We recall with great fondness the late Chuck Heston’s famous words at the 2000 NRA convention. Speaking beyond the audience to the perpetually scowling Al Gore, then the Democratic nominee for president, Heston cried: “From my cold, dead hands,” as he hoisted a musket into the air.

Such is the sensible application of Heston’s declaration. “Don’t touch my freedom, Al,” was Heston’s point, “and that includes my right to bear arms.”

But such words or sentiment in the hands of a venal or narcissistic person can take on a sinister cast. Here, we conjure Hillary Clinton, perhaps the most flawed and foul presidential nominee in the republic’s history, whose adult existence – along with partner in crime life, Bill – has been one, big self-serving spree.

Bill rivals his bride in the “flawed and foul” sweepstakes, but his artfulness and political skills elevated him to the presidency (along with good luck). It’s looking less and less like Hillary’s making that leap. But throughout their careers, in words and deeds, Bill and Hill have declared: “From my cold, dead hands you’ll take our power and prerogatives.” That spells huge trouble for the Democratic Party heading into November.

Thus whatever the machinations among Democratic bigwigs and high-dollar donors are to engineer Hillary out of the Democratic nomination and the put Tim Kaine or Joe “You Own Obama’s Eight Years” Biden into it, short of incapacitation or death, the likelihood that the tenaciously selfish Clintons will ride off into the sunset without an epic fight is scant.

Woe unto cynical and amoral Democrats who have hitched their wagons to the Clintons… who have mined fat paychecks, enormous fees, and advantages through proximity to the dastardly duo. Woe unto their party, which is precariously close to being reduced to rubble by the venal, narcissistic Clintons; they who could give a fig about the damage wrought by their blind devotion to selves. (Woe unto the nation, if, for whatever perverse reasons, Hillary persuades enough voters in enough states to give her the requisite 270 electoral votes to put her and Bubba back in the White House.)  

When, pray tell, have the Clintons ever surrendered anything of value to themselves? When haven’t they dragged Arkansans, kin and kith, supporters, allies, paramours, women in the wrong place at the wrong time, law partners, and a continent full of humans into the many dramas revolving around their struggles to acquire or retain stations, power, and prerogatives? Oh, and lots of moola. The Clinton Foundation and its offshoots are influence-peddling, pay-to-play scams from the word “go.”      

The more pronounced the venality and/or narcissism the more destructive the person in their grip. Petty narcissists roam the planet, inflicting -- oh, shall we say -- microaggressions in service of their interests. Or as a matter of collateral damage… in service of their interests. Lacking empathy, narcissists -- big, small and in-between -- use, abuse, and discard anyone and everyone… in service of their interests.     

Notorious narcissists -- presumed, if not diagnosed -- have, time and again, proven effective at larger scale destruction. What about Bernie Madoff’s caper? Jonestown wound up as a population of corpses. Charlie Manson committed murder and mayhem mostly through the manipulation of followers. Charlie’s “family” paid steep prices for his criminality and their culpability. Then there was the misfit Austrian who, along with his Japanese buds, dragged a world into war, and then brought his Volk down with him when his fortunes sank.

A common thread in just those examples -- and an admonition to Democrats -- is that finally, terribly, the narcissist is indiscriminate in his or her destruction. Family, friends, and allies are no more immune from the narcissist’s calculations, recklessness, or wrath (when things go against her) than strangers.

Hillary has lived most of her adult life convicted that she has a destiny. One imagines it’s more a sense of entitlement that she achieves the presidency. She hasn’t come this far or come this close to be denied her chance in November by lesser Democrats who – belatedly – see the dangers of following a corrupted and ill woman to the elections gallows this November.

The Democrats know perfectly well that Bill and Hill are corrupt; anyone in and around the Clintons have known so for decades. But the Clintons’ run of success and the muscle they’ve developed as a result -- and their ability and luck in avoiding serious consequences for their corruption -- have made them irresistible to ambitious Democrats. Democrats have ridden the conceit that the dice would never come up snake-eyes for Bubba and his bride. A greedy myopia is fast pitching into hubris. Others have kept their mouths shut out of moral cowardice.   

Hillary is a perfect storm -- a horrible gathering of lies, deceit, chicanery, crookedness, avarice, unbridled ambition, and much more. That swirling storm applies to her health concerns, too. She’s on the verge of bringing down a lot of Democrats as she goes down herself -- or taking them down if they dare attempt to deny her the prize of her lifetime, the presidency.

Go gentle into that good night? Not narcissists. Not the Clintons.