Hillary Clinton Profiled in December Issue of Vogue

The fun, fluffier details of Jonathan van Meter's article for Vogue's December issue? Clinton commends first lady Michelle Obama's support for young American fashion designers and admits to her love of the AMC hit Mad Men ("That's how it was!" [Clinton] says. "That's why the women's-liberation movement was so shocking. It was like news from outer space.")

The former first lady also opens up on her reluctance to accept the top State Department post in her onetime rival's administration. "I was stunned after the election when President Obama asked me to consider this," she says. "I really was very unconvinced. I did not think it was the right thing to do. I didn't want to do it. I just really had a lot of doubts, and I kept suggesting other people."

Cate Blanchett, not Madam Secretary, graces the cover, however. But at least Vogue assigned a top-notch photographer for Clinton's close-up: Annie Leibovitz.