Good or Bad for the Jews

"Good or Bad for the Jews"

Many years ago, and for many years, I would travel to Morocco to visit uncles, cousins, and my paternal grandmother. Some lived in Tangiers;...

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

FBI and Hillary: Banana Trees All the Way to the Horizon?

A shoe dropped. Well, one of many shoes that have and maybe still will drop in the ongoing Hillary Clinton email scandal.

FBI Director James Comey, one of the most respected persons in Washington, gave a barely 15-minute press conference, July 5, laying out the FBI's perspective on the investigation of that scandal. He, of course, has recommended no prosecution. The Clinton Crime Family (CCF) and their legions of lawyers, captains, soldiers, and assorted hit men must have breathed a sigh of relief. It would certainly seem that the CCF continues its nearly unbroken string of victories over the forces of Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Once again, one of the CCF principals has apparently managed to jump a tall hurdle in a single bound, and, again, escape the Keystone Cops who have dogged CCF for the past few decades. Stay tuned for our next installment in the never-ending saga of the Clinton Crime Family!

The Comey presser was odd and even perplexing. He opened (more on that) saying that nobody else in the government knew what he was about to say. He then laid out what apparently was a powerful bill of indictment. He described the facts which clearly contradicted everything Hillary has said about this affair for the past 16 months. In his bureaucratic, matter-of-fact way, Comey called Hillary Clinton a liar, and a careless, clueless wreck of a leader and a manager.

The Director described a chaotic situation in which Secretary Clinton used not one but many private servers, and not one but many handheld devices--directly contradicting Clinton's claims on both scores. He, furthermore, described the handling of classified information by Clinton and her aides as "extremely careless," and that under her, the State Department proved lax in its protection of classified information. He noted that, indeed, again contradicting Clinton, classified information, both labeled and unlabeled, appeared on Clinton's servers, including material classified at the highest levels, and which no "responsible person" would have discussed on an unclassified server. He pointed out that Hillary had discussed this material while on the territory of sophisticated foreign actors, and that most likely the information had been "hacked." There was lots more; you can find it here.

The shocker came at the end when he announced,
In looking back at our investigations into mishandling or removal of classified information, we cannot find a case that would support bringing criminal charges on these facts. All the cases prosecuted involved some combination of: clearly intentional and willful mishandling of classified information; or vast quantities of materials exposed in such a way as to support an inference of intentional misconduct; or indications of disloyalty to the United States; or efforts to obstruct justice. We do not see those things here. 
To be clear, this is not to suggest that in similar circumstances, a person who engaged in this activity would face no consequences. To the contrary, those individuals are often subject to security or administrative sanctions. But that is not what we are deciding now. As a result, although the Department of Justice makes final decisions on matters like this, we are expressing to Justice our view that no charges are appropriate in this case.
The Mother of all non-sequiturs?

When Comey announced that he did not think any "reasonable prosecutor" (weird term) would seek an indictment of Hillary based on the evidence, "Banana Republic" was all I could think. I have spent many years in Banana Republics and know the sound, feel, and smell of them. I could see, feel, and smell acres and acres of trees sagging under the burden of nice ripe, sweet bananas all the way to the horizon and beyond. For starters, clearly what Comey said about nobody knowing the content of his address was incorrect. At a minimum, AG Lynch knew; she probably passed that info to President Obama and to Hillary's husband, and both of them passed it to Hillary. Note that Obama scheduled his campaign stop today with Hillary in tow, well before Comey's press event. He would have done that only if he knew that Comey would recommend no prosecution. All this is in the bananas portion of this evening's entertainment.

Why would Comey do what he did? Lots of theories out there. My number two son made a cogent argument to me today that this is yet another example of the establishment elite closing ranks to protect one of their own. Perhaps there is some truth to that. Others have said that the CCF have something on Comey or have "made him an offer he can't refuse." Perhaps, I don't know.

The more I think about it, however, the more complex it becomes. If we assume that Comey is basically a good guy--I don't know him at all--he might have been horrified by the scope of the thing, the enormous consequences of pursuing Hillary in the courts. Presumably, the DOJ would have had to go after the large number of persons, either as suspects or witnesses, who knew about the private server, and used it to communicate with Hillary, including sending her classified information and receiving it. President Obama, of course, was one of those persons. Perhaps he worried that all this would produce a President Joe Biden? Maybe, this sort of concern led Comey to "rewrite" the law with a lot of mumbo-jumbo about "intent" as a justification for not recommending prosecution? I leave the "intent" argument to the lawyers--I am not a lawyer and do not play one on the internet.

