Usually, politicians are ambitious creatures who choose words carefully and make open-ended statements, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wasn't this time.

She battled Barack Obama down to the wire for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, but don't expect the 2008 runner-up to ever try to succeed him.

Asked on Today if she will ever run for president again, the former First Lady and U.S. Senator, laughed heartily and replied: "No. No. No. I mean, this is a great job. It is a 24-7 job. And I'm looking forward to retirement at some point.”

She also addressed criticism that the head of the State Department is marginalized in debates over two national security threats: Afghanistan and Iran.

"I find it absurd," Clinton said, adding that maybe it is a "woman thing."

TEAM OF RIVALS: Obama brought Clinton into his administration.

"You know, I’m not one of these people who feels like I have to have my face in the front of the newspaper or on the TV every moment of the day. I would be irresponsible and negligent were I to say, 'Everything must come to me.'"

"Maybe that is a woman's thing. My goal is to be a positive force to implement the kind of changes the president and I believe are in the best interests of our country. But that doesn't mean it all has to be me, me, me all the time.”

Given Obama's late night skewering of late, perhaps there's just a little bit of HRC that's glad she's out of the limelight while the presidency is Barack's problem.