It's genuinely remarkable, what with her résumé overflowing with maledictions, malefactions, imprecations, fabrications, machinations, and depredations, that Hillary Clinton was able last week to outdo herself — at this presumably late stage of her malodorous political career — by hurling a ball of flaming bile at Tulsi Gabbard.

Now, as for me, I'm behind Donald Trump and his attempt to protect our country from creatures like Hillary Clinton.  I don't much like the modern Democratic Party's policy or ethos (forgive the titanic understatement).  And I wouldn't consider voting for any of the Democratic presidential contenders.

But as a sane conservative of the old school who still thinks those of different viewpoints are opponents and not enemies — a reality I bitterly admit may be changing — I take profound umbrage at Clinton's elliptical disparagement of Tulsi Gabbard as a "Russian asset."  Refusing to name Gabbard — and no doubt thinking herself clever — when asked if she was referring to Gabbard, Clinton said, "If the nesting doll fits..."

There is a great moment in the movie Billy Budd, where Melvyn Douglas's Danish sailor character is being examined at inquest in the aftermath of Budd's unintentional slaying of the evil master-at-arms Claggart.  He is asked, "Is there malice between the master-at-arms and Budd?"  And the Dansker replies, "Aye!  Master-at-arms bore malice towards a grace he could not have."

Ah, grace.  Hillary Clinton's frayed psychology is showing, and this perennial beldam's psyche is as ugly as her politics and her tactics.  Tulsi Gabbard's positions aside, she is young, good-looking, well spoken, patriotic, and politically viable: reasons enough for a jealous harridan to smolder and burn against her.  The one quality, youth, Clinton left behind decades ago.  The others she never had and never could.