You've Got Mail (Bomb)

    We've found out all sorts of important info from Hillary mails, such as some staffer misspelled Rafik "Rasik" and that Hillary was going to meet Kissinger for a dinner, the one that spawned all the renewed war criminal-association frenzy. And a hodgepodge about Libya and her various meetings & assessments. Sadly, we still don't have  Colin Powell's emails for comparison, to see how much he knowingly lied and bamboozled in his UN speech nor other hunt-for-yellowcake type deceptive events. No worries, a special investigator spent $20 million investigating Henry Cisneros' affair, $22m on Benghazi where 4 people died, $15 million on 9/11 where 3000 died. AFAIK, hardly antyhing on Colin, a fave of the media cause he drives a hot car.

    Strangest to me from the emails, the "red flag", is how CNN notes:

    Perhaps the most controversial member of her kitchen cabinet was Sidney Blumenthal, a friend and confidant who sent her hundreds of emails on both policy and politics, even though he was blocked by the Obama administration from joining her official team at the State Department.

    Like how is Hillary the Grand Architect of Evil through the first half of the Obama Administration when she wasn't even allowed to fill out her own staff? Elsewhere we see, Richard Holbrooke didn't get along with the White House, HIllary was loathe to let Axelrod contact her directly, had tensions with Obama's NSA chief James Jones, along with Obama's chief of staff Denis McDonough, and had problems with the White House canceling meetings with her. More?

    One, Holbrooke pleaded with President Obama not to listen too much to General David Petraeus, who, as the commander of a mighty army, believed that the ultimate solution to the conflict in Afghanistan lay in a military victory. By contrast, Holbrooke was absolutely convinced that the only solution was a diplomatic one. Hillary Clinton was not only an avid admirer of Holbrooke, she was a disciple.

    And two, after being named Secretary of State, the first thing Hillary tried to do was get Richard Holbrooke appointed her Assistant Secretary of State. Alas, President Obama (who was reported to have been offended by Holbrooke’s well-documented arrogance and know-it-all attitude) refused to name him to that position.

    Holbrooke's relationship is especially disturbing. Funny how people read all the Hints from Hillary emails, yet never seem to digest the actual content.

    Presumably this goes for how the post-Hillary State Department fulfills FOIA requests or not. Arguably it has much more to do with Obama's penchant for secrecy than Hillary's, since, well, she's not there anymore.

    Meanwhile, Crooks & Liars weighs in on the IG report (you might want to review the Politifact summary from early last year as well), noting 

    In addition the Department had already received Secretary Clinton's emails and undertook to release 30,000 of them to the public. The National Archives and Records Administration concluded that our efforts with respect to Secretary Clinton and her senior staff mitigated past problems, as has a federal district court in a suit brought under the Federal Records Act. As you note in your report, you concur with this conclusion. (emph. added)

    One commenter from C&L adds:

    phein39 • a day ago

    I'm an auditor within DoD for environmental regulatory compliance.

    The hierarchy of wrongdoing goes something like this:

    Willful and knowing disregard for Federal/State/Host Nation laws.
    Violation of Federal/State/Host Nation laws.
    Violation of Federal/State regulations.
    .....
    .....
    .....
    .....
    Violation of policy.

    Violation of policy not only isn't a crime (if they can't point to a statute, they're babbling), it's not even necessarily a bad thing. Policy is guidance that HQ gives to the field. The first thing any commander asks is, Can they hurt me?, and if they can't, they do what is best in their opinion to achieve the mission.

    Violation of Departmental Regulations is not something where anyone outside the Department can hurt you, unless the Regulations are required by statute. In this case, I doubt that FISMA places any meaningful limits on actions of Department or Agency heads.

    Yep, you heard it right - there's rules and then there's rules. But under the Hillary Reality Distortion Field, all rules are created equal, even ones no one ever followed. IOKUYAC. Looking forward to Donald's tax filings and divorce depositions - I'm sure he'll be releasing them soon because it "looks bad not to do it".

    <ClintonRules>Larf.</ClintonRules>

     

    Comments

    It would be ironic if some of those attacking Hillary because she  risked  revealing  classified matter applauded Edward Snowdon for releasing classified matter.

    Always fond of repeating myself my consistent position has been

    -Security is not an end in itself. (some of us think  Security would classify a ham sandwich) 

    -It's intended to  advance the national interest.

    -It was important for Hillary to work at home. You reach better conclusions that way

    -We should be grateful she was willing to do that

    -If that conflicted with regulations the job of the organization was to make it possible.

    When Norman Schwartzkopf  was about to board the plane after our successful intervention in Iraq he bent over and picked up a handful of dirt. One of his aides said "He won´t be allowed to bring that into the United States. ¨  To which someone else replied ¨You tell him¨.

    There  used to be a military acronym :  RHIP. Rank has its privileges and responsibilities. 


    Edward Snowden revealed to the US public that our government was lying to us and spying on us to a far greater degree than we were aware.  Chelsea Manning revealed to the US public that, despite its denials, our military was killing civilians.  In direct contrast, Hillary Clinton's actions were designed to shield public records from public scrutiny.


    At some point you may come to accept that most of Hillary's time as First Lady, Senator or Secretary od State, Hillary was simply focused on doing her job, not trying to pad her pocket or violate some gov statute. I know it goes against everything you,'ve ever read.


    I agree with every word in your post here PP.  I should have clarified in my earlier remark that Clinton's use of a private email server had the effect of shielding public records from public scrutiny.  I should not have stated she acted with the express intent of doing so.  I do not know that to be true.  I certainly agree that her various tenures in public office have been marked by great devotion to service and an obvious desire to do her job professionally and in our best interests.


    You need to go back to hating on her.  This is weird, unnatural and is ruining your style.


    To be clear, I'm not saying her efforts actually led to good outcomes and then there was . . . and don't forget about . . .  Aw forget it.  She's not as bad as much better than Trump obviously.  Then there's the Supreme Court.  It's a no-brainer.  Vote for Hillary in the general election!


    Careful!  You can hurt your back doing that!


    When they told Lincoln that Grant was a drunk, he suggested the other officers figure out what brand he drank. People like to be such scolds, rather than getting things done. People were complaining that Blumenthal as an outsider had her email when state personnel didn't. Presumably sydney was more useful, not rocket science.


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