What do the Kim family of North Korea have in common with Bill and Hillary Clinton?  They are stuck with heirs lacking in star appeal.  For all his ruthlessness, the third generation of the Kim Dynasty has an image problem – not that anyone in North Korra would publicly admit it.

You almost have to feel sorry for the Clinton Machine, stuck with Chelsea as the only possible heir.  At least Kim Jong-il had one wife, three known mistresses, and five known kids to choose from.  Whatever the wanderings of Bill Clinton, nobody has ever suspected more than one offspring, whatever other odd speculations about parentage may have been voiced.

There are an awful lot of people who saw their career prospects crash when Hillary lost, and they are desperate.  An unsigned blog post at The American Interest explains:

[The] seemingly inexplicable media fascination with [Chelsea] Clinton – who has not, as far as we can tell, shown any evidence of being a charismatic leader or innovative political thinker – makes more sense once you remember the reach and scope of the Clinton machine. The Clinton family has bestrode American politics for a generation on the power of its vast network of activists and apparatchiks and donors and loyalist nonprofits. Once political machines are set in motion – once checks are flowing, galas are scheduled, the loyalists are hired – they are hard to wind down. And that means that, as we have said before, "there has to be a Clinton in the political arena."

What we are now seeing are the last gasps of a vast political machine trying to keep its gears spinning despite every indication that it is time for a new model. It may or may not be successful, but one thing is clear: The Clinton machine will not let itself be shut down without a fight.

The death throes of this machine promise to be highly entertaining as both drama and comedy.