US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she would not serve a full eight years if President Barack Obama wins another term, hoping eventually to retire to writing and teaching.
Clinton, who has spent two decades in the national spotlight and narrowly lost her own bid to be president last year, said she enjoyed her job as the top US diplomat but found it physically grueling.
Asked by talk-show host Tavis Smiley if she would serve eight years, she replied, "No, I really can't."
"The whole eight -- that would be very challenging," she said in the interview broadcast yesterday on public television.
"It's a 24-7 job and I think at some point, I will be very happy to pass it on to someone else," Clinton said.
Clinton repeated that she would not run again for president, saying she wanted a private life after a career in which she has served as first lady and a US senator.
"There are so many things I'm interested in, really going back to private life and spending time reading and writing and maybe teaching. Maybe some personal travel -- not the kind of travel where you bring a couple of hundred people with you," she said.
{{/usCountry}}"There are so many things I'm interested in, really going back to private life and spending time reading and writing and maybe teaching. Maybe some personal travel -- not the kind of travel where you bring a couple of hundred people with you," she said.
{{/usCountry}}Clinton said she also hoped throughout her life to be a strong advocate for the rights of women and girls.