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Clinton’s top priority? Fighting her own worst instincts.
Hillary Clinton’s top priority, if she is elected president, shouldn’t be enacting an infrastructure plan or pushing immigration reform. It should be — must be, if she is to succeed on any substantive front — to combat her own worst instincts.
To be clear, I desperately want to see Clinton elected, not only because the alternative is Donald Trump and not only because it is time for a woman in the White House. Clinton has the experience, intelligence, skill and discipline to be an excellent president.
But she has also repeatedly displayed tendencies, overlapping and toxically reinforcing, that could undermine all those positive attributes:
To believe — correctly, in my view — that she is the victim of an implacable political opposition, and to respond by hunkering down and lashing out.
To believe — again, correctly — that she is being held to different, higher standards than others, and, rather than accepting this unpleasant reality and adjusting her behavior accordingly, to rail against it on the theory that nothing she does will ever satisfy the critics.
To believe that her own good works are so extensive, and her goodwill so evident, that questions about her behavior can stem only from the malicious intent of political enemies, or the ravenous appetites of a hostile media.
To respond to demands for information by elevating lawyerly caution over political judgment. To apologize if and only if circumstances require — and then not until the passage of time and the imperative of contrition have drained the moment of any sincerity. To bet that any potential problem will blow over, not fester, even if unhappy experience dictates the exact opposite.
Finally, to surround herself with a closed circle of advisers inclined more to enable than to prevent, and to reinforce Clinton’s us-against-the-world mentality rather than to challenge it.
These instincts were on display from the moment of Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign through the Clintons’ two terms in the White House. They reappeared during Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and again — with a vengeance — this time around.
If there is an episode that encapsulates most if not all of these instincts, it is, of course, her handling of those damn emails.
These self-destructive instincts were on display at the outset of the email mess. Clinton wanted to keep emails on one device; her staff complied and accommodated when it should have pushed back — hard.
Burned by the serial scandals and non-scandals of her husband’s administration, Clinton prioritized maintaining what she once mournfully described as a “zone of privacy” over ordinary rules regarding doing government business on government devices. Once again, that instinct for self-protection backfired. “I don’t want any risk of the personal being accessible,” she told aide Huma Abedin in one email.
These self-destructive instincts continued when the email issue first arose. Thinking like a lawyer advised by other lawyers, Clinton chose to delete emails that she deemed personal. She had the legal right to do so, and it wouldn’t have been a big deal, before she left office, to expunge personal emails written from a government account.
But the mass deletion of emails that Clinton’s team alone deemed personal, conducted after the State Department asked for its official archives back, was guaranteed to create a firestorm when it became public. As anyone who has spent as much time in Washington, under as much of a microscope as Clinton had, should have known it inevitably would.
“Why didn’t they get this stuff out like 18 months ago? So crazy,” exasperated former Clinton adviser Neera Tanden asked in an email when Clinton’s private server and mass deletion became public. “I guess I know the answer. They wanted to get away with it.”
After the email story broke, Clinton had to be pressured to choke out an apology. Tanden, again, nailed it: “Apologies are like her Achilles’ heel.” Once more, the details dribbled out, grudgingly and, as a result, inflicting even more damage.
Even before the unfortunate letter from FBI Director James B. Comey fanned the email flames, a President Clinton was certain to face incessant, multiple investigations from congressional Republicans seizing on what Rep. Jason Chaffetz (Utah) described as a “target-rich environment.”
All of this is unfortunate, outrageous — and unavoidable. If Clinton continues to be her own worst enemy, if she were to behave in office as she has too often before, she will make it all that much worse. She needs to guard against this by learning, finally, from the mistakes of the past.
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The New York Times finally takes their head out of the sand. (See 1 below.)
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Don't tripp! (See 2 below.)
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Dick
Dick
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1)
Gray Lady Comes Clean on Obama’s Middle East Legacy - The American Interest
As the sun sets on the Obama administration, the New York Times is finally acknowledging what has been clear to most observers for some time: Obama has not had a very successful presidency. We’ve had the admission that Obamacare, the signature domestic accomplishment of his tenure, is unsustainable in its present form; now comes the admission that he leaves a much worse mess behind in the Middle East for his successor than Bush did:After a presidential campaign dominated by reality-show-style insults and put-downs, the winner of next month’s American election will wake up the following morning to find a far more daunting reality waiting: a Middle East awash in conflict and disarray, desperate for American leadership.
