National Journal

By Sophie Quinton

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton once again quashed rumors that she's still interested in running for president, this time in an interview with NBC’s Today on Monday.

“I'm really old-fashioned. I feel I have made my contribution," Clinton said. "I’m very grateful I’ve had a chance to serve, but I think it’s time for others to step up." Writing, teaching, and working on issues that affect women and girls will be in her future, Clinton assured NBC's Savannah Guthrie; that and relaxing at home.

Clinton shrugged off speculation that she should run against President Obama in 2012—or that she should have been elected instead of him in 2008. “It feels irrelevant to me,” Clinton said. She praised Obama for doing “an excellent job under the most difficult circumstances.”

Clinton acknowledged that serving under Obama was initially awkward. Obama did, after all, beat her for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"It was a hard-fought election. I wanted to beat him, and he ended up beating me,” Clinton said. “But he asked me to serve.” She added, “at the end of the day, you have to be bigger than politics.”

Clinton said she gives Obama political advice “every so often,” but declined to elaborate.

Clinton attributed her current popularity simply to her two decades in the public eye. “Because I have been on the public consciousness for so long and on the television screens and people's homes, I think there is a comfort,” Clinton said.

Clinton gave Guthrie a tour of her official plane, which she has used to rack up over 600,000 miles of air travel. She laughed about her ability to nap on command, and the lack of hair and makeup artists on board.

Most Read Articles at National Journal

The Cook Report: Bird in the Hand

Obama's Performance Rating Slips Again

Want to stay ahead of the curve? Sign up for National Journal’s AM & PM Must Reads. News and analysis to ensure you don’t miss a thing.