  We introduce a new discrete-time variational principle inspired by the
quantum clock originally proposed by Feynman, and use it to write down quantum
evolution as a ground state eigenvalue problem. The construction allows one to
apply ground state quantum many-body theory to quantum dynamics, extending the
reach of many highly developed tools from this fertile research area. Moreover
this formalism naturally leads to an algorithm to parallelize quantum
simulation over time. We draw an explicit connection between previously known
time-dependent variational principles and the new time embedded variational
principle presented. Sample calculations are presented applying the idea to a
Hydrogen molecule and the spin degrees of freedom of a model inorganic compound
demonstrating the parallel speedup of our method as well as its flexibility in
applying ground-state methodologies. Finally, we take advantage of the unique
perspective of the new variational principle to examine the error of basis
approximations in quantum dynamics.
