Hillary Rodham Clinton: Secretary of State

As USA TODAY, The Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, puts it, Hillary Clinton brings "global star power, a long-standing commitment to improving the status of women and children around the world, and muscular promises of military action when U.S. interests are crossed" to her job as the nation's secretary of state. She's earned this praise during more than thirty years in the public spotlight, as First Lady of Arkansas, as First Lady of the United States, and as the junior senator from New York. She also broke ground in 2008 as the nation's first truly viable female presidential candidate, winning the support of nearly 18 million primary voters. Raised in a middle-class family, Clinton set up antiwar demonstrations during her college years and later worked as a lawyer for the Children's Defense Fund. Her marriage to former U.S. president and Arkansas governor Bill Clinton brought her good and bad publicity, as well as the chance to meet world leaders and travel the country. Her stint in the U.S. Senate cemented her reputation as a smart and hard-working politician. Her varied experiences will serve her well as she navigates global trouble spots.