BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

By: Kenneth P. Vogel and Laura Rozen Nearly two years after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ended her losing presidential campaign and endorsed rival Barack Obama, Clinton’s allies maintain a triad of groups that have continued to make her presence felt in the political world — and could serve as a platform for the next phase of her public life. Her presidential campaign committee, still in the process of winding down, maintains and makes money off a lasting asset from her presidential bid — an e-mail list of 2.5 million core supporters. Her Senate campaign committee accrues modest interest on a $1.9 million nest egg. And a thriving foundation called No Limits, founded after Clinton resigned from the Senate to join Obama’s Cabinet, works to burnish her legacy, maintains contact with Clinton supporters and pursues a policy agenda that closely mirrors Clinton’s own — health care and women’s issues. The three entities operate almost completely apart from Clinton, who is barred by proto...

from 'Madam Secretary': John McCain dug deep and found his clichéd maverick side on the Senate floor today, taking the microphone (so to speak) to call for Hillary Clinton to be confirmed this afternoon by unanimous consent rather than by a time-consuming roll call vote. He had, reportedly, spoken to Texas Sen. John Cornyn ( the architect of today's vote, which is designed to embarrass Hillary -- and, by extension -- Bill Clinton ). This isn't the first time that John McCain has praised Hillary. During the primaries last year, they were rarely seen trading barbs , and he famously said of her: Sen. Clinton has earned great respect for her tenacity and courage. The media often overlooked how compassionately she spoke to the concerns and dreams of millions of Americans, and she deserves a lot more appreciation than she sometimes received. "As the father of three daughters, I owe her a debt for inspiring millions of women to believe there is no opportunity in this gre...