The lady in waiting will have to keep waiting. Probably forever. Fate has spoken.
Already threatened by a growing trust deficit with voters, her would-be majesty now faces an even more lethal adversary. It's called the truth, though she probably sees it as a vast, left-wing conspiracy.
The news that two inspectors general from the Obama administration want the Justice Department to investigate her handling of classified material is a potential game changer. For many Democrats, it will serve as final proof she is 'Âfatally' flawed.
Her standing will further erode, turning her coronation plans into a long, hot summer. The drip, drip, drip of details will produce new polls showing a bleeding of support, which will entice other candidates into the race. Look for Vice President Joe Biden to jump in soon, and lefty Sen. Elizabeth Warren might also take the leap.
Meanwhile, Clinton must play Âdefense against her former colleagues in the State Department and intelligence agencies.
'Colleagues' and friends, not necessarily the same thing. Friends in D.C.? Old Harry Truman quote: "You want a friend in D.C., buy a dog."
Actually, it's worse. She's almost certainly up against the White House.
Somebody very high in the food chain leaked the memos requesting the probe. The New York Times, which broke the story, identified its source only as "a senior government official."
My money is on Valerie Jarrett, the Obamas' Rasputin, who is known to despise Clinton. If it was Jarrett, she would not do this against the president's wishes.
Enemy no doubt, but I'm not so certain Jarrett is the leaker. She might just be falling under her own weight.
That also would be true for any "senior government official" who leaked the memos. Targets don't get any bigger than Hillary Clinton, so this was not a rogue operation. This was an approved hit.