"Only way for [President Barack Obama] to win second term is to ask you to be VP – he will realize that after midterms," wrote Mark Penn, a pollster and chief strategist on her unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid.
The suggestion came as Penn offered a fairly critical review of Obama's 2010 State of the Union address.

"Thought it was overall pretty good speech – but he seemed angry as part of strategy to make him more passionate. Not good," Penn wrote. "People are tired of words, they want deeds. He should stop all this tic-toc of his deliberations – they want action not handwringing."

Clinton gave no explicit indication of whether she agreed with Penn on some or all of his points, although she forwarded the message to one of her aides with her trademark "Pls print" notation.

Penn's advice notwithstanding, Obama opted to stick with Vice President Joe Biden and managed to win re-election anyway.

Friday's release of previously unseen Clinton emails prompted another round of heartburn for Clinton's presidential campaign and anticipation on the part of Republican critics hoping for an October surprise.