Hillary says she’s “absolutely not interested” in running for president again.

Hillary and Chelsea after big win during 2008 primary.

Hillary tells Tavis Smiley that she will not likely stay on as Secretary of State for an entire Obama presidency if there is a second term.  She also says she is “absolutely not interested” in running for president again.

TAVIS SMILEY: Finally, there’s already speculation about whether or not Secretary Clinton is going to do this for the full first time, and whether or not she has any interest if asked to stay on to do it for eight years? You see how tough the job is, can you imagine yourself doing all four years and, if asked, doing it for another four years?

HILLARY CLINTON: No, I really can’t. I mean, it is just…

TAVIS SMILEY: No to what? All four or eight?

HILLARY CLINTON: The whole, the whole eight, I mean, that that would be very challenging. But I, you know, I don’t wanna make any predictions sitting here, I’m honored to serve, I serve at the pleasure of the President, but it’s a, it’s a 24/7 job, and I think at some point, I will be very happy to LAUGHS pass it on to someone else.

As for the presidency. . .

TAVIS SMILEY: And finally, just for the record, you have said before, emphatically, in fact, that you are not interested in running again for President of the United States, I’m taking your answer now to mean that that’s still the same?

HILLARY CLINTON: Absolutely not interested.

Faint praise from Politico as Hillary’s poll numbers soar.

With an approval rating some 24% higher than Barack Obama’s, you’d think that Hillary Clinton would get some credit for the great job she has done as U.S. Secretary of State.

Not gonna happen. At least not from Politico.

To read Politico’s report on the new poll, you’d think the only reason that a high percentage of voters approve of her is that she’s been hiding away in Chappaqua, New York. The reason Hillary is more popular than the president, says Politico, is that the president has been in the limelight tackling the tough issues while Hillary has been sequestered from the public eye.

Somehow that ignores that fact that the Secretary has traveled some 200,000 miles on behalf of the Administration. With one or two minor exceptions, observers agree that her performance abroad has been exceptional. Indeed, during the past year Americans have come to appreciate her unflappable work ethic and the realpolitik that informs her behavior on the world stage.

It’s also the case that Obama, try as he might, has had few victories either at home or abroad. That certainly will change, but for now the low approval rating correlates with his poor performance as president (the B+ grade he gave himself on the Oprah Winfrey special must have been based on a very generous curve).

According to the poll of self-avowed news hounds, Hillary’s favorability rating is at 75%, compared to 51% for her boss. Given her more balanced perspective on world events, a high percentage of Republicans — some 57% — also expressed approval of Hillary. The percentage of independents showing support was 65%.

The poll of 800 self-identified “news watchers” was conducted by the nonpartisan Clarus Research Group from December 7th to the 12th. An earlier poll conducted in October also showed Hillary with a higher approval rating than Obama’s.

21,200 miles later, Hillary comes home sfter African tour.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, walksa with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Monrovia, Liberia Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009. Clinton offered strong support Thursday for embattled President Sirleaf. Liberia is the sixth leg of Clinton's seven-nation tour of Africa aimed at promoting democracy and development.(AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh)

Hillary Clinton has completed an arduous 21,200 mile, 11-day, seven-country tour of Africa. With the exception of an embarrassing over-reaction to a town hall question that was misinterpreted to be about her husband, Bill Clinton, by all measures her trip was an unqualified success.

In another international test, Hillary has demonstrated her intelligence, a sensitivity to international concerns, and a fierce determination to chance perceptions of the U.S. and its foreign policy.

Here’s a breakdown of her trip country-by-country from Christian Science Monitor contributor, Tracey D. Samuelson:

From massive oil-producing Nigeria to the tiny island-nation of Cape Verde, Secretary Clinton’s trip highlighted the many sides of the diverse continent. Her seven-country tour was as much about securing US interests in resource-heavy lands as it was about supporting African development. Following are summaries of her visit in each country:

Kenya

A primary goal of Clinton’s 11-day trip was to reiterate the message of transparent and corruption-free governance that President Obama urged during his trip to Ghana last month. This reiteration began at the first stop, Kenya.

Indeed, the birthplace of Mr. Obama’s father was not spared criticism for its shortcomings. “The absence of strong and democratic institutions has permitted ongoing corruption, impunity, politically motivated violence, human rights abuses, lack of respect for the rule of law,” Clinton said at a news conference after meeting with President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Discussions also included trade, agricultural development, and the instability of neighboring Somalia. In addition, Clinton met with Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, president of Somalia’s transitional government, to offer reassurance of US support.

South Africa

Clinton’s time in South Africa, a country often known as the continent’s economic powerhouse, focused on strengthening relations that had soured and stalled during the administrations of former Presidents George W. Bush and Thabo Mbeki.

“In both countries, there are two new administrations which are taking that relationship a level higher,” South African President Jacob Zuma said after meeting with Clinton.

Clinton also stressed that South Africa should be a leader for the continent and toured an HIV/AIDS clinic outside of Johannesburg that is partially funded by the United States.

