Obama waves off Hillary with a presidential boost

The show was Obama’s first joint interview with another politician

President Barack Obama has described Hillary Clinton as "one of the finest secretaries of state we've had", in an unprecedented joint television interview broadcast. Mrs Clinton is due to stand down this week, following the confirmation of Senator John Kerry as her replacement at the State Department.

The interview with CBS's 60 Minutes was the President's first dual interview with anyone other than his wife, and will be widely construed as a boost to Mrs Clinton's hopes of running for the White House in 2016.

"I just wanted to have a chance to publicly say thank you," Mr Obama said. "I'm going to miss her. But I want the country to appreciate what an extraordinary role she has played during the course of my administration. A lot of the successes we've had internationally have been because of her hard work."