ALL HILLARY ALL THE TIME – AT 10:05 P.M. ET:   We started with a piece on Hillary Clinton this morning, reporting her declaration to Wolf Blitzer that she wanted to retire from public life at the end of Obama's first term, and had no intention of running for president again.  We noted that she might well mean this, but that it wasn't exactly the Sherman Oath.  ("If nominated I will not run, if elected I will not serve."

The internet today has been filled with stories about Hillary.  Indeed, once the UN Security Council authorized military action in Libya, the Drudge Report's main headline was "HILLARY'S WAR."  From The Politico:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s revelation that she won’t be staying on if there is a second Obama term may have been news to those who don’t know her, but did not surprise her friends, who say she’s spending an increasing amount of time considering her post-government options even as challenges mount at Foggy Bottom.

Clinton has made similar “I’m not here forever” comments before – but it was the timing of her remarks to CNN on Wednesday that raised eyebrows, coming at a critical moment in her fierce internal battle to push President Barack Obama to join the fight to liberate Libya from Muammar Qadhafi.

We haven't seen much reporting about this "fierce internal battle," and I wonder why.  There were leaks about it all over Washington today, as Hillary's supporters made clear her disaffection from this president.  One report had the secretary of state beside herself in frustration over Obama's lack of decisiveness.

Clinton’s persistence in the anti-Qadhafi cause has been such a constant in the White House in recent days that Obama, according to reports, joked about Clinton lobbing rocks through his window during his remarks at Saturday night’s Gridiron dinner.

“Stay tuned,” said one Clinton friend when asked if the secretary would ultimately prevail.

COMMENT:  The most asked question, of course, is whether Clinton could challenge Obama for the presidency in 2012.  I think the answer is pretty obvious:  She can't because she would lose the black vote immediately, and, by definition, lose the election even if she got the nomination.  She can only contemplate a presidential run next year, despite her claim that she's no longer interested, if Obama steps aside.  There is no indication that he plans any such thing.

Hillary's story is not over.  Don't believe everything you read in the papers.

March 17, 2011