The 45th president will inherit problems associated with the region that are vastly more challenging than any in a generation as the old order has given way to a kaleidoscopic mix of alliances, rivalries and overlapping crises. […] Today there is no single overarching issue but multiple ones. Syria, Iraq and Yemen are caught up in war. Turkey and Jordan are inundated by refugees. Russia has reasserted itself as a major player in the region. Libya is searching for stability after the fall of its longtime dictator. The Kurds are on the march. Egypt is fighting off a terrorist threat at home. And Saudi Arabia and Iran are waging a profound struggle for the future of the region.Interestingly, the piece does not mention the centerpiece of Obama’s Middle East policy: the nuclear deal with Iran. That deal, more particularly the decision to pursue it without regard to Iran’s regional behavior, will likely be seen by future historians not as the basis of Middle East stability as Obama hoped, but as a grave error that accelerated what one of the analysts quoted by the Times refers to as the “free fall” of the region in the waning months of Obama’s tenure.
As always when it comes to the failures of liberal icons, the Gray Lady is slow to connect the dots. The disarray overseas, the collapse of the nonproliferation agenda, the failure of Obamacare, the racial polarization in the United States:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++The Times reports on each of these stories when it must. But what it continues to resist is a comprehensive look at the disappointing consequences of Obama’s policy choices for the issues he cared most about and come to some kind of realistic assessment of Obama’s legacy.
2)
Linda Tripp: The Colossal Clinton Con
By Linda Tripp
She’s finally done it. The country faces a possible constitutional crisis should Hillary win the election. With a federal criminal investigation of the possible president-elect underway, President Obama might well issue a preemptive presidential pardon on his way out the door. Imagine that. Pardoned before inaugurated. Or she will find a way to pardon herself for “the good of the country.” It will simply never end.
If the past portends the future, we should ponder that which came before. The tale of four partners of the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas is a good place to start. They came to Washington, DC with Bill Clinton in 1993. You couldn’t turn a corner in the West Wing without bumping into one or all of them. Webster Hubbell became Associate Attorney General of the United States. He ended up in a federal pen. Vince Foster became Deputy Counsel to the President and he was found dead by gunshot in Fort Marcy Park. Bill Kennedy became an Associate White House Counsel and was neck deep in Filegate and Travelgate. He also oversaw the ubiquitous Craig Livingstone, the former bar bouncer personally chosen by the First Lady to head the Office of White House Security. Together, Bill Kennedy and Craig Livingstone were the ones to officially identify the body of Vince Foster. I knew them all. Of the four partners, only one is left standing. She is currently running for president of the United States.
I am struck by the “none so blind as those who will not see” syndrome. The Clintons live and breathe and count on those who choose to ignore that which they already know to be true. It has worked for over thirty years and it is working now. She is under federal investigation and blames the investigators. It is reminiscent of her evisceration of Ken Starr, the Independent Counsel appointed by Bill Clinton’s Attorney General who ultimately became the scapegoat for virtually all their momentous scandals. It worked then and it may work now.
Hillary’s incessant scandals over decades have morphed into an odd sort of national vaccination, immunizing her from accountability while hypnotizing much of the nation. In the face of pervasive corruption, it has been reduced to so much white noise. With much of the country asleep at the wheel, she is days away from likely becoming our 45th President. The colossal Clinton con will have achieved riches, greatness and immortality and that is unthinkable to those of us who knew them both.
Few noticed when we learned that Bill Clinton accepted a million-dollar birthday gift from Qatar, a major Islamic state and world terrorism sponsor. Or the countless other questionable mega donations from sketchy countries. Or the backroom deals guaranteeing him personally many millions of dollars over time from dubious sources. It’s all emblematic of the Clintons’ unbridled quest for power and vast wealth. At any cost. That few care is the power of the Clintons in a nutshell. It’s just a peek at the thick thread of self-enrichment artfully woven through everything they do and it is one that will become more obvious over time.
The Clintons have become enormously enriched through their own unique form of philanthropy. Money is their very own personal Holy Grail. For sale to the highest bidder, they care little about the source and much more about the cash. When questions of impropriety arise, they simply mop up the brief political fallout and move on “for the good of the country.” And we allow them to do so. It is why, as the election nears, those of us who know how deeply corrupt the Clintons are can only shake our heads in despair.
These Masters of the Universe parading as elder statesmen are painfully close to retaking the White House. The People’s House.
And speaking of that venerated house, one of the more enduring symbols of our democracy: It is an alternative universe when the Clintons can claim the moral high ground on virtually anything. So, the mesmerizing inscription carved into the mantle of the fireplace in the State Dining Room takes on new significance. The words are from a letter John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail in 1800: “I pray to heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men rule under this roof.” Over two hundred years later, this prayer now seems uncannily prophetic. As the nation prepares to place an individual so absolutely corrupt in a position of such absolute power, these words should give us all pause.
