Her rival now her boss, Clinton settles into new role [View All]

WASHINGTON, May 2 — Hillary Rodham Clinton insists her transition from presidential contender to secretary of state has been seamless, and in one respect, it is hard to argue with her: she still hustles like a candidate down a few points in the polls the week before Super Tuesday.

But in many other ways, Clinton has shed her candidate’s skin. Her campaign staff is largely gone, replaced by a broader circle of advisers. Her husband, who stood behind her at countless campaign stops this time last year, has resumed his globe-trotting life, seeing her on rare weekends at their home in Chappaqua, New York.

In this, the latest mutation in a career of many changes, Clinton’s days have become a whirl of diplomatic talks, White House meetings, and foreign travel: 74,000 miles and 22 countries as of last Sunday, when she returned from Iraq and Lebanon.

By all accounts, Clinton has worked hard to be a good soldier in an administration run by the man she spent much of last year trying to defeat. She and President Obama have developed a respectful rapport, several officials said, and she has emerged as an influential voice in the great policy debates of the day, notably Afghanistan and Pakistan.

But State Department officials, and others in the administration, say less-than-generous things about Obama’s national security adviser, Gen James L. Jones, suggesting there is some jockeying among the top officials around the president. Jones, these people say, has struggled with his transition from Marine commander to senior staff person, speaking up less in debates than Clinton and not pushing as hard for decisions.

Friends acknowledge that Clinton herself was initially swamped by the challenge of taking over the sprawling State Department bureaucracy — management being one deficit in her career. She likens it to being “mayor of a good-sized small city.”

But Clinton has turned a corner in recent weeks, these people say, both as a manager and as a diplomat. Her stern public warnings about the recent Taliban offensive in Pakistan put her on centre stage as the messenger of American unease.

“I love the job; I mean, it’s really hard,” Clinton said in a recent interview. “We’ve inherited so many problems.”

As a former first lady, senator, and presidential candidate, Clinton enjoys rarefied status, even for a secretary of state. She has not hesitated to put this to use, whether in rock-star-like appearances in South Korea and Turkey, or in positioning herself at home.

Even before she was confirmed, Clinton summoned Richard C. Holbrooke, now the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, for a fireside chat at her Washington home with Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander who oversees the region.

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On a recent afternoon, at Clinton’s suggestion, the two moved their meeting outside to a picnic table on the South Lawn, next to a new swing set installed for Obama’s daughters. “We just had the best time,” she said.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/world/25237-her-rival-now-her-boss-clinton-settles-into-new-role

I love the pic of Hillary and Obama at the picnic table. I'm glad that she suggested they meet there.

:D