Clinton: Pressure on Syria is "unmistakable message"
"If they ever didn't hear it... if they doubted that it was directed at them from their own neighborhood, there's no way they can escape that reality," she said.
In an interview with CBS News chief White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell today, Clinton added bluntly, "Assad's going to be gone, it's just a question of time."
O'Donnell spoke to Clinton in Bali, Indonesia, today where she was attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, or ASEAN, alongside the president. The trip marked a pivot to the Asia-Pacific in the Obama administration's foreign policy. (watch at left)
"There was some doubt at the beginning of the Obama administration whether the United States would remain active in the Asia-Pacific region," she said. "[But] as we are winding down the war in Iraq, [and] transitioning in Afghanistan, we are now focused on the opportunities."
Turning to politics, while she was reluctant to comment on the current Republican primary race, she did say, she believes the rhetoric the Republican candidates are using on the campaign trail won't work in practice.
"I think they have such a difficult electorate to appeal to that they're going to say a lot of things that don't particularly stand the test of time or accuracy," she said.
On her own desire to seek the office in the future, Clinton said, as far as she's concerned, a run for president is squarely in the past.
"I had a great run, I was very grateful that I could do that," she said, "I felt just really good about the experience, but that was then and this is now and I'm looking forward."