The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Hillary Clinton is really into Dostoevsky. And she lets her dogs on the sofa sometimes.

Former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton gestures during a book launch in Berlin. (Gero Breloer/AP)

It's okay to let dogs on the sofa. Sometimes.

Just ask former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, who acknowledged letting her dogs up on the couch from time. Clinton is also a fan of the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky -- her favorite book is "The Brothers Karamazov" -- and the first book she plans to read to her grandchild is "Goodnight Moon."

Clinton revealed it all in a Facebook Q&A Monday afternoon. She fielded questions on a variety of subjects ranging from foreign policy to personal tastes.

Asked about the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Clinton said, "I hope there can be a ceasefire soon to end the conflict." She added that she is "fully supportive of Secretary Kerry's efforts to work with the Egyptians to forge a new cease-fire."

Clinton also called for the U.S. and European allies to impose stricter sanctions on Russia.

Clinton said she agreed with President Obama that Russian President Vladimir Putin has "direct responsibility" to urge Ukrainian separatists to cooperate with the investigation into a downed Malaysian Airlines flight.   

"I agree with the President's comment today and we should do more to ensure a thorough investigation that not only respects those who were murdered in the attack on the plane, but also tries to find answers to who is responsible," she said.

"In addition," added Clinton, "we should work to bring our European allies together with us on tougher sanctions that would make it clear to Putin that there is a price to pay for this kind of behavior and we should encourage Europeans to start immediately to make sure they are less dependent on Russian energy so they are not intimidated."

The former secretary of state also noted that she would consider backing  a constitutional amendment overturning the Supreme Court's "Citizen's United" ruling, " if there is no other way" to address the ruling.

Clinton, a potential 2016 candidate for president, was in Silicon Valley where she stopped by the headquarters of Twitter and Facebook. She also take questions a Twitter event on a range of subjects.

When asked who she would pick as her vice presidential running mate, Clinton took a pass. She said she has not even decided whether she will run for president yet.

"In your lifetime, who has meant the most to you to meet along the way and why?" asked one participant in the Facebook event.

Clinton responded: "Meeting Nelson Mandela was extremely meaningful to me. I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with him and found his courage and capacity for forgiveness astonishing."

Another person wondered, "How do you really feel about dogs? If you, say lived at 1600, would you let dogs on the sofa?"

Clinton's response? "I love dogs, especially our three. Although it may not be proper dog etiquette, I do let our dogs on the sofa from time to time."

And if Clinton becomes president, would would her first action be? Hypothetically, of course.

"Answering hypothetically... the next President should work to grow the economy, increase upward mobility, and decrease inequality," she said.

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