Behind closed doors, it was not just the constant vulgarity, the obscenities, or the alarming denigration of vast groups of their own supporters. It was not just the Hillary scandals from Filegate to Travelgate, to Whitewater and Vince Foster, to massive illegal campaign contributions, to the selling of anything that wasn’t nailed down. It wasn’t even their unbridled greed or their politics of personal destruction. That was where any perceived enemy or opponent found themselves treated to a uniquely chilling kind of Clinton retaliation. All courtesy of her bona fide secret police. That was just part of it.
Equally egregious was her vocal disdain for vast groups of people of faith and her utter contempt for the members of all the armed services. There were too many examples to cite, but my introduction to Hillary occurred in the Oval Office corridor as she headed back upstairs to her own West Wing office. An army officer dressed in Class A uniform had made the mistake of being seen in her presence. Her loud, “Get these f–king uniforms the f–k out of my sight!” floored just about everyone.
Over time the staggering profanity coming from both Bill and Hillary became expected. As the wife of an army officer for twenty years with a career at the Department of Defense spanning that long, this particular outburst offended me the most. The language coming from a First Lady was deplorable enough, but it was the harsh sentiment that was stunning. This from one who believes she is fit to be Commander-in-Chief. In any case, that was only part of it.
It was also the smoke and mirrors that meant virtually everything they said publicly bore no resemblance to what was said privately. She and her closest aides share a contempt for most of the electorate. This has been true since I knew them in the first Clinton administration. Her pathological secrecy arose from a need to conceal not only this but also the money trail. The country has had a glimpse through leaked information of the person behind the mask. The Oscar worthy public candidate who appears quite fit to be president bears no resemblance to the actual person seeking the job. Hillary Clinton is incapable of telling the truth. The truth would not get her elected. In the face of years of documented corruption, that she is on the brink of becoming President defies any logic at all.
This past year highlighted the Hillary I know in action. The private server. The classified emails on the unprotected server. The destruction of laptops and phones with a hammer. The actual risk to our national security and the lives of many, all for personal gain. Many involved with this server holding not a whisper of a security clearance. The bizarre immunity deals granted to just about everyone in her periphery when a grand jury had not even been impaneled. The manipulation and the destruction of the emails while under a congressional subpoena. The secret tarmac meeting between the Attorney General and Bill Clinton just before the FBI’s curiously tortured findings were unveiled.
Then came a charade of enormous proportion. The startling split-screen image of FBI Director Comey, flanked by flags and the power of his office, announcing his peculiar non-indictment indictment alongside arguably the most powerful symbol of the presidency, Air Force One. So, as Director Comey circuitously announced his conclusion, Air Force One sat in all its iconic glory waiting to whisk the president and his president-in-waiting off to a campaign event. Pure political theater. And a not so subliminal message signaling not only the strength and might of the presidency but also their defiant solidarity. It flaunted their triumph over those who had believed justice might actually be served. This symbolic joint jaunt to a Hillary campaign event on this particular day would never have been allowed to occur had there been any doubt of the outcome. He knew. She knew. They knew. That this is not chilling to much of the nation is the most chilling of all.
Hillary spent a year firmly assuring the country that nothing would come from of the FBI investigation. During this active and ongoing investigation, she spoke with confidence and conviction. She answered in the affirmative when asked by a television host whether she thinks there is “zero chance” she would be indicted. “Absolutely. That’s what I’m saying. That happens to be the truth,” Clinton said. This authority came from a knowledge only she had. In the end, a cabal of political players ostensibly working for 370 million people served just one. This is corruption. Half the country is ok with it.
I believe the Clinton Foundation’s pay-for-play was the sole reason for having a private server in the first place. A “mistake” is a mismatched pair of socks. Make no mistake, the server was no “mistake.” The server was the “intent.” That it was discovered at all was the goof. Hillary risked it all solely to shield from public view that which was most important to her. The sensational amounts of money pouring into the foundation and her involvement in all of it had to be hidden from view. The server was her personal guarantee that none of this would ever see the light of day. Nothing was more important. Nothing will ever be more important.
In the wake of all of this, thanks to the president, his Justice Department and a helpful FBI director, Hillary suffered no consequences. There was no accountability for deeds that would have had monumental and life changing consequences for virtually anyone else. These are acts punishable by law and include the real possibility of prison. We will see as more is leaked that the behemoth that is the Clinton Foundation dwarfs even the White House, and the Clintons will protect it at all costs. It represents serious cash, one which has taken in over two billion dollars since it began. It served as their calling card for multi-million dollar speeches, earning the two of them in excess of $230 million since they left the White House. Primarily for selling the promise of access and favor. But the pattern began many years ago.
