether that’s a good thing or not is up to you. But Secretary of State Clinton has instead chosen a modest, low key, even dowdy persona (when compared to glamour Clinton of the ’08 primaries), content to let her intelligence, grasp of the issues and stellar analytic ability speak for themselves without the trappings of style or show. But also without trying to attempt a star tour at State many of us assumed she’d adopt. So far at State, a very different Clinton has emerged, especially juxtaposed against the person who fought for the presidency so hard only to come up short. It’s a real question whether we’ll ever see that Hillary Clinton again. It would take a lot of work to turn and start firing political salvos again after playing diplomat in chief.
It’s a lot like Al Gore’s weight watch, when everyone was speculating whether Gore would get back in the race based on whether he began to lose weight. Waiting on style and competitive spirit watch regarding Hillary could be equally frustrating.
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