The fate of US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton after she leaves office next month is a matter of keen speculation inside the Beltway.
The 2016 Democratic presidential nomination is thought to be hers for the asking, but Clinton has yet to express an interest.
Two-thirds of Americans have a favourable opinion of Clinton and 68 per cent approve of her work as secretary of state, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll published yesterday.
Fifty-seven per cent of respondents said they would like her to stand for president.
Mrs Clinton sent consolation letters to several Democrats who lost campaigns in last month’s election. As reported by the New York Observer, the gesture was interpreted as a sign that America’s top diplomat may be shoring up her party base with an eye to the next election. In the past, it was Bill who wrote such letters.
“I hope you will find some time now for some well deserved rest and relaxation; we will continue needing your voice in the public square in the years to come,” Mrs Clinton wrote to Nate Shinagawa, who lost a congressional race in western New York.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg asked Mrs Clinton to replace him when he steps down on December 31st, 2013, the New York Times reported.
Mr Bloomberg’s tenure as mayor overlapped with Mrs Clinton’s service as a senator from New York for seven years, and he hoped to be succeeded by someone of stature. But Mrs Clinton told Mr Bloomberg she wasn’t interested.
