All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now receiving her most positive ratings since coming on to the national political scene nearly two decades ago. As she heads to London for the G-20 summit, a recent CBS News Poll conducted March 12-16 finds that 58 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of her – the highest percentage since CBS News started asking about her in 1992 and a significant improvement from when she was a candidate for president.

Throughout much of Clinton’s campaign for president, voters’ opinions were divided and often slightly more negative than positive, but since ending her presidential bid and being named Secretary of State, favorable opinions of her have risen. In fact, one year ago, just 39 percent of voters held a favorable view of Clinton.

FAVORABLE VIEW OF HILLARY CLINTON





*among registered voters

During her time as first lady, Clinton’s favorable ratings were mostly in the 30s and 40s. Views of her were more positive during her husband, Bill Clinton’s, second term as president than his first, reflecting public support for her during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

As first lady, Clinton received her highest favorable rating (55 percent) in January 1999, shortly after the House of Representatives voted to impeach then-President Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton’s lowest favorable rating while first lady (31 percent) occurred in August 1995, following weeks of Congressional hearings on the Clintons’ Whitewater land deal.

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Hillary Rodham Clinton was officially sworn in as the 67th Secretary of State today in Washington, DC. Vice President Biden joked that he never thought he would be swearing in Mrs. Clinton for the post.

Secretary Clinton was joined by her husband, former president Bill Clinton, their daughter Chelsea Clinton and Clinton's mother Dorothy Rodham.

Watch the ceremony here:

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Former President Bill Clinton made millions in speaking fees from foreign companies last year, according to financial disclosure documents obtained by the Associated Press.

According to the documents filed by his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Mr. Clinton earned $5.7 million in speaking fees, of which $4.6 million came from foreign sources.

Among the companies that paid Mr. Clinton are Hybrid Kinetic Automotive Holdings of Hong Kong, AWD Holding AG of Germany, the state-owned National Bank of Kuwait, Value Grupo Financiero SA de CV of Mexico, Media Control Gmbh of Germany and Petra Equities Management of Malaysia.

The highest payment to Mr. Clinton from one source was $1.25 million for appearing at five events sponsored by Power Within Inc., a Toronto-based company that puts on motivational and training programs, reports the AP. He was paid $525,000 for one Power Within speech in Edmonton in June 2008.

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received a "rousing welcome" this morning from hundreds of State Department employees who crammed into a welcome ceremony to hear from the new boss.

"I am absolutely honored and thrilled beyond words to be here with you as our nation’s 67th Secretary of State," Clinton said. "And I believe, with all of my heart, that this is a new era for America."

Clinton, who was confirmed yesterday, faces a host of challenges in her new job, including wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, conflict in the Middle East, and potential threats in Iran and Pakistan.

She told the assembled crowd that "robust diplomacy and effective development are the best long-term tools for securing America’s future."

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The Senate has overwhelmingly confirmed Hillary Clinton to become secretary of state.

The chamber voted 94 to two to confirm Clinton, a fierce rival of President Obama for the Democratic nomination. Though some Republicans had expressed concerns about conflicts of interest related to Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, they were not enough to derail her nomination.

Clinton will now be immediately sworn in at a private ceremony. She faces daunting foreign policy challenges, including wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the conflict in the Middle East.

Republican Sens. David Vitter of Louisiana and Jim DeMint of South Carolina opposed Clinton.

New York Governor David Patterson has yet to appoint a replacement for Clinton in the Senate. He is expected to announce his choice by Saturday.

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It appears that Hillary Clinton will not be confirmed as secretary of state today.

The Associated Press is reporting (UPDATE: And CBS News confirms) that Republican John Cornyn of Texas is planning to block a unanimous floor vote to confirm the former first lady later today. Their source is a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The spokesman, Jim Manley, predicted that there would be a roll call vote Wednesday, and that "she will receive overwhelming bipartisan support" when it takes place.

The Senate still plans to confirm other Obama Cabinet picks later today.

Oops.

Appearing on Oprah Winfrey's program today, Jill Biden, wife of Vice President-elect Joe Biden, suggested that her husband had been offered his choice of either the V.P. slot or the job of Secretary of State in the Obama administration.

That's not the sort of information meant for public consumption, as Joe Biden quickly made clear: The soon-to-be-veep shushed his wife immediately after she made the statement, the Associated Press reports, prompting laughter from the audience.

Mr. Obama's onetime rival Hillary Clinton was eventually offered the secretary Of state job.

(SEE UPDATE BELOW -- The Biden camp insists the vice president elect was not offered the secretary of state position)

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By CBS News State Department reporter Charles Wolfson

It was standing room only for the confirmation hearing of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, President-elect Barack Obama’s expected secretary of state.

More than a hundred spectators lined up early and many had to wait their turn to enter the hearing room in the Senate’s Hart Office Building.

Inside it was clear this was no ordinary hearing. Seats were reserved for diplomats from a number of interested countries including Egypt and Iraq. The French Ambassador, Pierre Vimont, arrived early and chatted with journalists and committee staff members.

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President Bush signed into law special legislation which returns the salary for the presumed incoming Secretary of State to the rate it was before Hillary Clinton entered the Senate.

Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution states that no member of Congress shall be appointed to any Government post for which the pay has been increased during their time in Congress, explains CBS News' Mark Knoller.

Secretary of State appointee, Hillary Clinton happened to be a member of Congress when Condoleezza Rice got a raise in the beginning of 2007. Clinton can only be paid the amount the post garnered before she became a lawmaker.

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Congress has lowered the salary of the secretary of state by about $4,700 to pave the way for Hillary Clinton to take the job.

As we reported last week, an obscure Constitutional clause known as the “Emoluments Clause” says that if the salary of a civil position increases while a Congressperson is in office, the Congressperson cannot legally take that position.

In the past, Congress has circumvented the clause by passing a resolution lowering the salary of the office the Congressperson sought to assume, a maneuver known as the "Saxbe Fix."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's salary was increased to $191,300 during Clinton's term, which would make Clinton ineligible for the job. But in the latest deployment of the Saxbe Fix, Congress reduced the salary for the position to $186,600, which is what it was when Clinton began her second term in the Senate.