Let me prefix my comments with this idea: Hillary Clinton, since entering politics, is no stranger to clever deceit and using the media to her advantage. She and Bill, like Caesar and Cleopatra, have never ever done anything without first weighing it in the balance of ambition.

Early in her last presidential run, Hillary held a number of private round-table meetings of small groups, carefully screened and selected, with which she engaged in staged and filmed interactions. Most of the participants were given prepared questions. This way she was able to broadcast her message nationwide as nightly news with little cost to her, without the physical demands of a grueling schedule and without questions about her scandals and controversies. Always shown sitting down she looked confident in her responses. Of course she was confident, like any good actress she had knew the script. But when she finally was compelled to hit the campaign circuit with all of its physical demands, we saw her many violent coughing spells sprinkled with falls and collapses. Again in spite of many denials and the media shielding her, the focus of the campaign changed from national issues to questions about her health and lack of stamina.

Hillary is now four years older and we have no idea what the condition of her health is. To keep her in the news and away from probing questions, she periodically receives a highly publicized award for something or another. Then she makes an impassioned speech reminding us what horrible conditions in which we find the nation. Liberals frequently give each other big awards accompanied by speeches highlighting their latest cause.

We’ve also seen her at a number of carefully staged Broadway appearances followed by standing ovations. These are designed to show how popular she still is. A running joke with radio comedian Jack Benny was his line about receiving yet another standing ovation at the theater after someone shouted, “there’s Jack Benny” and then jumped to their feet applauding. Whereupon stooge Dennis Day would say, “yeah, how’d I do Mr. Benny?”

Now by appearing to wait on the sidelines while holding the occasional, but again highly publicized, meetings with candidates, Hillary can assume the mantle of the venerable matriarch allowing the wannabes to grovel for endorsements or advice. As before she doesn’t have to raise or spend money and most importantly, she’s not expending a lot of energy or answering tough questions.

Hillary knows during the coming months all the squabbling dwarfs will destroy each other. Stupid comments will take down a some as will embarrassing blasts from the past. She also knows a poll revealed voters overwhelmingly would be supportive of a female candidate and had almost no interest in supporting a candidate over 75 or a socialist. So when the others have crashed, her team supported by her media allies will cone forward begging her to run and get revenge on the evil villain who stole the election from her.

Left unchecked ambition can be a very dangerous thing. Most of us will never know the overwhelming and driving ambition Hillary possesses. That makes it hard for us to not see what is compelling her to do the things she does or has done. She has lost the Presidency of the United States twice. Instead of this causing her to assess her positions on issues or fade into the sunset like statesman Adlai Stevenson, it only serves to fuel her burning desire to achieve what has eluded her. That makes her very dangerous and puts all of the nation on a very bad course.

A few months ago the Trump-hating media was giving credit for the amazing 3.1 GDP and robust economy we now enjoy to President Obama. When that one sank, they tried a new tactic: the economy is not as good as we think it is. That’s rich. Splice those two points together and you get “the economy that’s not as good as you think it is can be credited to Barrack Obama.” I don’t think they’ve thought that one through. What all this Doran show is they spend all their energy trying to paint Donald Trump as dangerous and reckless with one new scheme after another whether they make sense or not.

I submit, Hillary Clinton’s blind ambition and unfulfilled lust for power is what should cause us fear. Don’t be fooled by anything she says or anything she does between now and November of 2020. A careful examination of her track record should tell us that.

Ralph Miller