New York: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is famously workaholic, told employees at the State Department on Thursday that she will not stay on in the job if President Barack Obama wins re-election.
Clinton’s popularity and global celebrity have stoked constant speculation about her political plans. With the US economy on a slippery slope, some Americans have a touch of buyer’s remorse. They feel Clinton could have managed the US economy better than Obama.
According to pollster Gallup, which began measuring Clinton’s favorable rating in 1993, there have been several instances when Americans viewed her more unfavorably than favorably — one as recently as February 2008. But she now leads Obama and Vice-president Joe Biden in popular appeal.
Hillary Clinton accepts that India and the US will not see eye-to-eye on every issue. B. Mathur / Reuters
“What could we do to persuade you to run for Vice-president?” an enthusiastic staffer asked at a State Department town hall meeting on Thursday, referring to persistent rumors.
“Oh, my goodness,” Clinton replied.
“I will certainly stay on until the President nominates someone and that transition can occur,” said Clinton, who has insisted repeatedly that she will be a one-term secretary. “But I think, after 20 years …of being on the high wire of American politics, and all of the challenges that come with that, it would probably be a good idea to just find out how tired I am.”
Over the last two decades, Clinton has worked full tilt as First Lady, New York Senator, aspiring presidential candidate and finally the top US diplomat.
As Secretary of State, Clinton is barred from partisan politics and she acknowledged that it is unusual not to be participating in this election season. Still, she said she’s enjoying being out of the political rough and tumble. “You know, I didn’t watch any of those debates,” she said with a smile while referring to the Republican presidential hopefuls’ debates.
During one of Clinton’s visit’s to India last year, some newspapers suggested that if the US-India relationship had a Facebook status, it would be “It’s complicated.” True, the nuclear deal is floundering on differences over India’s nuclear liability law, the economic relationship has been hurt by the U-turn on FDI in multi-brand retail, and Indian ambassador Nirupama Rao called on Clinton on Wednesday to hash out troublesome Iran sanctions.
Obviously, Clinton laid out America’s position on Iran, essentially its sanctions that it wants other countries to follow. Despite US pressure, India and China, the biggest buyers of Iranian crude are still not going to join the ban on oil imports from Iran.
According to Indian diplomats, Clinton at least understands the glue that binds India and Iran which other Washington elites find so hard to fathom. She has managed to tamp down unnecessary concern in Washington about India’s proximity to Iran. Instead of being an alarmist, she sort of gets it that it is part of India’s smart economic diplomacy.
In October last year, Clinton had given a major address, where she urged Washington to learn from India and Brazil and make its economic interests central to its foreign policy to remain a global leader.
“Emerging powers like India and Brazil put economics at the centre of their foreign policies. One of the first questions they ask is, ‘how will this affect our economic growth?’ We need to be asking the same question, not because the answer will dictate every one of our foreign policy choices — it will not – but it must be a significant part of that equation,” Clinton told the 104-year-old Economic Club of New York.
Clinton has maturely accepted that India and the United States will not see eye-to-eye on all issues, nor will their interests always concur. Yet, she has always been a good friend to India and ensured the relationship is not cantankerous.
Clinton has previously denied that she will pursue another run for the presidency in 2016, but not all her supporters are convinced or ready to let her go.
