New York Magazine's lengthy profile of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton hit the stands Sunday. It's the first major press interview she's done since leaving the State Department last January. From Joe Hagan's conversation with Clinton and the inhabitants of "Clintonworld" -- almost all of whom remain unnamed -- here are the top (newish) things about her that have entered the public record:
1. She has a "personal friendship" with President Obama that was strengthened when the two bonded over the killing of Osama bin Laden.
2. Her top aide, Huma Abedin has struggled to reconcile her scandal-ridden marriage to Anthony Weiner with her place in the Clinton Circle of Trust. Abedin may end up having to choose between her husband and her boss.
3. She sees Chelsea's arrival at the Clinton Foundation as a natural role for her. Those close to the Clintons think their daughter could play a major role in a potential presidential run, as her mother's shadow campaign manager and her father's keeper (the person who will "take his dumb ideas and his great ideas and make sure they’re used effectively").
4. While in State Department, she more or less succeeded in disappearing Bill. Recalls a close State aid: “It’s kind of jarring when she says ‘Bill.’ Well, who’s Bill? And then you realize that she’s talking about her husband. It happened so infrequently that you were kind of like, Oh, the president.”
5. Her aides are not fans of the Ready for Hillary super-PAC, saying “There is nothing they are doing that couldn’t have waited a year. Not a single fucking thing.”
6. She and Bill like to laugh at their dogs and watch stupid movies -- “just ordinary, everyday pleasures.”
7. She describes herself as both "pragmatic and realistic," and wrestles with the idea of running for president. She maintains that she's not in any hurry.
8. According to a close confidant: “She’s running, but she doesn’t know it yet."
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