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The honest admission provided a rare glimpse into how the former secretary of state -- and frontrunner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination -- views the journalists who constantly follow her.

"I am aware some of you may be a little surprised to see me here tonight," Clinton said.

READ: Obama, Clinton convene another hush-hush meeting

Clinton, who most recently held an adversarial press conference with throngs of reporters over her use of personal email as secretary of state, has a long, often antagonistic history with the national media.

When she was asked to headline an event with hundreds of political reporters, editors and executives, she recounted thinking, "What could possibly go wrong?"

"I am all about new beginnings," Clinton said at the Toner Prize event in Washington. "A new grandchild, another new hair style, a new email account, why not a new relationship with the press? So here goes, no more secrecy, no more zone of privacy. After all, what good did that do me?"

At the cozy event, Clinton hinted at her 2016 bid by noting that she has been "ruminating" lately.

Clinton has operated with the media almost exclusively on her terms for the last two years. At her paid speaking engagements and foundation events, the press is generally kept hundreds of feet away. During the 2014 midterm election -- and at times during Clinton's 2014 book tour -- media was sometimes close enough to ask a question, but the occurrences were rare.

SEE: For Clinton, sharp tweets foreshadow imminent campaign

Her press conference two weeks ago at the United Nations was the first time since September 2014 she gaggled with the cadre of reporters that have followed her for the better part of a year.

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Hillary Clinton seeks 'new beginning' with the press - CNN.com

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton talked about her "complicated" relationship with the press during a keynote address at this year's Toner Prize Celebration. (The Toner Program in Political Reporting)

"I am all about new beginnings," Hillary Clinton said at event honoring the late New York Times Robin Toner Monday night in Washington. "A new grandchild, another new hairstyle, a new e-mail account. The relationship with the press. So here goes: no more secrecy. No more zone of privacy. After all, what good did that do me?

Clinton made clear that her change of heart was decidedly tongue in cheek, adding: "Before I go any further, look under your chair, youll find a simple non-disclosure agreement my attorneys drew up. Old habits last."

ZING!

Here's the thing: Clinton shouldn't be joking. She badly needs a new relationship with the press after a 2008 campaign that was marked by the remarkably uncivil daily interactions between her press team and the reporters tasked with covering the campaign. (I am far from blameless in that as a participant in plenty of skirmishes that, in retrospect, were so tiny and meaningless as to not make much of a difference in even the short term.)

And, in her hires for the not-yet-announced-but-come-on-everyone-knows-she's-doing-it presidential campaign there does seem to be an acknowledgment that the press shop needs an entirely different approach. As Peter Nicholas wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal:

Mrs. Clintons new campaign is shaping up to be a hybrid of longtime Clinton and Obama political operatives. Tensions are inevitable.But Mrs. Clinton seems to want some sort of rapprochement with the press.

Three of the people she has recently tapped for key spots in her media operation suggest as much.All have strong ties to the press corps; none is known for a combative approach to the media.

He's exactly right. Jennifer Palmieri, who is expected to be the communications director, has a long history with the national media -- from her time working for John Edwards' presidential bid to her service as a senior press person in the Obama White House. Brian Fallon, expected to be the national press secretary, spent time on Capitol Hill with the irrepressible Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) before going to head press operations at the Justice Department. And Jesse Ferguson, who is expected to play a major role in the Clinton 2016 press shop, comes out of the world of House Democratic politics and is known -- by me and lots of other reporters -- for his reasonableness.

Those hires will likely make some difference in how the Clinton campaign deals with the media. But, the key question is not really the philosophy of the people Clinton has hired when it comes to dealing with the media. It's whether she (and her husband) have actually changed their mind in any meaningful way about their approach to the press.

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The Fix: Hillary Clinton promised a new relationship with the media. She was kidding.

WASHINGTON (AP) Rather than keeping him at arm's length, Hillary Rodham Clinton is embracing President Barack Obama sometimes even literally.

Clinton had been expected to look for some ways to separate herself from the president to avoid the impression that having her in the White House would amount to a third Obama term. But as she prepares for another presidential campaign, Clinton has aligned herself with Obama far more often than not.

On Monday, a few hours after meeting Obama at the White House, Clinton tweeted a list of accomplishments of the president's health care law on its fifth anniversary. "Repeal those things? Embrace them!" she declared, posting an old photo of herself extending her arms to hug Obama at the White House.

The tactics carry risk with an electorate that often seeks change after one party runs the White House for eight years. Republicans are already warning voters that Clinton would merely cement Obama's most unpopular policies and continue in his vein.

"She will have to break with Obama significantly and substantively if she wants to win," said Phil Musser, a former executive director of the Republican Governors Association. "Obama is no Reagan, and America is ready for the end of his presidency, not the extension of it."

