While Hillary remains popular, and has ambitions, will it really happen? There was no enthusiasm for a defeated Al Gore or a defeated John Kerry to ever run for president again. People are always looking for new faces, in both major parties. Would Hillary really have a good chance, especially if some unknown charismatic Democrat, not unlike Obama in ‘08, captures the imagination of the Democrat voters and caucus goers and minorities and young people???? Just asking the question. Hillary could well be perceived as yesterday’s news if she ran again.
I don't think there's any way around it. She's already perceived as yesterday's news. Think about it. By 2012, she'll have been on the national stage for 20 years.
If she'd been moving steadily toward the top of the party apparatus as an elected official during all of those years, it might be perceived that the presidency is her next logical step, but that's not the case with her political career.
She hasn't tread the tried and true path to the White House that most presidents have. With the exception of Obama, most presidents have been Governors or Senators (of long tenure). The country is now experiencing what happens when you hand the presidency over to a relative novice with little to no executive experience. They're not likely to repeat that mistake any time soon.
Short analysis: I think Hillary has already been consigned to the same dustbin as other failed Democrat presidential hopefuls.