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of those lucky people who look better—or at least not worse—with
age.
All of this is relevant politically because it means that in 2016, when
she’s 68, she is unlikely to be written off as too old to run for
president. Since the beginning of the year, Hillary has said repeatedly
that she will leave office no later than early 2013 and retire from
public life. In Bahrain, just before the Middle East upheaval, I heard
her be more direct than ever before on the subject: “I’ve had a
fascinating and rewarding public career .... I think I will serve as
secretary of state as my last public position and then I’ll probably go
back to advocacy work, particularly on behalf of women and
children, and probably around the world.”
Hillary isn’t as calculating as her public image. The 2000 Senate race,
for instance, was practically serendipitous. But it’s hard to believe
“Clinton” and “ambition” have been fully sundered. In 2016, the
Democrats are unlikely to have anyone better or more acceptable to
different parts of the party. The nearer-term options are far-fetched.
When Bob Woodward said on CNN last fall that Hillary’s switching
jobs with Joe Biden was “on the table,” the reaction inside both the
White House and State Department was to scoff. Neither has an
incentive to switch. With the Iraq portfolio already in his pocket,
Biden gets plenty of foreign-policy action. His bigger concern is
staying on good terms with Hillary. In late 2009, he worried that their
long and friendly relationship was in jeopardy over Af-Pak policy. He
wanted few troops and heavy reliance on Predator drones; she wanted
an open-ended, hugely expensive counter-insurgency commitment.
The president ended up sending many more troops than Biden wanted—
a total commitment of 100,000—but with withdrawal deadlines
beginning this year that Clinton, siding with the Pentagon, opposed.
To ease the tensions, Biden and Hillary stepped up their breakfasts
and lunches where they call each other “dear.”

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