Clinton: I've Seen US Challenges 'First Hand'

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she has seen 'first hand' the tremendous challenges the United States faces and was quick to cite her years of experience during a wide-ranging discussion at the University of Miami on Wednesday.

'We face big challenges at home and abroad. I saw that first hand as your secretary of state for four years,' Clinton told the college crowd. 'But I am more confident than ever in the values this country is built on and that so many other democracies are now exhibiting.'

Clinton said the deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to remove chemical weapons stockpiles was 'a positive step but it has not been fulfilled.'

She also said President Barack Obama had sought to engage former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez without success, and the U.S. has 'regretted' watching the ongoing turmoil in the country.

The potential 2016 presidential candidate also weighed in on domestic politics during the nearly hour-long speech and discussion, commending Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer for vetoing an anti-gay bill that Clinton called 'discriminatory legislation.'

Clinton did not escape without a question about her own heavily speculated about future and what supporters should make of the 'TBD' [To Be Determined] line at the end of her Twitter biography.

'I have no characters left,' she joked. 'I will certainly ponder that.'

First published February 26 2014, 7:29 PM

Andrew Rafferty

Andrew Rafferty has been a political reporter for NBCNews.com since 2013. Rafferty writes and reports on politics for the web, and shoots and produces video for all NBC platforms. Prior to joining NBCNews.com, Rafferty was a campaign reporter covering the 2012 presidential election. Rafferty was on the road for both the Republican primaries and general election, providing content for both the web and television. Rafferty began at NBC News through a fellowship at 'Meet The Press.' He is from Buffalo, N.Y., and attended John Carroll University in Ohio.