The Clinton-Obama Foreign Policy Machine

After a bitterly fought election, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama seemed unlikely teammates inside the West Wing. And, at first, the animosity toward Clinton from the Obama camp was still palpable, writes Michael Hirsh for Newsweek’s new cover story on Clinton. Even as secretary of state, Clinton felt out of the loop. But today, the pair form a tight-knit, politically savvy united front on all matters of foreign policy—though she admits that it "may have taken longer to shake off the vestiges of a very hard-fought campaign." With her strong positions on Iran and China and her bad-cop approach, she has become one of Obama’s most valuable assets in handling difficult foreign governments. "I would say, over time, both of them have gotten closer to the pragmatism espoused by her during the campaign," said one senior administration official who has worked for both. "You've seen in the last three months much more of an emergence of her persona.”