Angola

Oil-rich Angola is strategically attractive to the US. Already, Angola supplies America with 7 percent of its oil imports. Angola’s worldwide oil revenues account for approximately 85 percent of its gross domestic product.

Here, Clinton pressed for strong democratic institutions and governmental transparency, pushing President Jose Eduardo dos Santos to hold the country’s first presidential elections since 1992. Mr. dos Santos agreed to elections “in a timely manner,” according to Clinton.

Clinton also stressed the need for Angola to redevelop its once-productive agricultural industry. And she signed an agreement that provides the country with $17 million to combat HIV/AIDS and prevent new infections. It was one of only two pledges for new aid announced on the trip.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Traveling to Goma, a conflict-ridden provincial capital, Clinton focused on the crimes against women that have become widespread in this country and in neighboring Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda.

Since war broke out 12 years ago, 200,000 women and girls have been raped in Congo, the United Nations estimates. In “very frank” discussions with President Joseph Kabila, Clinton said, she “made the point that these crimes, no matter who commits them, must be prosecuted and punished.”

To Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito, she added at a dinner in her honor, “There must be an end to widespread financial corruption and abuses of human rights and women’s rights.”

Clinton also spoke out against “conflict minerals” mined in the country and announced that the US will provide more than $17 million in new funding to prevent and respond to gender and sexual violence here.

Nigeria

“Nigeria is at a crossroads,” Clinton said at a town-hall-style meeting in the capital, Abuja. She stressed the need for Africa’s largest country – and one of its most corrupt – to implement democratic reforms.

Before an audience of civil activists in Abuja, she cited a recent World Bank report that said Nigeria has lost more than $300 billion to corruption and mismanagement over three decades. And, Clinton said, the “lack of transparency and accountability has eroded the legitimacy of the government and contributed to the rise of groups that embrace violence and reject the authority of the state.”

Clinton and her counterpart, Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe, announced a new binational commission that, among other things, will aim to improve the stability of the oil-rich Niger delta.

The US supports Nigeria’s inclusion in the Group of 20, Clinton also said, but the country first has to tackle its corruption problems, she added.

Liberia

At a luncheon to honor the continent’s only female president, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Clinton said, “I will admit it. It’s not diplomatic, but I happen to be a fan and a friend of your president.”

Thousands lined the streets to greet Clinton in the warmest reception of all her African sojourns.

Despite a seven-year civil war, Liberia has been politically and economically stable since about 2005.

But Clinton did not shy away from the work Liberia has yet to do.

“Liberian people still need jobs, electricity, housing, and education,” Clinton said before a joint session of the Liberian National Legislature. “Law enforcement is still inadequate, and after years of war and lawlessness, institutions have been left crippled.”

She also noted the need for budgetary oversight and increased governmental transparency.

But she also said, “In just three years, there are encouraging signs of progress.”

Cape Verde

That Clinton included Cape Verde, a palm-speckled archipelago and refueling stop for long-distance flights, was a surprise to many.

But it was one last opportunity for her to highlight an example of good governance in Africa, after strong critiques of corruption in many of her previous stops.

“Few places … demonstrate the promise of Africa better than Cape Verde,” Clinton said in a news conference before returning to Washington.

Hillary pledges U.S. support for South Africa’s economic growth.

In a speech yesterday  at an International Business Corporation event in Johannesburg, South Africa, Hillary Clinton lauded the economic gains made in South Africa in particular and in the African continent as a whole. 

Saying that the U.S. could learn a great deal from South Africa’s “example,” she added:

South Africa, as a member of the G-20 and one of the most important emerging economies of the world, is uniquely positioned to advance its own economic trajectory and to propel economic growth on the African continent as a whole. Looking at the world map today, it isn’t easy to find countries with financial and economic policies that have been as sound as South Africa’s. And I know how difficult that is. But I also recognize that these policies have translated into good credit and low levels of debt, banks that are solvent and well-regulated and largely free of the type of bad loans that led to the bank failures in my country and others that helped to fuel this economic crisis that swept across the globe. Frankly, we could learn a lot from your example.

Hillary also reminded her audience of the importance of spreading democracy and economic equality to African states that are still embroiled in civil unrest:

It is a simple fact that investors are not attracted to states with failed or weak leadership, crime and civil unrest or corruption that taints every transaction and decision. In the political decisions that were made in this country after apartheid, you can see an engaged citizenry that turned out in such huge percentages for the presidential election and the constitution. And therefore, South Africa has both the stature and the experience to bring to the dilemmas facing a lot of other countries.

She reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to engaging South Africa economically and gave her support to a U.S. – South Africa Business Council:

. . . economic ties between the United States and South Africa have a lot of room to grow. One of the promising ideas is a U.S.-South Africa Business Council, or as you might prefer, South Africa-U.S. Business Council. (Laughter.) And we intend to follow up on that. When a delegation comes to the Corporate Council for Africa meeting in Washington next month, we will begin with discussions that will lead, we hope, to the establishment of such a council.

You can read the complete text of Hillary’s comments here.