Hard Choices Audio CD – Audiobook, June 10, 2014

June 10, 2014: Hillary Clinton's Hard Choices is the opening salvo in her likely run for the White House in 2016. It is a deftly written memoir designed to reintroduce her to the American public, and to highlight her accomplishments while defining any controversies on her own terms. It is not a campaign manifesto; rather it is a largely self-serving personal account of her time at the State Department.The book, for which she received an $8 million advance, was launched with a huge media campaign. In her first television interview, which aired Monday, Clinton told ABC News' Diane Sawyer that she will not make a decision on whether to run for president until the end of the year. "I just want to kind of get through this year, travel around the country, sign books, help in the midterm elections in the fall, and then take a deep breath and kind of go through my pluses and minuses about what I will -- and will not -- be thinking about as I make the decision," she said in the interview.Even though she has not announced her candidacy for president, she is the Democratic Party's overwhelming frontrunner. But she is haunted by the bitter 2008 presidential campaign. "Having run for president before, I understand exactly how challenging it is on every front -- not only on candidates but on their families as well," she writes in the book. "After having lost in 2008, I know that nothing is guaranteed, nothing can be taken for granted."Clinton has been a polarizing figure in the past, and a favorite political target of Republicans. Already, some have raised questions about her health, her age, and her term as Secretary of State.For instance, Clinton may be called to testify before a select committee of Congress to answer questions about her role in Benghazi. Four Americans died in a terrorist attack at the U.S. diplomatic compound there on Sept. 11, 2012, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Clinton, who was Secretary of State at the time, has repeatedly said she takes full responsibility. Even so, several congressional committees from both houses have already investigated the tragedy. Further, the State Department's Accountability Review Board found, "Systematic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department... resulted in a special mission security posture that was inadequate."Republicans want to keep the so-called Benghazi scandal alive because they think it is the gift that keeps on giving. And a newly released ABC News poll shows that only 37 percent of Americans approve of Clinton's handling of Benghazi. Nonetheless, Clinton is defiant in her book, "It's just plain wrong, and it's unworthy of our great country. Those who insist on politicizing the tragedy will have to do so without me."Republicans will not only continuously attack Clinton on Benghazi, they will also claim that a Clinton presidency would be a continuation of President Barack Obama's eight years in office. Clinton uses the book to make it clear that she and the president had their differences. Clinton favored arming the Syrian rebels in 2012, calling it "the least bad option available." The president disagreed. She wrote, "No one likes to lose a debate, including me. But this was the president's call and I respected it."Clinton admitted she made a mistake voting for the war in Iraq in 2002, a vote that may have cost her victory in the 2008 primary against Obama. "I thought I had acted in good faith," she writes, referring to the bad intelligence the Bush administration provided about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities. "And I wasn't alone in getting it wrong. But I still got it wrong." She goes on to say, "I should have stated my regret sooner and in the plainest, most direct language possible."Throughout the book Clinton discusses how she dealt with foreign policy dilemmas during her tenure at State. She writes about China, Iran, North Korea and the Middle East. As Secretary of State, she visited 112 countries, and travelled one million miles. The book will appeal to Clinton supporters, and her many critics will harshly trash it.As if she had to be reminded how vulnerable to attack she is, she started a controversy when she told Sawyer that she and President Bill Clinton were broke when he left office. "We came out of the White House not only dead broke, but in debt," she said. "We had no money when we got there and we struggled to, you know, piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for Chelsea's education. You know, it was not easy." Republicans called these comments a major gaff, some even accusing her of being as tone deaf as Mitt Romney.But Republicans should be careful how they handle a Clinton candidacy. She enjoys strong support among women, typically the largest voting block. Clinton will also appeal to middle-class white voters, Hispanics, African Americans and other minorities.While she did not declare her candidacy in Hard Choices, she gave plenty of hints. "Ultimately, what happens in 2016 should be about what kind of future Americans want for themselves and their children," she writes. "I hope we choose inclusive politics and a common purpose to unleash the creativity, potential, and opportunity that makes America exceptional. That's what all Americans deserve."Sounds like Hillary Clinton has already made the hard choice.

Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton covers among the following;Starting on page 85; Clinton recalls her experience trying to help someone who was concerned about sharing the fate of a prominent businessman who is said to have been murdered/killed as part of a cleverly planned cover-up.Near Page 175-There is a picture of Hillary Clinton with a Burmese Nobel Peace Prize Winner Aung San Suu Kyi in December 2011. On page 175, Clinton also touches on why she is concerned about Pakistan.Page 207;Hillary Clinton and David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary were both equally concerned about the growing numbers of out of work young people within the United States, Europe, and around the world.Page 412-Hillary Clinton addresses the Benghazi scandal and acknowledged that Susan Rice, former Ambassador to the United Nations and current National Security Advisor was one of the people that underwent public scrutiny during the scandal.Page 528/Chapter 23; Hillary Clinton shares her thoughts and information around the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. On previous pages preceding pages 528 she includes an abundant amount of detailed photos such as when she gave her farewell speech to fellow employees of the State Department on February 1, 2013 (pictured with Deputy Secretaries Tom Nides and Under Secretary Pat Kennedy. Clinton also includes pictures of a December 2009 UN Climate Change conference that her and President Obama attended together. There is also a picture of Hillary Clinton speaking with Norwegian Foreign Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on climate change in Tromso Norway during June 2012.I admit that both my husband and I plan to vote for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, with one of the reasons pertaining to the fact that she can easily turn to her husband Bill Clinton for professional mentorship in regards to Presidential duties and experience (from his 8 years in office as President). If it is not too late, I hope that Hillary Clinton also has the chance to talk with and/or turn to former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice due to her experience with military issues and the U.S military population (it would take another post for me to explain why). Dramatically, I know all too well that it is too popular for some people to attack and/or demean others based on who they plan to vote for in the upcoming 2016 Presidential elections. However, one of the reasons I intend to strive to refrain from doing so, even if some attacks are leveled on me, traces more to my awareness that I have some family members, whom I’m close to, as well as facebook friends who might vote for Donald Trump.

As a news addict, I thought I was largely aware of what went on in the world, and I well remember the years of the comparatively recent Obama presidency, in which Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. I keep track of major and lesser events going on in various parts of the world, and realize they are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, with much going on beneath the surface. However, I’d never realized just how much.Hillary’s day-by-day account has expounded on the finest details in a way both informative and riveting. I have learned minutiae about international celebrities, what really happened behind the scenes at international conferences and the ‘how’s and ‘why’s of many global events, political and otherwise, formerly obscured in mystery, that have altered my perceptions entirely.Love her or hate her, this is a woman of immense perceptions and, I believe, integrity, with much experience to pass on. I did enjoy learning from it.

In Hard Choices, Hillary documents her time as Secretary of State and this was a great way to get a behind the scenes look at not just at the scope of this powerful role but also at some of more recent historic events - the finding of Osama bin Laden, the rise of Arab Spring, the leadership pas de deux of Vladimir Putin and Andre Medvedev in Russia just to name a few. She writes well and accessibly and apart from having to keep my wits about me with all of the different names, this was an easier read than I expected it to be.The closing lines in the epilogue - getting back to work - are a telling sign that she's not yet done and makes a nice bridge between her years of service as part the Obama Administration and her bid to be the next Democratic candidate for US President. Enjoyable and educational.

This is a worthwhile read, but not an easy one. i read this to get some insight into what views a potential presidential candidate of 2016 will have on world events. i should have known better. Hilary Clinton carefully avoids leaving any hostages to fortune although you do get a general idea of her views. She is particularly strong on women's issues and the opening up of the developing world to digital technology as a means of empowering ordinary people. I am also impressed by the breadth of work that the US state Department does. For example, the work they do in creating a genuine level playing field in international trade and their intervention in global warming.I liked the way that she opened each new section of the book with a personal anecdote, that eased you into the issues that were to be dealt with. In short, a worthwhile read which gives a general idea of how the democratic Party views America's role in the world.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. For a political memoir, it was easy to read (I also read Bill Clinton's book - not so easy), informative, and it made me want to keep reading. Not only was it a personal memoir of her time in office, but it also gave a brief yet comprehensive rundown of world politics in the past few years, in a very understandable way. The author comes across as compassionate and strong, and by the end of the book I had a new admiration for this former First Lady and Secretary of State. I would definitely recommend this book.

What an awful read because it reads like a teenager has written a novel even though it is supposed to be non fictional. She or probably her ghost writer almost lies simply by omissions of crucial details of the recent history of geo politics