President Obama slid in some somewhat surprising praise for Hillary Clinton during a recent New York speech, calling her appointment to his cabinet one of his smartest executive moves — ever.
“I think one of the best decisions I ever made as president was to ask Hillary Clinton to serve as our nation’s secretary of state,” Mr. Obama said at the Clinton Global Initiative, MSNBC News reported.
He made the remarks in the context of singing the praises of both Mrs. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, saying both deserve high thanks for their support.
“I want to thank President Clinton for your friendship and your leadership, and bringing us together as only he can. Bill first asked me to come to CGI when I was a senator, and as president I’ve been proud to come back every year,” Mr. Obama said, MSNBC News reported. “It’s a testimony, I think, to any leader, not just what they themselves do, but the degree to which they are able to inspire action from others. And by that measure, obviously, Bill Clinton has continued to exert extraordinary global leadership for decades.”
Mr. Obama then turned his attention to Mrs. Clinton, one of the most talked-about candidates for president for the Democratic Party in 2016.
After back-patting his decision to appoint her to his cabinet, Mr. Obama then said: “I still have a lot of debt to pay, though, because the two of them were separated far too often. Hillary put in a lot of miles during her tenure. She has that post-administration glow right now. She looks much more rested.”
The praise from Mr. Obama comes on the heels of several high-profile reports about a couple of recently released books that claim the Clintons and the Obamas don’t share many warm feelings behind closed doors. In fact, some reported accounts claim the two families basically detest each other, and that their friendly public personas are simply politics.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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