Obama Can Handle '3 a.m.' Crisis Call, Clinton Says

Published December 24, 2015

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday took back what was arguably her toughest criticism of her former presidential primary foe, saying President Obama is entirely capable of handling the so-called "3 a.m. call."

The hypothetical phone call was the centerpiece of one of Clinton's most powerful primary campaign ads. The ad, which raised the question of whether her one-time opponent could handle an international crisis in the middle of the night, complemented her criticism on the trail that Obama was naive and untested.

Now that Clinton serves in Obama's Cabinet, Clinton said Obama "absolutely" has answered that question -- in the affirmative.

"The president in his public actions and demeanor, and certainly in private with me and with the national security team, has been strong, thoughtful, decisive," she said on ABC's "This Week." "I think he is doing a terrific job. And it's an honor to serve with him."

Clinton, in her first Sunday show interview since ending her presidential campaign, also said she never had any expectation of joining Obama's Cabinet. Though there was immediate chatter after she ended her campaign that she would be tapped as Obama's running mate or for some other position, Clinton said she viewed such speculation as "absurd" at the time.

"I never had any dream, let alone inkling that I would end up in President Obama's Cabinet," she said. "I thought, you know, this is the kind of silly stuff that ends up in the press."

When Obama met with Clinton about her potential role in his administration, Clinton said she initially resisted his overtures. But he apparently put on a charm offensive.

"I gave him a bunch of other names of people who I thought would be great secretaries of state," Clinton said. "But he was quite persistent and very persuasive."

Clinton said she ultimately found it difficult to say "no" to a president, and that she saw a worthy job to do.

"I thought, you know, we are in just so many deep holes that everybody had better grab a shovel and start digging out," Clinton said.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obama-can-handle-3-a-m-crisis-call-clinton-says