Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s fury over a question about her husband’s views shows she’s clearly not loving the job that she never really wanted anyway, several insiders told The Post.
A source said there’s a growing sense that Clinton gave up her Senate seat from New York — in which she would have “remained a national figure” — for far-flung travels around the world that aren’t getting much positive publicity back home.
Another Clinton insider said it’s obvious she’s not enjoying her role, adding, “She didn’t want the job.”
In the Congo on Monday, Clinton was asked through an interpreter what her husband thought of an international issue by a Congolese student. She exploded in anger, saying, “My husband is not the secretary of state, I am.”
“You ask my opinion, I will tell you my opinion,” said Clinton, jabbing her finger in the air.
“I’m not going to channel my husband.”
A former adviser to Bill Clinton, Aaron David Miller, put her predicament this way:
“She’s trapped between a sitting president whose job she wanted and an ex-president to whom she’s married. That’s a snapshot of her situation in August of ’09.
“There are moments, like in Africa, where you have to wonder how she’s looking at the job. Is her heart in it? Is the world and the president and the way the system’s set up conspiring against her?” Miller added.
Several insiders said there was also a sense that the former first lady was on edge because her husband was in Las Vegas celebrating his 63rd birthday a week early.
He was there with a group of longtime friends who are often rumored to be part of the famously unfaithful president’s rogues gallery, including longtime pal Terry McAuliffe and Hollywood producer Steve Bing.
Bill and his rat pack spent the evening dining at Craftsteak at the MGM Grand Hotel on the same day Hillary was in the Congo.
But when she arrived, the only talk was about the role her husband played last week in freeing two captive US journalists from North Korea.
By contrast, the secretary of state has been dogged by rumors that she has a limited role in President Obama’s administration.
Yesterday, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley defended Clinton’s outburst.
“It’s important to understand the context here . . . an abiding theme that she has in her trip to Africa is empowering women.”