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Some Important Things That Really Do Matter About Hillary Clinton
Even if everyone does it, that does not make it right. That excuse did not work for you in 6th grade when you were caught smoking in the girl’s room and it should not be accepted from a presidential candidate or her supporters in the media.Many politicians do crappy things. That is not an excuse for you to also do them. See above.
“Well, at least I wasn’t indicted” is not a very high standard for the presidency.
“There is no proof of quid pro quo.” What do you mean by proof? A notarized statement “This guy gave us money, so let’s sell him weapons?” Reality doesn’t work that way so spare us the strawman argument. Phone calls are made. Conversations happen. Minions learn quickly what their boss wants. People at the Clintons’ level rarely leave paper trails behind and when they do, they delete them before the FBI arrives to pick up the server.
If someone offers you millions of dollars for essentially no work (i.e., a speech) they are going to want something in return. If you want more money, you will need to give something to them.
“All they wanted was a meeting with the secretary to offer their views.” Sure, maybe. But in Washington the currency is closeness to power. For a wealthy person, buying just material things loses its charm after a while. They buy access, they buy the appearance of power, they buy chances to take those photos of themselves with prominent world leaders all rich people have on their walls. You look like a sap, arm candy in return for cash. Quid pro quo can mean a meeting, a visa issued, an arms deal made.
How do you feel when you find out your doctor prescribed you medication from a pharmaceutical company that paid him large speaking fees? Appearances do matter and it is likely that such money does not impact judgement.
Follow the money. Always follow the money.
If the secretary of state’s name is Clinton and the foundation receiving the money is named Clinton, they are part of the same thing.If you put classified material on an unclassified server, that is wrong. It exposes that material to America’s adversaries. Presidents should simply not do that. No one else in government has ever knowingly been allowed to do that.
There is such a thing inside the U.S. government called retroactive classification. You may not like it, and you may have convinced sops in the media to pretend with you it does not exist, but it is real. I’ll Google it for you, here, and here. Retroactive classification was tested at the Supreme Court level; see DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY v. MACLEAN. Someone please call CNN and pass them those links.
The Clinton Foundation as a charity has done some good deeds. But do not conflate those with its role as a money laundering tool. The two are very separate functions of the same organization. And you can have the first without the second. In fact, that’s how good charities work.
Avoiding even the appearance of unethical behavior is important. Persons throughout the government watch what their senior leaders do as signals as to what they can get away with. Leadership matters, and that means staying clean and making sure everyone sees that you are clean. You lead by example, one way or the other.
When global leaders come to wonder if you can be bought off for some “donations,” they will either lose respect for you, or want to buy you off themselves. They will not simply ignore it.
Putin could really not give a sh*t which assclown is elected president. He’ll go on acting in his country’s best interests no matter who is in the White House, as he has done through multiple administrations already. Get over yourself.
Hiding from the press and not holding press conferences seems like the behavior of a petulant six-year-old.
It is not leadership nor is it presidential to be caught as a liar and a prevaricator on a regular basis. People do not trust you; not voters, not the Congresspeople you will need to work with, not other world leaders you will have to negotiate with.
The lesser of two evils is still evil. Why do you want to knowingly vote for evil?
Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved. The views expressed here are solely those of the author(s) in their private capacity.
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rich bauer said...
1“Avoiding even the appearance of unethical behavior is important. Persons throughout the government watch what their senior leaders do as signals as to what they can get away with. Leadership matters, and that means staying clean and making sure everyone sees that you are clean. You lead by example, one way or the other.”
What color is the sky in your world, Peter?
08/31/16 9:17 AM | Comment Link
jim hruska said...
2WMW,
The problem is that leadership no longer means a bean.Look at the army /af malfeasance of go’s.
Honor codes be damned.Powell was a sell out.
Now heres the rub=when we (anyone)voices these concerns we are called cynical or worse.
To state the truth is now an offense.
jim hruska
rangeragainstwar.
08/31/16 10:28 AM | Comment Link
Helen Marshall said...
3I recall reading Powell’s bio, in which he recounted his disdain for someone who used his family connections to avoid service. Then he went to work for the champion service-avoider.
Even BEFORE his transparently fraudulent speech at the UN I had lost all respect for him.
08/31/16 11:02 AM | Comment Link
traven said...
4Peter. Well said!
Trump is very bad but Clinton is worse because, like Obama, she will throw a few liberal bones to the party believers to keep them believing but take us into very dangerous territory. The bones will keep the party faithful off the streets in protest.
