As you all probably know, Secretary Clinton recently answered, "No, I really can't," when asked by PBS's Tavis Smiley Reports whether she'll serve a second term as U.S. secretary of state. In life after being America's top diplomat, Clinton said she'd like to read, write, and maybe even teach. Of course, she said she'll always remain a steadfast advocate for women and girls.

So, if Clinton won't be secretary of state from 2013 through 2016, and if Obama is re-elected for a second term, then who'll be the next secretary of state? Well, FP's The Cable compiled a shortlist that includes:

•Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)

•Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.)

•James Steinberg, U.S. deputy secretary of state

•Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations

•Richard Holbrooke, special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan (and a former managing editor of FP!)

•George Mitchell, special envoy for Middle East peace

•Chuck Hagel, former U.S. Republican senator, now chairman of the Atlantic Council

•Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command

Photo: SHAUN CURRY/AFP/Getty Images

Today is the one-year anniversary of when Secretary Clinton had her swearing-in ceremony (as seen in the photo above from Feb. 2, 2009), though she officially began her secretary-of-state post on Jan. 21, 2009. Over at the website of Tavis Smiley Reports, the PBS show which featured Clinton last week, there's a great photo timeline of her first year as America's top diplomat. Check it out here.

 

Secretary Clinton said today that Yemen's instability is "an urgent national security priority." She made the remarks in London where she attended a meeting about Yemen in the wake of the Christmas Day underpants bomber. In a news conference after the meeting, she said:

To help the people of Yemen, we -- the international community -- must do more.… The government of Yemen must also do more. This must be a partnership if it is to have a successful outcome."

At the meeting, she said, according to prepared remarks:

Yemen's challenges are not going to be solved by military action alone."

and:

Progress against violent extremists and progress toward a better future for the Yemeni people … will also depend on fortifying development effort."

Clinton also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (below) and pushed for tough international sanctions against Iran if it can't prove its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Secretary Clinton won't be able to attend President Obama's State of the Union address tonight because she's in London for a meeting about Yemen (today) and a conference on Afghanistan (tomorrow). She will, however, be featured on PBS tonight on Tavis Smiley Reports. It's supposed to air at 8 p.m. Eastern time, an hour before the State of the Union, but check local listings.

Here's what the news release that was emailed to me says (with my emphasis in bold):

A candid and revealing profile of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the focus of the first TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS, a series of four hour-long primetime specials premiering tonight on PBS. For this special program, Smiley leaves his studio chair in Los Angeles and goes on the road with Secretary Clinton. During the report - debuting one hour before the State of the Union in most markets -- Smiley and Clinton examine some of the country's defining moments, analyze the major events in President Obama's first year in office, and talk frankly about what's next for her career.

Smiley was granted exceptional access to Secretary Clinton and accompanied her on diplomatic missions abroad, to meetings on Capitol Hill, and within the State Department itself to give the American public an up close and comprehensive view of the inner workings of U.S. diplomacy and international relations. During the episode, Clinton discusses her relationship with the press, her thoughts on the surge in Afghanistan, and her views on how women are essential to improving developing economies.

In particular, Clinton notes a shift in attitude towards the United States since President Obama's election. She says: "Now, there's a lot of work to be done; we still face many threats and other issues that we have to deal with, but I think we've changed the tone, we've changed the attitude, and there's a great deal more openness to the United States."

Additionally, Clinton points out how reading the press' criticisms during her presidential campaign shed light on the larger issue of gender equity which needs to be improved across the U.S. She notes: "What I was not prepared for was a lot of the criticism that I thought had less to do with me and more to do with attitudes about women, that was surprising to me.  I mean, it was 2007 and 2008, but you know, that's something we still have to work on in this country."

 

Here are a couple of quick links about how Secretary Clinton's meeting about Haiti earthquake relief went yesterday in Montreal:

•"Clinton Says Plan for Haiti Exists" (Washington Times). A couple of excerpts:

The Obama administration wants to use a plan for rebuilding Haiti it had before this month's earthquake, rather than "start from scratch," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday as top diplomats from around the world gathered to map out the country's recovery.

and

"So we have a plan," she said. "It was a legitimate plan, it was done in conjunction with other international donors, with the United Nations. And I don't want to start from scratch, but we have to recognize the changed challenges we are now confronting."

•"Haiti: 10 Years and $10 Billion in Aid?" (Toronto Star). An excerpt:

Clinton called it "novel" to do a needs assessment first, followed by planning, then the pledging of cash.

"It might seem different from what you're used to," Clinton said, "where people come together and make all kinds of promises, many of which never get realized because the follow-up work is never done."

 

Secretary Clinton is departing tomorrow for another overseas trip, this time to London and Paris. On Wednesday, she'll miss President Obama's State of the Union address because she'll be attending a ministerial meeting on Yemen in London. On Thursday in London, she'll attend an international conference on Afghanistan. In Paris, Clinton will give a speech on European security and meet with the French president and foreign minister, as reported by Laura Rozen over at Politico.

China was not happy with Secretary Clinton's Jan. 21 speech on Internet freedom. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called on the U.S. State Department "to respect the truth and to stop using the so-called Internet freedom question to level baseless accusations." A Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement, "The Chinese Internet is open."

Craziness. In her speech, Clinton respected the truth, and she didn't make "baseless accusations." As for the Chinese Internet being open, the New York Times got it right when it stated in a pro-Clinton editorial, "The Chinese people know better. So should China's government." (Meanwhile, a favorable Wall Street Journal editorial said, "Kudos to Hillary Clinton.")