Clinton Says No To Second Term

President Obama really didn't need any more bad news right now, but he got it (and it's not good news for progressives either). The most popular and probably most progressive member of his administration has decided not to return for a second term if President Obama is re-elected, and that could affect his chances of re-election. Progressives were already disappointed that the president held over right-winger Robert Gates from the Bush administration to continue the job of Secretary of Defense. Then the president appointed a member of the corporatocracy to replace Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff.

Now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she will not return to the job for a second Obama term. She also nixed any idea of running for vice-president, or for president in either 2012 or 2016. There's still time for her to change her mind, but it looks like the president won't have her valuable help after 2012. Here is a partial transcript of her interview with Wolf Blitzer:

Q- If the president is reelected, do you want to serve a second term as secretary of state?


No

Q- Would you like to serve as secretary of defense?

No

Q- Would you like to be vice president of the United States?

No

Q- Would you like to be president of the United States?

No

Q- Why not?

Because I have the best job I could ever have. This is a moment in history where it is almost hard to catch your breath. There are both the tragedies and disasters that we have seen from Haiti to Japan and there are the extraordinary opportunities and challenges that we see right here in Egypt and in the rest of the region. So I want to be part of helping to represent the United States at this critical moment in time, to do everything I can in support of the president and our government and the people of our country to stand for our values and our ideals, to stand up for our security, which has to remain first and foremost in my mind and to advance America's interests. And there isn't anything that I can imagine doing after this that would be as demanding, as challenging or rewarding.

Q- President of the United States?

You know, I had a wonderful experience running and I am very proud of the support I had and very grateful for the opportunity, but I'm going to be, you know, moving on.

Q- I asked my viewers and followers on Twitter to send questions and a lot of them said, "Ask her if she'll run in 2016 for the presidency." A lot of folks would like to you to do that.

Well that's very kind, but I am doing what I want to do right now and I have no intention or any idea even of running again. I'm going to do the best I can at this job for the next two years.