Big Surprise Department

In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" yesterday morning, Hillary Clinton, speaking with her usual heartfelt forthrightness, praised her boss.

Hillary, you may remember, aired an ad last year during the primary campaign in which she said it was a dangerous world out there and that voters should think hard about whom they wanted to handle that difficult 3AM phone call. Her implication was that Barack Obama was not strong, thoughtful, and decisive enough to handle a crisis.

Yesterday Hillary said, "The President has been strong, thoughtful, decisive. I think he's doing a terrific job. And it's an honor to serve with him."

It's a tough economy out there and we all understand you want to keep your job, Hillary.

One of Obama's first moves as President was to appoint a series of high-powered types such as former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and former UN Ambassador Richard Holbrooke as special envoys to such hotspots as Iran, North Korea, and Afghanistan. Speculation at the time was rife that these men represented a diminution of Hillary's power as Secretary of State.

Hillary's take on this? She told Stephanopoulos, "When I agreed to do this job, I made it very clear to the President that...I wanted special envoys."

Yep, that sounds just like the power-hungry woman we've all come to know and love.

Hillary said that she originally had no intention of joining the administration and had thought that speculation that he was considering her was "absurd." She said, "I was looking forward to going back to the Senate, and, frankly, going back to my life and representing New York, which I love."

If she loved representing New York so much, why did she try so hard to leave that job? The only absurd thing here is the thought that she was "looking forward" to going back to New York after her defeat. I suspect that her feelings, far from joyful anticipation, were much more likely bitter rage at the young upstart who had the temerity to usurp her rightful position atop the world.

When Obama first appointed Hillary as Secretary of State, there was much talk at the time that he had only done so as a way of blunting the broadsides he could otherwise expect from the Clinton camp.

Looks like his tactic succeeded.

Why does anyone ever interview Hillary Clinton? Do they actually expect any honesty from her? Or is it just for yuks?