Hillary Clinton Focuses on the Policy, Not the Personal

When he first ran for president, Barack Obama's themes were "hope" and "change." Hillary Clinton, appearing at a conference last week, trumpeted what she called "evidence-based optimism."

That isn't a phrase that lends itself to a campaign slogan, but these days it captures the unsentimental approach Mrs. Clinton is bringing to policy debates ahead of the 2016 presidential contest.

Already one of the country's best-known figures, Mrs. Clinton is playing down her personal story and instead keeping issues front and center. Her message is that she would bring to American...