secretary of awesome

The Top Ten Things We Learned About Hillary Clinton From Vogue

Jonathan van Meter recently spent some time with Hillary Clinton as she traveled throughout Africa and attended the United Nations General Assembly. His new feature for Vogue covers the requisite ground of any Hillary profile — her prominence, or lack thereof, as secretary of State; her relationship with President Obama and decision to serve in his Cabinet — but also contains interesting tidbits, both relevant and random, about Hillary’s personality and lifestyle. The whole 7,768-word piece is worth a read, but for those too busy or easily distracted, we’ve compiled the ten best revelations in easily digestible form.

10. Hillary is a mother to the press corps — inquiring about their cooking injuries, getting them medicine when they’re vomiting, and finding them hats to protect them from the sun.

9. Hillary applies her own makeup, even for public appearances. Makes sense, but we doubt all politicians (John Edwards?) could say the same.

8. Hillary drives in a 24-car motorcade, at least in Africa. (In comparison, Obama had 71 cars in his Beijing motorcade this week.)

7. Hillary’s traveling press pool “obsesses” over her outfits and hair.

6. Hillary told former NBA star Dikembe Mutumbo that she was “in love” with him after he gave a moving speech at an event with her in the Congo.

5. Hillary is “absolutely engrossed in the fact that we all came from Africa,” she said during her trip to the continent. “I find that just an amazing thought.”

4. Hillary developed a crush on British foreign secretary David Milliband just by speaking to him over the phone, calling him “vibrant, vital, attractive, smart.” Milliband, for his part, finds Hillary “delightful.” Fabian will not be pleased.

3. Hillary can “nap on command.”

2. Hillary watches Mad Men. “That’s how it was!” she says of the male-dominated atmosphere. “That’s why the women’s-liberation movement was so shocking. It was like news from outer space.”

1. Hillary lets it all hang out with her press pool:

In Cape Town, she threw a party for the press and drank with the best of us, talking for more than two hours, into the night, with surprising off-the-record candor about everything from her husband to her disdain for certain world leaders. She’s fun. She laughs at herself. And she is full of surprisingly sharp, pointy little retorts, barbs, and comebacks.


Her Brilliant Career [Vogue]

The Top Ten Things We Learned About Hillary Clinton From Vogue