It is a shame and a sad day for our country that we have two very bad people contending to lead.
08/31/16 11:12 AM | Comment Link
bloodypitchfork said...
5Peter said:
quote”Follow the money. Always follow the money.”unquote
Hahahahahahaha! I haven’t had time lately to follow my bank account..which is probably about at $4.
HaHAhahaha …oh man.. that;s so funny I could shit.
Follow the money. right.
give me a fuckin break…
08/31/16 6:59 PM | Comment Link
bloodypitchfork said...
6Meanwhile.. speaking of money… that money YOU are paying for..
http://www.nysun.com/foreign/riddle-of-13-billion-for-iran-might-be-solved-by/89692/
08/31/16 7:02 PM | Comment Link
bloodypitchfork said...
7Follow the money…
Hahahahahahahahaha… hahahahahahahahahahahaha… hohohohohohohohohoho…hehehehehehehehehehehe…
Peter,,, the day you figure out where your taxes go.. and how the IRS spends it.. will be the day when you blog dies.
08/31/16 7:05 PM | Comment Link
bloodypitchfork said...
8Correction..” The day you figure out the power of the Treasury Dept.’
08/31/16 7:07 PM | Comment Link
bloodypitchfork said...
9In reality.. the working class of the US.. are slaves. PERIOD Who’s progeny have been financially enslaved for the next 100 years by virtue of the 16th Amendment. And.. I don’t give a flying fuck if you believe me or not. But read that last link. Then tell me I’m wrong.
08/31/16 7:15 PM | Comment Link
rich bauer said...
10The working class is ignorant. They don’t read.
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20081110_america_the_illiterate
09/1/16 6:35 AM | Comment Link
rich bauer said...
11The Most Important Thing That Matters with the Clintons is MONEY. And when this bitch becomes the presidense of the Dumbest Country on the Planet, we should all sit during the National Anthem.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/07/06/hillary-clintons-wanton-disregard-for-us-laws-and-national-security/
09/1/16 6:55 AM | Comment Link
teri said...
12So Hillary Clinton just gave a speech in Ohio wherein she declared that hacking was an act of war. I believe this is the position of the Pentagon, as well, and is stipulated in the Patriot Act, for whatever shit that is worth. Not trying to outthink the Great and Mysterious Intelligence of the Pentagon, but I do have a couple of questions, though:
If hacking is an act of war and the offended party can use it as an excuse to declare live war (with real bombs, loss of life, etc) on the offender, does that mean that it would be reasonable for Iran to declare war on the US and Israel for not only hacking into their science computers, but installing a virus into them? Does it mean that the US should declare war on Israel, whom we know hacked into the US governmental computers? Does the entire world get to declare war on the US for letting the NSA spy and collect information from computers and telephones all over the planet?
If the NSA hacks into my email account, can I ask Obama to bomb them for me? I am, after all, an offended party here. “Offended” in more than one way.
If the offended party is an idiotic individual, let’s call her “Hillary Clinton” just for the sake of throwing out a name here, who might have gotten hacked because she set up an illegal, unsecured server in her basement which she used to send and receive classified information, is the US obligated to go to war on her behalf?
If the offended party is a dumbass political party, let’s say, oh, the DNC as an example, which is not part of the government, but a fundraising entity for some politicians, and apparently one that is fairly stingy about using its income to safeguard its technology, thus leaving it open to infiltration, is the US obligated to declare war on the hacker/s?
If JPMorgan hacks into BankofAmerica to get some insider trading info, can the US declare war on JPMorgan?
In her speech, Clinton also said that we need to reevaluate and strengthen our nuclear arsenal. I see a Peace Prize in her future.
Also in the news, some Democrats in Congress sent a letter to the FBI asking them to investigate the “collusion” between Russia and the Trump campaign to interfere with the election. Of course, the DNC hack proved that the DNC actually and actively WAS interfering in the primary election, but the FBI is not being asked to investigate the DNC. I can only guess that the Democrats think that there is obviously no investigation needed: anyone who can read can see what the DNC was doing. And since no-one (named Bernie Sanders) is complaining and they got away with it, and since the best defense is a good offense, they think the FBI should spend its time investigating an imaginary plot about someone else.
Oh, and Homeland Security thinks they should be running the elections. Because, hackers. And Russians and shit. This lays the groundwork for the idea that if Trump wins the election, it’s because of evil Russian hackers. Then they will have to install Clinton while they “sort it out” (which will take about 8 years or so). Or it sets the groundwork for a declaration of a non-binding election and Obama stays in office for awhile longer. Another benefit, and this is the beauty part: it adds to the groundwork already in progress toward a war with Russia.
