Hillary Clinton's Future Plans: "I would like to see whether I can get untired."

[kpete]

As everyone knows, Clinton’s remaining time in the cabinet is limited. She long ago told President Obama that she wanted to leave after his first term was up. “Obviously, if he wants to get somebody confirmed I’d be sensitive to that. But it’s not going to be much longer.”

Then she is going to chill. While there are many topics on which Hillary Clinton speaks with great passion, at this moment there are very few about which she is as intense as her desire to not do anything.

“I am so looking forward to next year,” she said. “I just want to sleep and exercise and travel for fun. And relax. It sounds so ordinary, but I haven’t done it for 20 years. I would like to see whether I can get untired. I work out and stuff, but I don’t do it enough and I don’t do it hard enough because I can’t expend that much energy on it.”

Notice that we are less than a minute into her paean to not doing anything, and already she is planning her workouts.

the rest:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/11/opinion/sunday/collins-hillarys-next-move.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&ref=opinion

[Cirque du So-What]

1. She has done a good job

and I believe that she deserves a break from what must be a very demanding role.

[struggle4progress]

2. She's a great woman. We'll all be happy with whatever she chooses to do next

[LuvLoogie]

3. She has to do this...

If she is going to run in 2016. And since she is indicating that her physical fitness is a priority, she is giving herself the option to run. She is making it a real choice for herself. At her age (any age) it is wise for her to achieve top form, given the demands of a presidential campaign. TV ads aren't going to cut it. It's gonna take a lot of legwork.

[applegrove]

4. Go Hillary Go!

[Whisp]

5. I find this 'tired' thing about Hillary - from herself here and from others

just a bit off putting.

Has any other politician/SoS complained about being tired so much?

I don't think that is a good message to send, especially if she is thinking about running in 2016.

Just imagine how 'tired' Obama is and doesn't complain.

[kestrel91316]

6. She hasn't indicated she's running, has she?

From what I've seen, all the talk is from other people WISHING she would.

[pnwest]

8. she has repeatedly stated she's NOT going to run in 2016. and FU for giving her shit

about being tired. Nothing wrong with admitting you'd like to have a little time to yourself for a personal life, especially while you're still young and able enough to enjoy it. Haven't you ever been physically wrung out from a 4 hour plane flight? Imaging doing that several times a month, for 4 years. Nice empathy, man.

[Whisp]

9. hold on there Nelly.

don't strain your juice.

of course she can repeatedly say anything, for one thing she's a politician and for another she's a Clinton.

she is not still young, and that is somehow going to turn into me insulting her in some strange way.

and boo hoo, flying around on a plane with people around you peeling grapes for you is so dang hard. I mean, just imagine how easy poor women have it that have to work 3 jobs and have small kids to look after compared to jet lag!

please, spare me. lol.

[pnwest]

17. "still young and able enough"

didn't say she was young, i said she was young and able enough to enjoy life, still.

[Spider Jerusalem]

36. You have a pretty fucked up idea...

of what the stress and work involved in being Secretary of State actually entail. It's hardly "flying around with people peeling you grapes" and 18 hour days, constant travel, intelligence briefings, communication with heads of diplomatic missions and ambassadors, with the foreign ministers of other countries, and so on, it's hardly easy; this sounds like the sort of fucktarded anti-intellectual nonsense that dismisses work that requires brains rather than physical labour as somehow less demanding or stressful (when at that level it isn't, really).

[Beacool]

43. Ahhh, there's the Whisp I remember.

So, one of the hardest jobs in government is reduced by you to flying around and having people peel grapes for you?

Too funny..........

[ProfessionalLeftist]

53. Constant travel is exhausting - ever tried it for 4 years? Or, 20?

Probably not.

And she's said she's not running in 2016. Sounds to me like she and Bill have passed the torch to Obama and his generation of leaders and supporters and would like to retire from politics, for the most part. Well-earned on both their parts, IMO.

People keep sticking Hillary's name on 2016 and I just don't think it's happening.

