Hillary Clinton 2016 Presidential Run In Jeopardy After Blood Clot and Concussion? Does a Candidate's Health Matter?

Hillary Clinton has recovered from her blood clot, but have her presidential aspirations for 2016 been injured?

Doctors say Clinton will make a full recovery, and she's already left the hospital in New York.

Weakened by a stomach virus in December, Clinton fainted and fell, hitting her head and receiving a concussion. When doctors examined her they also found a blood clot on the right side of her skull in her transverse sinus.

She was put on blood-thinning drugs before being released today. "In all other aspects of her recovery, the secretary is making excellent progress and we are confident she will make a full recovery," her physicians, Lisa Bardack of the Mount Kisco Medical Group and Gigi El-Bayoumi of George Washington University, said in a statement.

"She is in good spirits, engaging with her doctors, her family, and her staff," they said.

It is unknown whether the clot resulted from the concussion, or vice versa, or whether the conditions are unrelated.

It would probably be better for Clinton if it turns out the concussion caused the clot. That would mean it's less likely there's an underlying condition. Clinton already suffered a blood clot in 1998, though that one was in her leg and much less serious.

Her health issues will likely come up if she runs for president in 2016. Clinton is 65 now, so she'll be 68 or 69 during the primaries and the general campaign. Only Ronald Reagan has been that old when elected, and his age was an issue during both his initial election and his reelection campaign.

Of course, as a woman, Clinton has a longer life expectancy, and perhaps more healthy working years available to her than a male opponent might, and the Republicans will definitely field a man in 2016.

While Clinton will certainly face questions over her health come campaign season, that's still at least two years off, so there' plenty of time for damage control, if there is any real fallout. A lot depends on what she ends up doing after she resigns as Secretary of State, which will probably happen over the next month.

Clinton is viewed as a workhorse, jumping from country to country in a diplomatic frenzy. She's capable, determined and tough, but the hectic schedule takes it toll.

Ironically, is she starts a relatively quiet retirement, he health could improve but the public may see her as less vigorous, simply because she isn't always in the news dashing from one crisis to the next.

But she has weathered far more difficult personal and political storms, and if she wants the nomination, there isn't any Democrat who can stop her.

That leaves it to the Republicans. Maybe someone like Marco Rubio or Paul Ryan could hit her on the health issue, as they're both young men, but it would probably look petty. And Chris Christie has no room to talk about fitness, presidential or otherwise.

So while this may be big news right now, as long as Clinton stays healthy for the next few years, this is only a tiny bump in her long road to a presidential nomination.