Hillary Clinton will go down in history as one of the worst presidential candidates of all time. So if the failed 2016 nominee is bashing one of the 2020 Democratic hopefuls, that’s a sign the candidate is actually doing something right.

Clinton has a recurring theme of childishly decrying everything she doesn’t like as “Russian meddling.” It’s Clinton's favored excuse for why she lost the 2016 election against President Trump despite having everything slanted her favor, and now she’s using the “but Russia!” smear to attack Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

"She is a favorite of the Russians. They have a bunch of sites and bots and ways of supporting her so far."



-- @HillaryClinton said about @TulsiGabbard https://t.co/KwGVkw9jH8 — Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) October 18, 2019

In a Thursday media appearance reported on by the Washington Examiner, Clinton pushed the conspiracy that Gabbard is, more or less, a Russian asset.

“I'm not making any predictions, but I think they’ve got their eye on somebody who is currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate,” Clinton said. “She is a favorite of the Russians. They have a bunch of sites and bots and other ways of supporting her so far.”

Clinton was clearly smearing Gabbard, even if she never mentioned her explicitly by name. Clinton’s aides only doubled down on the conspiracy, with one representative saying, “This is not some outlandish claim, this is reality.”

"This is not some outlandish claim. This is reality."



-- Top @HillaryClinton aid said backing up Hillary's recent comments on @TulsiGabbard. https://t.co/keDHspUT4f — Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) October 18, 2019

Tulsi Gabbard is not a Russian asset. Clinton's insinuation otherwise is a disgraceful, disgusting smear (unfortunately, it's not the first). Whether you agree with her politics or not, the Hawaii congresswoman is a patriot who has dedicated her life to serving her country.

As I’ve previously written:

Gabbard enlisted right after 9/11, something no [other democratic candidate] could say. She served two combat tours in Iraq, and continues to serve in the Army National Guard today. Gabbard even received the Meritorious Service Medal for her service. ... Don’t for a second suggest, no matter how misguided you may think she is, that Tulsi Gabbard does not love America.

For Clinton to question the patriotism of a lifelong public servant and veteran is reprehensible, especially given that she never made anywhere close to the same sacrifice for our country that Gabbard made. But while Gabbard has every right to take offense at Clinton’s comments, she should truly view the attack as a compliment: The former secretary of state’s tenure was so abysmal that her anti-endorsement should be seen as nothing less than a glowing recommendation.

Beyond Clinton’s infamous email scandal in which she exposed classified information, the failed politician also started a failed regime-change war in Libya that didn’t just leave everyone worse off, it turned Libya into a failed state. If Clinton finds Tulsi Gabbard's anti-interventionist approach to foreign policy so unappealing, well, that's a pretty good sign Gabbard is on to something.

Clinton totally botched the 2016 election, despite the fact that she ran against a historically unpopular and unorthodox opponent in Trump. The former first lady sneeringly dismissed half the country as bigoted “deplorables,” dooming her electoral chances and also revealing her sinister, narrow-minded worldview. Whether you agree with her policies or not, Tulsi Gabbard is running a unifying campaign for president, reaching out across the aisle and speaking to everyone, against the politics of division.

It’s only natural that Clinton would smear Gabbard — she’s everything Clinton never was and never will be. Gabbard is a unifier, not a divider, boasts a decorated career of public service, and in her biggest difference from Clinton, is actually still relevant.