[roguevalley]

60. FU? Really? Nice. Remind me to block you.

[LeftyMom]

10. Christ almighty. She's in her middle sixties. It's okay to say that constant travel and stress

is tiring. It would wear me the fuck out and I'm half her age.

[Whisp]

11. this tired thing has been going around for years now.

It's not about this one story.

Vote Hillary: She's Tired.

[LeftyMom]

13. She's not running for anything. She's probably quitting the job she does have.

Holy fuck, I don't even much care for her, but the degree to which she can't win is fucking baffling. How dare a sixty whatever woman with a job that takes her to one backwater wartorn shithole after another be tired. Certainly not when her plane gets shot at or when she has to put on some ridiculous getup and go treat some woman hating backward fucknozzle like he's a reasonable human being just because he happens to be sitting on a big patch of dinosaur fat, or when people pick her looks apart in ways they never did to her male predecessors or every thing she says gets scrutinized by people who are either afraid or hopeful that she's going to undermine her boss.

I can't possibly imagine how any of that gets old. Or why she might just want to head home and hang out with her aging husband, who has a heart condition, and maybe see if her recently married daughter is going to get her some grandkids any time soon. Certainly sticking around home, maybe writing a book, doing a little punditry, sounds absolutely exhausting compared to another tour of countries where you need extra shots.

[Denzil_DC]

18. You have a wonderful way with words

and I agree with you 100%.

[LeftyMom]

20. Thank you.

I hate when people insist that women be perfect. Nobody'd think a thing about a man in his sixties with a high powered job and nothing left to prove stepping down. If anything he'd probably be praised for his sense of priorities.

[justiceischeap]

49. It all comes down to people being convinced she will run in 2016

She may very well run but at the moment she has declared that isn't. So, her proclaiming to be tired makes these folks wince because a future President must portray strength at all times. In juxtaposition, we have President Obama being "weepy" right before the election and right after and he gets platitudes. No one claims he isn't tough because of some perceived weakness which, in reality, is called being a human being.

Anyway, when you try and point out that Hillary says she isn't running, then you become a Hillary basher. What people seem not to realize is that she has been in politics for most, if not all, of her adult life. Recently, she went from running for President, which in and of itself is a grueling process, to being SoS--one of the tougher appointments in the White House. I'm tired just thinking about all she's done and I'm tired of people jumping down anyone's throat when Hillary points out the very obvious--she's human.

[IDemo]

22. Seconded

More, please.

[pnwest]

21. zakly! i mean, how DARE that get tiring, right?! Can't IMAGINE why

taking some time to herself after YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS of politics, campaigning, being first lady, going through ALL that shit when Bill was in office, then campaigning for herself, years in the Senate, then running for President, then 4 years as SoS would sound like a little slice of heaven. I can imagine myself just wanting to sit in the backyard with a newspaper and a cocktail, listening to NO CELL PHONE ever, for about a year solid. Why in the hell would she possibly have a reason to be "tired", which I take to be a euphemism for "ready to get the fuck outta dodge and disappear for a while". Sheesh. She hasn't stopped going full-bore for 20+ years. And NONE of it was easy.

[aquart]

37. YES!

[Beacool]

45. Hear, hear!!!

[ProfessionalLeftist]

54. +1000 n/t

[otohara]

19. Who Are These Others?

You speak of?

[uponit7771]

23. Come on, I think I ould be tired too

[Whisp]

26. sure. but as I said, this 'tired' thing has been around for a long time.

This particular one is from a quote from her herself, I think it's the first time I heard it directly from her and taking it on it's own, sure, I can understand tired. What working busy person can't.

Her tired isn't so special, tho, really. It's probably the best conditions to be tired in, when you are famous and rich and have many people to help you. Real tired is when you are sick and can't miss work, or when you have to stay up with a sick child because there is no one else, and you still have to go to work in the morning. that is real tired to me.

There have been 'Hillary must be so tired' threads and posts here on DU for years.

