By Chris Cillizza
When we gave Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton our "good year" in 2010, we thought she was headed toward a little bit of a letdown in 2011. Boy, were we wrong. (Mental note: Stop counting out the Clintons.)
Images: Reuters, AP
In a year in which almost anyone associated with the Obama administration turned to dross — Attorney General Eric Holder ("Fast and Furious"), Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner (the economy), Energy Secretary Steven Chu (Solyndra), Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (Plan B) — Clinton managed to stay gold.
She continued to travel the world at a breakneck pace — some 60 trips abroad and nearly 600,000 miles to date — including to places such as Burma, where no U.S. diplomat had ventured in decades. Clinton's steady leadership on Libya drew wide praise in the diplomatic world and contributed to the overthrow of longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi.
And the American public loved her for it. In a CNN poll in late September, 69 percent of people had a favorable opinion of Clinton — a stratospheric number in a political climate in which politicians are widely reviled.
It isn't just the secretary of state who can count 2011 as a very good year. Her husband, former president Bill Clinton, appears fully rehabilitated from the image hit he took during the 2008 campaign and has reclaimed his title as the smartest strategist in the Democratic Party. The Obama White House even appears to be taking a page from the 1996 Clinton reelection strategy, making a series of small-bore moves on the economy to show progress. (If you want more on how to fix the economy, just check out Bill's book"Back to Work," released last month and ensconced on the bestseller lists.)
And then there was Chelsea Clinton, who inked a deal with NBC in November to serve as a special correspondent for the Peacock Network and appeared this month on "Rock Center" — the Fix's favorite new show.
All in all, an amazing year for the Clintons. Again.
Chris Cillizza writes the political blog The Fix and is managing editor of PostPolitics.com.
Well, I suppose it is praiseworthy that you *admit* you "counted out" the Clintons. Gimme a break. Like we didn't know this??
Hillary should be president and this is plainly evident to anyone with a pulse. Instead, we have Urkel who muddles from problem to problem, grinning and declaring "wins" as the economy circles the drain.
Wash Post - you have culpability in this. Fail.
Hillary should be president and this is plainly evident to anyone with a pulse. Instead, we have Urkel who muddles from problem to problem, grinning and declaring "wins" as the economy circles the drain.
Wash Post - you have culpability in this. Fail.
Ah, dawn brings the first of the customary anti-Clinton haters!! Awake, loser, the Clintons, as always, will survive, flourish and force their detractors to swallow the horrible little bit of guts, gristle and lizard brains that exist in their vile, hate filled minds.
The media, in general, and the Post in particular cannot give up their disdain and contempt of Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea. Hope the great news that the Clintons are officially the 2011 winners makes their day.
The media, in general, and the Post in particular cannot give up their disdain and contempt of Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea. Hope the great news that the Clintons are officially the 2011 winners makes their day.
@ LadyA - thanks for making an important point for me: The One and his followers, er, campaign staff want people to believe that any disagreement with The One {Urkel} is racist. Your blatant statement of this is priceless. Inspires me to get out the vote against The One, donate, volunteer and tweet - all in service of getting The One back to Chicago.
David Axelrod is proud of you, LadyA. Me? Not so much...lol.
Hillary in 2012!
David Axelrod is proud of you, LadyA. Me? Not so much...lol.
Hillary in 2012!
I have always disliked Hillary and in 2008 was for anybody but Hillary but I admit she has done an excellent job as Sec of State and believe that Obama should dump Biden and add her to the ticket as the way to insure none of the Republicans get elected in 2012. With Biden and Obama's wishy washy record it is a toss up even to one of the Republican nut jobs. I am a Republican and right now not very proud of it.
The animosity of Republicans toward the Clintons at the end of Bill's administration was on the minds of many voters and did not work in Hillary's favor. And it wasn't possible to know that those intense feelings toward Democratic administrations have become the hallmark of the GOP. Hillary's position as Sec. of State has showcased how capable she is, but Bill's say-so was not enough to get her elected and Obama, in spite of missteps, has shown he understands that politics is sometimes a game ...See More