Compared to today, the Hillary Clinton I knew dealt in small potato corruption. She thinks bigger these days. It was unsurprising to me when they exited the White House years ago the very same way they entered, mired in scandal and corruption. And consumed by money.
Few remember the looting of the White House, but it was a fitting end to their scandal plagued reign. Hillary exited the White House with furnishings that had already been designated official White House property. When caught red handed, they begrudgingly returned just some of it, admitting no culpability of course, but saying the return was in an abundance of caution. This garnered short lived attention in the press. I could only shake my head as I recalled her graphic objection to protocol concerning official gifts from around the world. In her uniquely expletive-deleted way, the First Lady made her position known to anyone within shouting distance. What she ultimately did with, as she said in my presense, “our f–king sh-t not the f–king country’s f–king sh-t,” is beyond me.
But as Hillary was loading the moving trucks and making history while doing it, she was busy on another front. That was when she distinguished herself as the only First Lady in history to actively solicit high ticket “gifts” from her legion of wealthy mega donors on her way out the door. Of the many luxurious gifts this not so blushing bride asked for and received, most remarkable was the modest cigar humidor from of all people, Walter Kaye.
He is best remembered as the wealthy donor who had the dubious distinction of placing a young girl named Monica Lewinsky as an intern in the White House years before. Not the most extravagant donation but the tasteless cigar commemoration was meaningful nonetheless.
The Bonnie and Clyde of politics never miss a payday and it didn’t start with the foundation. They had years of peddling access and influence and it paid well. They discovered their own personal gravy train as they blurred the lines between public service and public opportunism. A loss in this election would mean the end of the Clinton foundation. There would literally be nothing left to sell.
As we face the real possibility of an unprecedented pardon should Hillary win the election, it reminds us of how little was made of Bill Clinton’s own pardon business during his last days in office. And a gainful business it was. It was textbook Clinton. In fact, it was a real family affair with his shady brother and even shadier brother-in-law in on the lucrative action. These two shifty characters generally flew below the radar but they were an embarrassing presence in the Clinton White House and their hands were always in the till. They are found in other questionable but highly lucrative activities as they gleefully traded on their powerful siblings. These siblings condoned it all privately but condemned some of it publicly when these things surfaced.
By now we’ve forgotten the most infamous pardon of them all. That was bestowed on Marc Rich, the notorious perpetrator of the greatest tax fraud against the United States in history. Among other things. As a permanent resident on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, fugitive from justice Rich was probably the least likely person on the planet one might expect to receive a presidential pardon. Unless you knew the Clintons. So, let’s review. Denise Rich paid close to half a million dollars to the Clinton Library.
She paid at least $70,000 to Hillary’s senate campaign and even donated $10,000 to Bill Clinton’s Legal Defense Fund as he futilely fought the Paula Jones lawsuit. And that is all we know about. All in a day’s work for the Clintons. Few paid attention. Sure, short lived outrage ensued, but our Pravda-esque media ensured the pardon coverage was brief. Most importantly, the Clintons’ paydays were never in any jeopardy.
There are potential whistleblowers today in the State Department, the Justice Department, and the FBI. They know they have an obligation to expose corruption at the highest levels of our government. They are aware they could expose not only Hillary Clinton but also those she has corrupted in her wake. Their silence is testimony to the real fear of Clinton retaliation. That this may sound melodramatic or suggestive of the KGB of old does not make it less true. Few dare cross the Clintons and those who do are never completely whole again. And this is happening not in Venezuela, but in America.
In the end, unethical behavior hung over the Clintons like a noxious cloud, permeating their reign from day one. The scandals were of their own making, each borne of an arrogance, an inordinate greed, and a deep-seated contempt for the rule of law. It continues today. It is what we have to look forward to in a second Clinton presidency. God help us.
To many who knew the Clintons behind closed doors, it is unimaginable that she may be elected to the highest office in the land. There is a good chance she will actually become the most powerful person on the planet. John Adams must be spinning in his grave at the mere thought. One thing is true: Many have tried to hold them accountable. All have been thwarted at every turn.
It would be easier to catch a cloud than to stop the Clintons. It should scare us all. In the end, it is impossible to make people pay attention to that which they refuse to see. The Clinton con works. Spectacularly. And as with any good con, the hapless mark is left holding the bag. That would be us. With the election mere days away, those who know the Clintons are left with the feeble hope that divine intervention will miraculously lift the electorate’s blinders in time.
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