I just don't think it is a good thing to call a woman tired all the time. Oh, the poor thing is so tired (inflection is so tired, so weak, frail, all of that, and that is harmful if you ask me)

I can't recall that being said so often about a male politician.

[lumpy]

34. Man may work from sun to sun but a woman's work is never done.

n

[Whisp]

35. that's true for women with children and work and a house to keep clean, and cook

Hillary does not fall in that category.

[vanlassie]

39. But we weren't talking about what would be real tired to you.

Your viewpoint is a bit narrow

[reflection]

31. I read at the end of "Game Change"

that she was tired then from the campaigning, mentally and physically exhausted. And I'm sure the SoS job is even harder than a campaign. If she's tired, she's tired. I'd rather she admit it and take care of herself then serve in a diminished capacity. Whatever Hillary wants to do, I'm cool with it, not that she requires my validation.

[Live and Learn]

33. Oh hell, I'm younger than Hillary and I am tired.

One of the reasons I am so distressed when they talk about people working till their 70s. people should have some years to slow down, reflect on their lives and do some things they enjoy.

[roguevalley]

59. I'm just tired of hearing the same old names for President

This is not a legacy.

[Ilsa]

7. She is so awesome. I'd love to see

Her well-rested and ready to run in 2016 with Obama and Biden singing her praises.

[Honeycombe8]

15. Biden wants to run, I think. nt

[justiceischeap]

50. I've been wondering how that will work

If Biden wants to run, will other Dems run against him? I can't recall what happened with Gore other than Florida in 2000.

[tinrobot]

55. Bill Bradley ran against Gore in the 2000 primaries

Gore dispensed with him pretty quickly.

Biden vs Clinton, on the other hand, would be a lot more drawn out.

[JackN415]

12. Absolutely, stay in shape and take care one's health is a full time job after all these years...

[Honeycombe8]

14. She has been a great SOS. Wonder if she'll decide she has the energy to go thru a Prez campaign.

I'm much younger than she is, and I can't imagine keeping up that pace for a long period of time. You barely get a day off. It's 24/7. And it's high energy...speaking with enthusiasm, walking a lot, standing a lot, interviews, anger, frustration, photo shoots....I couldn't do it.

Romney is, what, 65? I could tell it was beating him down, the pace. Obama withstood it better. He's in his 40's.

[Cha]

30. President Obama is 51! But, has the energy..

http://theobamadiary.com/

[Honeycombe8]

32. Oh, he passed 50? I'm ashamed I didn't know that! He's in great shape!

I was noticing the other day how fit he looks and was wondering how he manages that, being on the road all the time. Maybe Michelle keeps AF1 stocked with veggies and makes sure he doesn't eat too much junk food? And he manages to get in some exercise, maybe?

Even after that looooong, hard campaign, he looked fresh as a daisy the next day!

[Matariki]

16. Oh! I LOVE the illustration that accompanies the article!

especially the slippers! very cute.

[Beacool]

47. I hadn't noticed the bunny slippers.

Cute indeed.

[cherokeeprogressive]

24. If being SoS makes her tired, I'm sure being POTUS would maker tired threefold.

Not sure how I feel about that...

[UTUSN]

25. R#9 & K for, "want to see if I can get untired" says it all.

She was my choice in the '08 primaries and I saw her at a rally, which was late in the season in my area, and she was TIRED. When OBAMA won the primaries I delivered myself wholly in support of him and was/am convinced he was the correct choice, meaning that the way she managed her campaign was not good and that she would have been a lightning rod for the wingnuts and 'Baggers, not that OBAMA hasn't been. So I believe that her management mistakes in the campaign would have translated into management mistakes as president, not to mention the people she chose to be around her.

So besides her being exhausted, I who am also up in age can say that we need younger minds, not RAYGUNs, Darth RUMS, CHEENEEs, and Alan SIMPSONs -- or me -- in charge.

[aquart]

38. Tired or not, she has been a superb SOS.

And Obama still clings to Chicago School economics so please, come on.