HOO-ah.
09/1/16 7:49 AM | Comment Link
chuck said...
13Looking ForWar(D) to the next release from Wikileaks . Killery/2016
09/1/16 8:01 AM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
14Hillary’s plan is to continue to deny any wrongdoing up to her inauguration and even past that point. “”What is the point of going over old news-I have a mandate from the people and plan to get to work….”
The Democrats will do everything they can to rig the election. Trump wouldn’t stoop that low.
How can I have proof that my markings on the ballot weren’t altered?
09/1/16 9:17 AM | Comment Link
rich bauer said...
15Gee, the bitch ain’t back, and already she’s on the attack. She’s the Sum of all our Fears.
But part of the problem, experts say, is that it is notoriously tricky to prove who is behind a given cyber-attack with 100 percent certainty. Rogue-NSA hackers want to send US to war, no problem.
And since many high-profile cyber-attacks could be interpreted as traditional intelligence-gathering — something the U.S. itself also engages in — the White House is often in a tricky political position when it comes to its response…not to mention the hypocrisy.
Get your bomb shelters right here.
09/1/16 9:35 AM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
16If you study the statistics listed under World War II Casualties in Wikipedia it explains why Americans loves war! Ukraine lost 25% of its population. America’s losses? .3% of its population.
09/1/16 11:01 AM | Comment Link
chuck said...
17Lucky me voter ! Last time I voted (was purged from voting in recent primaries in NY)I jammed the machine and polling stopped, until 15 minutes later when paper ballots were used.
09/1/16 11:20 AM | Comment Link
rich bauer said...
18NEWSFLASH: Leading House Democrats on Tuesday sent a letter to FBI Director James Comey, which they promptly published, asking the agency to investigate whether the blog WE MEANT WELL and the Russian government have entered into a joint plot “to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.” Although the House Democrats say they do not know whether such a conspiracy with Moscow exists, they say that “serious questions have been raised” — specifically about whether the blog and its supporters worked in tandem with Kremlin agents to subvert the Democratic Party on behalf of Russian interests.”
09/1/16 2:21 PM | Comment Link
rich bauer said...
19Peter Van Buren was last seen heading for the Ecuadorean consulate with his passport in hand.
09/1/16 2:26 PM | Comment Link
bloodypitchfork said...
20teri said…
“Also in the news, some Democrats in Congress sent a letter to the FBI asking them to investigate the “collusion” between Russia and the Trump campaign to interfere with the election.”
Notwithstanding your whole entire post(to which my fists are in the air like Donald Trumps supporters!!!) ..teri.. you are DEAD ON.
Meanwhile, I seem to remember a STATUTE(law) that says something to the effect “that it is a felony, to try and affect US Foreign policy unless you are authorized by virtue of the powers vested in your appointed or elected position in the USG.”
Meanwhile, Mr. ScumsuckingTrump.. flys to Mexico.. to try and affect US Foreign policy… clueless that in reality.. he is breaking the LAW.. because ..HE IS NOT ELECTED YET.. OR.. EMPLOYED BY, AND AUTHORIZED BY VIRTUE OF HIS POSITION..to do so. right.
right.
let’s get real. The DOJ is AWOL. And so is the so called “rule of law”. Rule of law.. hahahahahahahahahaha!
The so called rule of law is a joke of biblical proportions
.. living proof…
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/10/22/president-obama-states-of-emergency/16851775/
09/1/16 7:22 PM | Comment Link
bloodypitchfork said...
21rich bauer said…
“Peter Van Buren was last seen heading for the Ecuadorean consulate with his passport in hand.”
Hahahahaha! I would have thought it was Iceland.
09/1/16 7:24 PM | Comment Link
wemeantwell said...
22I love Iceland, but the weather is so nice in Ecuador. Plus I’ll be AirBnB’ing my spare room to Snowden at some point and he’ll finally get my WiFi working right.
09/2/16 11:06 AM | Comment Link
rich bauer said...
23Hillarious plays the Stupid Card…again. The highest official in the State Department knew the least:
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/fbi-releases-notes-from-closed-probe-into-clintons-private-email-server-227689
09/2/16 2:15 PM | Comment Link
rich bauer said...
24I’m beginning to believe she is really mentally impaired.
09/2/16 2:16 PM | Comment Link