Hillary Abroad During Democratic Convention

Secretary of State Clinton during Cook Island visit.
(photo from Reuters, used in Christian Science Monitor story)

Hillary Rodham Clinton will not be attending the upcoming Democratic National Convention. Instead, the former First Lady will be overseas, representing the United States as its Secretary of State. Mrs. Clinton's choice of venues is revealing. According to The Washington Post, She'll be building relationships in nations such as the Cook Islands and Timor-Leste. These Pacific island destinations are as geographically far away from Charlotte, North Carolina, as possible. They are also, from a media standpoint, located in inconvenient time zones and lack any useful media infrastructure.

Clinton's trip assumes greater gravitas when she visits heavyweight contenders China and Russia. Those moments are likely to be dovetailed with President Obama's re-election campaign messages. Mitt Romney, meanwhile, may want to point out how the former corporate raider intends to follow through on his campaign threats to economically "punish" the world's largest holder of American government debt --China -- and resume a Cold War stance against strongman Vladimir Putin's commodity-rich nation. It's difficult to imagine Romney's message winning traction or respect in those two countries.

Of course, Hillary will bid official Washington au revoir in January. However, au revoir is not adieu. 2016 should be a very, very interesting political year.