Washington Post
September 15, 2013
Two worlds of Hillary Rodham Clinton intersected this past week. Together they underscored not only why the former secretary of state is seen as perhaps the dominant unelected politician in the country today but also the concerns among some of her Democratic supporters as she considers a return to the political arena in 2016.
As President Obama and Clinton’s successor at State, John F. Kerry — during a dizzying week of diplomacy and threats of military action — grappled with how best to respond to Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons, Clinton was enjoying a fresh round of accolades and honors. The contrast between her recent past life and her current life was striking.
On Tuesday, on a sultry summer
evening, she was in Philadelphia, where she received the Liberty Medal during a ceremony at the National Constitution Center. On Friday, she was in Scotland, where she received an honorary degree from St. Andrews University, which was marking its 600th anniversary with all appropriate academic pomp.
Tuesday’s ceremony in Philadelphia concluded an hour before Obama addressed the nation on the Syrian issue. On Friday, Clinton spoke in Scotland as Kerry was in Switzerland negotiating with his Russian counterpart on eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons stocks.