Exes Of Evil

Asked by a voter what qualified her to handle leaders from countries such as Iran and North Korea, Clinton began her reply, then stopped and, for effect, repeated the question. "What in my background equips me to deal with evil and bad men?" she said wryly, prompting peals of laughter from the audience.

It was revealing because--asked about dealing with evil men like Osama bin Laden--her mind seemed to go to her domestic enemies. It's absurd to suggest that she thinks Bill is evil like Osama. But Kenneth Starr? Rick Santorum? Her joke suggests that she buys into the notion that American and Middle Eastern "zealots" are cut from the same cloth, an idea that dovetails with her belief that there was (and is) a right-wing conspiracy to destroy the Clintons. But it does tell you how deeply inimical she still feels to elements of the American right, how little she has forgiven.