For a while – four years in fact – it looked as though Hillary Clinton had put the past behind her. As America’s top diplomat, she enjoyed by far the highest ratings of any US figure. Her popularity abroad was matched by appreciation at home for the grace with which she buried the hatchet with Barack Obama. Americans most admire politicians who seem to be above politics. Mrs Clinton had a taste of that. Then she quit as secretary of state (to prepare for her second White House bid). She has been losing altitude ever since. The worry among Democrats is her woes are only a foretaste of what is to come. They are probably right.
在一段时期里（实际上是4年），希拉里•克林顿(Hillary Clinton)似乎抛掉了历史包袱。作为美国的最高外交官，她在美国政要中享有遥遥领先的最高人气。与她在海外的受欢迎程度相媲美的是，她与巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)捐弃前嫌所展现的风度让她在国内备受赞赏。美国人最敬佩那些似乎超越政治的政治人物。希拉里曾经接近那种境界。接着她辞去国务卿一职（为再度问鼎白宫做准备）。自那以来她一直在失去高度。民主党人担心，她的困境只是未来的一种预兆。他们的看法很可能是对的。