Clinton, who is expected to announce her campaign in April, hasn't presented an overarching message of where she would take the country. For now, she's talking about finding consensus and building on "what has worked in the past."

She has also begun taking on the Republican-led Congress recently blasting the House GOP budget plan on Twitter, the letter written by Senate Republicans that was seen as interference in Iran nuclear talks and delays in the confirmation Loretta Lynch as attorney general.

Aligning herself with Obama may pose fewer risks than once thought. While his approval rating is still under 50 percent, it has stabilized following a noticeable dip last year. Obama could help Clinton connect with the diverse coalition of voters who powered him to two victories. And perhaps more important, the economy is steadily improving, with job creation up and unemployment down to 5.5 percent.

Dan Pfeiffer, a longtime Obama adviser who recently left the White House, said that while he expects Clinton to break with the president when she actually disagrees with him, it would be unwise to create differences where none truly exists.

"Manufacturing agreement or disagreement to score some political points would be a mistake," Pfeiffer said. "Candidates that get all tangled up trying align with or separate from their party or their president have a very poor track record of success."

Read the original here:
Preparing for 2016 campaign, Hillary Clinton embracing Obama

Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton talked about her "complicated" relationship with the press during a keynote address at this year's Toner Prize Celebration. (The Toner Program in Political Reporting)

"I am all about new beginnings," Hillary Clinton said at event honoring the late New York Times Robin Toner Monday night in Washington. "A new grandchild, another new hairstyle, a new e-mail account. The relationship with the press. So here goes: no more secrecy. No more zone of privacy. After all, what good did that do me?

Clinton made clear that her change of heart was decidedly tongue in cheek, adding: "Before I go any further, look under your chair, youll find a simple non-disclosure agreement my attorneys drew up. Old habits last."

ZING!

Here's the thing: Clinton shouldn't be joking. She badly needs a new relationship with the press after a 2008 campaign that was marked by the remarkably uncivil daily interactions between her press team and the reporters tasked with covering the campaign. (I am far from blameless in that as a participant in plenty of skirmishes that, in retrospect, were so tiny and meaningless as to not make much of a difference in even the short term.)

And, in her hires for the not-yet-announced-but-come-on-everyone-knows-she's-doing-it presidential campaign there does seem to be an acknowledgment that the press shop needs an entirely different approach. As Peter Nicholas wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal:

Mrs. Clintons new campaign is shaping up to be a hybrid of longtime Clinton and Obama political operatives. Tensions are inevitable.But Mrs. Clinton seems to want some sort of rapprochement with the press.

Three of the people she has recently tapped for key spots in her media operation suggest as much.All have strong ties to the press corps; none is known for a combative approach to the media.

He's exactly right. Jennifer Palmieri, who is expected to be the communications director, has a long history with the national media -- from her time working for John Edwards' presidential bid to her service as a senior press person in the Obama White House. Brian Fallon, expected to be the national press secretary, spent time on Capitol Hill with the irrepressible Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) before going to head press operations at the Justice Department. And Jesse Ferguson, who is expected to play a major role in the Clinton 2016 press shop, comes out of the world of House Democratic politics and is known -- by me and lots of other reporters -- for his reasonableness.

Those hires will likely make some difference in how the Clinton campaign deals with the media. But, the key question is not really the philosophy of the people Clinton has hired when it comes to dealing with the media. It's whether she (and her husband) have actually changed their mind in any meaningful way about their approach to the press.

More here:
Hillary Clinton promised a new relationship with the media. She was kidding.

The "Ready-For-Action Figure" sports a blue pantsuit and beige heels. The Kickstarter campaign set up by its Brooklyn-based designers has already reached its $15,000 fundraising goal.

And they've promised to make a version in a pink pantsuit as well if they hit $60,000.

The superhero version of Clinton "can solve any international crisis with a single joke, (is) strong enough to wrestle Russian bears, yet cool enough to diffuse any Korean missile," quips the promotional video.

"Smart, bold, and stylish -- the world has never seen a woman quite like this."

The action figure was designed by a small studio called FCTRY, which also created an Obama action figure in 2008.

The firm's crowdfunding campaign still has 14 day left, but the money raised so far is enough to get manufacturing started, according to FCTRY, which is taking donations as small as $1.

For every donor, they'll send a postcard to Clinton encouraging her to run for president. Anyone who gives $15 gets an action figure and for $40, donors will also get a "Run Hillary. Run" t-shirt.

Related: The Ted Cruz economy: Reality-checking his talking points

The makers of the action figure, who clearly hope that Clinton will become the first woman president, stress that she's not a "doll" like Barbie, which can send the wrong message to girls.

Hillary Clinton is a "positive female role model," they write.

Read more from the original source:
Hillary's action figure is ready to run