[UTUSN]

40. Come on where?!1 As I said I was her *fervent* supporter and have her in high regard as a Dem

The opinions I posted regarded personal chacterististics and management choices, not ideological/economics. As for being a superb SOS, I don't know what that means, don't see any treaties negotiated, just a lot of traveling and greeting. I've seen some consular staff in action and a lot is a matter of pleasantries and protocol in meetings.

I'm not going to brawl, and I know I'm a good Dem, so this ain't going further with me.

[JohnnyLib2]

27. Betcha a lot of male leaders are also very tired and are too "macho" to say so.

Kudos to Hillary in yet another area!

[Cha]

28. I can well imagine..What a job she's done!

She will!

[joshcryer]

29. SoS is a damn tiring job. Arguably more than the Presidency.

Glad she's getting some down time.

[janx]

41. Yeah--from the Opinion Pages of the NYT

I always appreciate your links, KP--but I wonder about the quality of this one.

[Beacool]

42. Well, I hope that she can get "untired" before 2016.

[lumberjack_jeff]

44. Here's an observation. Has anyone ever heard a male public figure say this?

“I am so looking forward to next year,” he said. “I just want to sleep and exercise and travel for fun. And relax. It sounds so ordinary, but I haven’t done it for 20 years."

Look, everyone deserves a private life, and to choose the life they want. But don't expect a medal for quitting a job in which the stakes are life and death for millions because your exercise routine is suffering.

God knows, I was a big supporter of hers in 2008. But even so, if I heard President H. Clinton saying this in 2012 as explanatory of why she wasn't seeking a second term, I'd be pissed. If I sensed that my fellow democrats were okay with it because she's a woman, (as Republicans continue to worship the Quitter from Alaska) I wouldn't vote for another woman ever.

Some jobs are more important than the lifestyle preferences of the people filling them.

[Hippo_Tron]

46. She's not the President, she's Secretary of State

Few of the key people in an administration actually serve all 8 years. The average length for a Chief of Staff is 2. Cabinet members tend to resign after the first term and let their underlings get a chance to move up in the ranks. Certainly no recent Secretary of State in recent memory has served all 8 years of a President's term.

When you're the President, it's different. When you accept your party's nomination for President it carries with it an implicit commitment that should you be elected you will run for a second term, because your incumbency advantage is the best chance to keep the party in power.

[seabeyond]

56. yes lumberjack. i have heard it often. it is quite common. just heard barney frank conveying

exactly the same thing.

and it is not a presidency. IF it was a presidency, i am SURE you would not hear it.

[quaker bill]

48. In all of this one needs to remember

that the ecomony was not the only disaster Bush* left behind. The SOS had alot of serious work to do as well.

[JCMach1]

51. Didn't I read somewhere she is the most traveled SOS ever?

She has been very, very busy.

[cleduc]

52. During the primaries, and even before, I wasn't a fan

but I think she's done a heck of a job for Obama.

The air mileage she racked up on behalf of Americans in this job is staggering. I think she set some records.

If she wants to recharge her batteries, God bless her.

She's 65 and going to be 69 in 2016. At that age, I can see why she might have some trepidation about another primary and run.

But my respect for her and what she's done over the last four years has grown substantially.

[MjolnirTime]

57. She'll be back. And she'll win, too.

[wandy]

58. The way I see it Hillary did a heck of a good job, she deserves a break...........

So let's see....
Bill took the first two watches.
Hillary took a watch.
Yup.
President Obama I have a suggestion for you.
It's time to put the Big Dog back to work!

[davidpdx]

61. I agree she is probably the best qualified

It does sound like she needs about a year off though. Someone was asking in another thread about having Bill Clinton help with the mid-terms in 2014. Well now that Hillary Clinton is out of the cabinet, she would be just as good to help get more Ds elected. We'll need all the surrogates we can get to take back the House and try for a filibuster proof majority in the Senate.

Me personally, I'm not ready to back anyone yet. I do consider myself as someone who makes up their mind early though. Just not this early.