Tonight on 60 Minutes, with Steve Kroft playing Andy Cohen to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's Real Housewives, the president and the secretary of state had the reunion episode of their terrific show Barack Obama's First Term. And boy, were they complimentary of one another:
As on any good reunion show, they discussed the alliances that allowed them win the reality competition:
Obama described why he insisted Clinton become his secretary of state.
"She also was already a world figure," Obama said. "To have somebody who could serve as that effective ambassador in her own right without having to earn her stripes, so to speak, on the international stage, I thought, would be hugely important."
It was a job she initially refused. But Obama kept pushing, Clinton said.
"The one thing he did mention was he basically said: `You know, we've got this major economic crisis that may push us into a depression. I'm not going to be able to do a lot to satisfy the built-up expectations for our role around the world. So you're going to have to get out there and, you know, really represent us while I deal with, you know, the economic catastrophe I inherited."
And they wouldn't talk about another season. Clinton refused to speculate on a possible 2016 run — "You guys in the press are incorrigible," Obama said when Kroft asked — but it was hard not to look at the appearance as a kind of pre-pre-pre-endorsement. Or maybe he really just likes her that much. You can watch the whole interview here.