Quick: What has the woman done? As a lawyer, what important cases did she win? As a first lady, her only major “accomplishment” was a failed health-care-reform scheme that didn’t even get a vote in the Senate. As a carpetbagging senator from New York, what historic legislation did she shepherd? Most of her party, including the president, repudiates her vote for the Iraq War. Pretty much the only thing her biggest supporters can tout about her tenure as secretary of state is that she “traveled a million miles,” which strikes me as the ultimate triumph of quantity over quality (particularly given the hot mess that is American foreign policy).

In other words, what fascinates me is the fascination with Hillary. I don’t deny that it exists, I just don’t think she warrants it. Also, I don’t think finding Hillary Clinton deeply interesting necessarily means there’s a deep interest out there in the American public to see her become president. Huma Abedin, the humiliated wife of Anthony Weiner, is interesting for many of the same reasons Hillary is; that doesn’t add to Abedin’s qualifications for high office.

And this is one reason why I think all of the talk about Hilary’s “inevitability” is misplaced. Yes, she’s way ahead in the polls. But she’s also been out of the line of fire in domestic partisan politics for a long time.