Zach ToombsFormer Secretary of State, first lady and — many people expect — future White House contender Hillary Clinton spent two whole hours on cable news Tuesday. (Via U.S. Department of State)
First in a Town Hall style interview with CNN, then with Greta Van Susteren and Bret Baier on Fox News.
The whole thing gave a better, and certainly longer, look than we've recently had at one of the biggest names in politics — and the likely candidate to beat in 2016, if she does indeed run. Here's what we learned.
First, these interviews coincide with the release of Clinton's new book, "Hard Choices." And that was made abundantly clear. (Via Simon & Schuster / "Hard Choices")
CLINTON: "Hard Choices ... Hard Choices ... Hard Choices ... Hard Choices ... Hard Choices."
JAKE TAPPER: "Well, first of all, she said 'Hard Choices' a lot."
But there was also plenty of substance to the interviews, which come at a critical time for Iraq, now facing an extremist army on its doorstep and a potential civil war between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. (Via YouTube / Nasrum min Allah, Press TV)
And Clinton laid a lot of the blame at the feet of Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.
CLINTON: "He has failed as a leader. ... He has rearranged the government and gone after Sunnis who were willing to work with him. That is a recipe for continuing instability."
And, oddly enough, Tuesday's news cycle was also dominated by a story Clinton can't seem to escape — 2012's Benghazi consulate attack. The U.S. capture of a suspect in that attack was an obvious topic for Tuesday's interviews. (Via The New York Times, ABC)
Both CNN and Fox led with questions on the issue, but while CNN spent five minutes on Benghazi, Fox's Bret Baier spent his first eight minutes on it ...
BAIER: "Did you talk to Charlene Lamb that evening?"
Then circled around after a commercial break for two more minutes on Benghazi.
But it wasn't all foreign policy. Clinton also touched on failed firearms legislation.
CLINTON: "We cannot let a minority of people, and that's what it is, a minority of people hold a viewpoint that terrorizes the majority of people."
And she was asked about her own relationships with President Obama, of whom she mainly spoke positively — (Via The White House)
— and with her husband Bill Clinton, whom she said she doesn't always see eye to eye with politically, though she didn't get more specific than that. (Via U.S. Department of State)
And of course, there was the predictable question: will you run? The answer to which Clinton said largely comes down to a personal choice: does she want to run for president just as she's becoming a grandmother? Then again:
CLINTON: "There have been a lot of grandfathers who've done it."
