When we think of crime families, Vito and Michael Corleone come to mind.

Yes, they killed people — mostly other gangsters and mob leaders. They were wealthy and powerful and dangerous to those who crossed them, but they were make-believe characters.

Let me tell you about a real-life crime family that is wealthier, more powerful and more dangerous to not only those who cross them but also the very fabric of our nation, its precious remaining liberty and what still exists of the rule of law.

Meet the Clinton crime family.

I have more than 20 years of experience with Bill and Hillary Clinton. I was numbered at the very top of their enemies list in the 1990s among media people. They don't mind hurting their enemies — and they have used the power of the state to do it. They have used the IRS to go after their enemies, their critics and even their ex-lovers who posed a threat. They have bullied, harassed and intimidated, and though no one likes to talk about it in polite company, there is indeed an impressive trail of inexplicable death that has followed in their wake. The infamous "Clinton Body Count," as it's known, even persuaded Monica Lewinsky not to make unnecessary trouble for the "family."

It's not surprising that a few of their old adversaries have seen the light and decided the Clintons really aren't that bad after all, concluding that cooperation and even praise would be better for their careers than the alternative.

After Hillary's 2008 primary debacle, some of us thought they would be satisfied to wreak havoc on America through bad ideas. We thought perhaps they would content themselves with getting richer at the public trough and through the illegal use of their "family foundation." Maybe their time was over.

But just like two bad pennies, they're back.

The corruption we read about in Peter Schweizer's book "Clinton Cash" is nothing new for the Clintons. It's been going on since their Arkansas days. It's what Whitewater was all about. It's what cattle futures were all about. It's what the Rose Law Firm was all about.

When they surprised even themselves by reaching the White House in 1993, they took a little bit of Arkansas with them, tarnishing the hallowed presidential quarters forever — insulting Marine guards, humiliating FBI and Secret Service agents, fooling around with interns, and abusing the power the American people mistakenly gave them for eight years.

They survived impeachment, thanks to the gutless Republican Senate under the leadership of Trent Lott. One can only imagine who among the Republican leadership got an offer they couldn't refuse.

They courted foreign money throughout their "co-presidency" and got plenty of it after they left office.

Scandals surrounded them throughout their administration and have ever since. But somehow, they haven't ever really paid a significant price. They have too many friends in high places — in government, in politics and, most of all, in the media. Many in the media found in the Clintons something that reminded them of the days of Camelot.

Now the Clintons are getting ready for their third term in the White House — and they will not be denied. Already consumed in scandal once again, they count on fooling the people, again. After all, it's their turn.

So let me just state clearly what they represent for those who still, more than two decades later, haven't figured it out.

The Clintons are a crime family that somehow achieved immunity from prosecution more than 20 years ago — and, until recently, even immunity from criticism from the so-called mainstream media.

They know it. That's why they have continued to flout the law and operate by their own set of rules.

To find out more about Joseph Farah and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.