The previously secret emails of former U.S. secretary of state and current favorite to be the Democratic contender for the U.S. president Hillary Rodham Clinton are a bonanza for those seeking to discern her non-public face and those of her closest advisers with respect to Israel.
With more than 30,000 emails released, drip, drip, drip since December, 2014, there’s a lot to plow through.
But one omnipresent correspondent of Clinton’s, her former advisor Sidney Blumenthal, stands out as he harps away at two issues close to his heart: one, Israel, the object of deep hostility, and the other, his son Max, a source of immense pride. That one’s son is a source of pride to a father is neither surprising nor shameful. But most of what Blumenthal promotes about his son Max is the never-ending fusillade of hate screeds written by the son in frequently obscure outlets which are directed at the other Blumenthal obsession: Israel.
In the batch released over the weekend, several Blumenthal emails attacks on Israel stand out in particular. One offers advice to Clinton on how to make both the Jewish State and the largest American pro-Israel organization, AIPAC, bend to her will.
"The world is suffering more today from the good people who want to mind other men's business than it is from the bad people who are willing to let everybody look after their own individual affairs." - Clarence Darrow
But one omnipresent correspondent of Clinton’s, her former advisor Sidney Blumenthal, stands out as he harps away at two issues close to his heart: one, Israel, the object of deep hostility, and the other, his son Max, a source of immense pride. That one’s son is a source of pride to a father is neither surprising nor shameful. But most of what Blumenthal promotes about his son Max is the never-ending fusillade of hate screeds written by the son in frequently obscure outlets which are directed at the other Blumenthal obsession: Israel.
To be sure, this has troubled me (less so if he is one of a number of advisers Clinton has on Israel that come with different perspectives, much more so if he's the only one). But Clinton has had a good track record when it comes to Israel that doesn't mirror this. And of the four candidates that have a realistic shot at the Presidency, she's far and away better on Israel than any of the others, IMO.
"I think we might be talking about a .22 caliber mind in a .357 magnum world."
I gotta say she lucked out in terms of the conversation that got caught on a hot mic. I'm sure every candidate has a thousand conversations that would blow up if they were inadvertently broadcasted.
hepcat wrote:I'm pretty sure she just went up in the polls for democrats and sane human beings outside the party.
Hence my quote.
Seeing as how I'm from suburban Boston, I don't really know enough about guns and calibers and whatnot to really follow the full import of the quote.
It's a quote from an episode of the West Wing, where something mildly similar happens.
No sir, it didn't turn out too bad at all. In fact, the whole country's talking about whether Ritchie's smart enough to be President. And you didn't take hit, 'cause it was an accident. You know, it occurs to me that even your choice of language was interesting. "A .22 caliber mind, in a .357 magnum world." That's unusual for you, a gun metaphor. Toby mentioned to me that when each interview was over, all the interviewers wanted to talk to you about was Ritchie, and you took a pass each time. Until Philadelphia. Mr. President, is it possible you saw that the green light was on?
Isgrimnur wrote:It's like I don't even know you. There's no better show than SportsNight and Studio 60 deserved life over 30 Rock.
Please. You know me. And you know I only watch something if there's a reasonable chance it will include scenes of a monkey dressed in a suit and telling off color jokes.
Isgrimnur wrote:It's like I don't even know you. There's no better show than SportsNight and Studio 60 deserved life over 30 Rock.
Please. You know me. And you know I only watch something if there's a reasonable chance it will include scenes of a monkey dressed in a suit and telling off color jokes.
Studio 60 was a riff on SNL. That was highly possible if it had lived longer.
I liked WW, Studio 60 and Newsroom, though I only watched one episode of sports night and I don't remember enjoying it. Maybe I should give it another chance.
It's one of those shows everyone tells me I'd enjoy, but I just don't get around to watching it. But to be fair, I've got a really good, absurd comedy show playing out on national TV every night, so I just don't have the time right now.
Less than a month after becoming secretary of state, and registering the personal email domain that she would use exclusively for government business, Hillary Clinton’s team aggressively pursued changes to existing State Department security protocols so she could use her BlackBerry in secure facilities for classified information, according to new documents released under the Freedom of Information Act.
“Anyone who has any appreciation at all of security, you don’t ask a question like that,” cybersecurity analyst Morgan Wright told Fox News. “It is contempt for the system, contempt for the rules that are designed to protect the exact kind of information that was exposed through this email set up. “
Current and former intelligence officials grimaced when asked by Fox News about the use of wireless communications devices, such as a BlackBerry, in a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) emphasizing its use would defeat the purpose of the secure facility, and it is standard practice to leave all electronics outside.
I'll just say that it boggles the mind that the same people yelling auschwitz and go back to Africa are capable of understanding why what Hillary did was wrong. I mean, facts literally don't matter, and are often sneered at by Trump supporters.
Rip, I'll make it easy for you. Stop with this "evidence" nonsense. No one cares about it and the people that will vote for Trump can't understand it anyway. Just tell everyone Hillary is the anti-christ and if you get questioned on it just throw out a quip about the other person's appearance or how fabulous you are, and you're done.
GreenGoo wrote:I'll just say that it boggles the mind that the same people yelling auschwitz and go back to Africa are capable of understanding why what Hillary did was wrong. I mean, facts literally don't matter, and are often sneered at by Trump supporters.
Rip, I'll make it easy for you. Stop with this "evidence" nonsense. No one cares about it and the people that will vote for Trump can't understand it anyway. Just tell everyone Hillary is the anti-christ and if you get questioned on it just throw out a quip about the other person's appearance or how fabulous you are, and you're done.
Talk about easy.
Evidence? What are you talking about?
The only thing this is evidence of is that she doesn't understand nor do her people it would appear the slightest basic thing about intel and electronic eavesdropping. Do you not see the sheer idiocy of trying to force security people to let you take an electronic communications device into a SCIF facility?
Or do you not believe her and her staff tried to do this? Because the fact they did are well documented public knowledge now.
Condi Rice had a Blackberry, but the NSA didn't want to deal with Hillary Clinton demanding one too? I'm sorry, Rip, this looks like Hillary cutting her way through all the bullshit you complain about the government bureaucracy. Trump had better not stand between Hillary and her Blackberry!
"A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on." -Terry Pratchett, The Truth "The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to those who think they've found it." -Terry Pratchett, Monstrous Regiment
