Hillary Clinton

Sitting on the sidelines and watching those see-saw Republican primaries has been a nail-biting experience for us across the pond -- and so it must have been even more nerve-racking if you happen to be President Obama's Secretary of State. Yet Hillary Clinton has insisted she had no interest in the fight between Messrs. Romney, Gingrich and Santorum.

But she wouldn't be human if she hasn't been thinking back to those Democratic primaries four years ago. Then, of course, SHE was the favourite - the establishment candidate backed by most of the party's grandees and most of the money. Until Barack Obama won Iowa - and after that you know the story. She says she hasn't followed the debates this time. But it is hard to believe. There are so many parallels -- so much political adrenalin and so much power at stake.

Here in Europe and around the world, I have to tell you that Hillary Clinton is popular. Extraordinarily popular. The non-partisan responsibilities of being your Secretary of State have transformed her from a do-gooding Democrat to an international peace-maker. And you won't hear a bad word said about her in the British Parliament. The loyal, long-suffering former First Lady has come a long way. She's shown herself to be a fighter with an appetite for hard graft. And yet she says she doesn't seek the top job and might quit the limelight as Secretary of State very soon and take a complete breather.

She's 64. Too old to challenge? Hardly. Mitt Romney is seven months her senior. Newt Gingrich is 68 and looks it. Mrs Clinton rules out running for President this year - and then adds, with a mysterious twinkle: "everyone always says that when they leave these jobs". She has become one of President Obama's greatest assets - now she's an asset he may desperately need. So when she says she won't, there are many of her admirers in all sorts of places around the world who still believe she might. And if not now, why not 2016? ***This is Ed Boyle for CBS News in London.