Whatever his own "intent," however, Comey has slipped Hillary a poison political pill mixed in with the heady "no prosecution" bourbon. In the first 12 or 13 minutes of his presser, Comey described a factual situation and a pattern of behavior by Clinton far, far worse than most of us had imagined. Everything, absolutely everything, Hillary said about this matter is a demonstrable lie. Comey called her on it. He provided a picture of a senior official totally unqualified for the serious position she held, and surrounded by equally as unqualified and incompetent staff. Comey, I repeat, powerfully made the case that she is not qualified for high office. Perhaps this was Comey's Machiavellian maneuver: avoid the legal process but cripple Hillary politically? Maybe he was like a mad Solomon, to wit, actually splitting the baby?

Is this giving Comey too much credit? You tell me.

It will now be up to Donald Trump to exploit the opening left, intentionally or otherwise, by Comey's presentation. He will need to be like a laser cutting into Hillary's protective fabric of deception and corruption. It will also be up to the American public and to the "Never Trump" bunch of conservative poseurs to resolve that Hillary Clinton is the worst thing that could happen to our already beleagured Republic and its tattered institutions, and help ensure that the CCF is run out of DC.

51 comments:

  1. Fear is the key, you don't think that in some way he and/or his family have been threatened?
    The only reason Obama is alive today is that he didn't choose the bitch to be his VP.

    Here in Australia the People have spoken of their complete disgust and decided distrust of the major parties and made the country nu-governable until we have another election. The progressive leaning leader of the so-called "conservative" government has brought about a rout of his own party and has stood up and taken responsibility for it by blaming everyone else, including the poor, stupid voters, who just weren't clever enough to perceive of his wonder.

    Pete of Freo

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    1. You should have kept Abbot, but one has to clamor for the bread and circuses.
      leaperman

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  2. The chthonic miasma of evil surround "obama", the clinton crime family and many others in this (mal)administration has reached the absurd levels of monsrousness of the caricature of Nixon in a Philip K. Dick novel.

    Only in this case it's all true.

    Situations like this create revolutions, whether one wants them to or not.

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    1. Hermann Hesse is the only writer I have ever seen use the word "chthonic." A fan?

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  3. This has damaged her and Comey escapes with his skin. She might even still be elected, but all of her efforts now will be evasions of this.
    The Hillary camp was most likely aware as you say of this outcome and felt it was the best they could hope for relying on the MSM to mediate and/or retrieve her reputation.
    Still it has damaged her beyond repair and us (the republic) also, but not beyond repair. We fought a revolution and a civil war and came out ok, that needs to be remembered. As some Brit said once, "Never ever ever give up, ever" or words to that effect.
    What all of this has done is expose the DC ins (democratic and republican) as the corrupt, lying, self serving group that they are for the world to see, which is good.

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    1. Democrats will still vote for her. Illegals will still illegally vote for her (more than twice even).
      She could shoot a baby on a public street and these wackjobs would STILL vote for her.
      leaperman

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  4. I'm not sure. Having calmed down a bit, I think I can see some wisdom in how Comey handled it.
    The reality of the situation is that a trial of someone in Clinton's position would be the political trial of the century. "Three-ring circus" is putting it mildly. And Americans are not supposed to do political trials.
    So Comey nixed the political trial and left it to the American people to make their judgment. After he stuck the shiv in. The mashups contrasting her statements with his are already coming out.
    The rule of law takes a hit. But net-net I'm not sure Comey wasn't right.
    And, with luck, the investigation into the Clinton Foundation is still ongoing.

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    1. So what constitutes a "political" trial? OJ? Who cares what their standing is--the evidence speaks for itself. She did it, and just because she's famous or rich is no reason to ignore the law--which is EXACTLY what Comey did. I would be locked up for doing what she did. They are already prosecuting people for far less extensive mishandling of classified. Comey's statements were gibberish. And he knows it. The question is cui bono? He certainly will as well Chief Commissar Lynch.

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    2. Spot on about the investigation into the Clinton Foundation ... How can this facit of this whole smelly matter be forgotten by most. Is Comey going to drop this barrel bomb right before the election? We can only hope ... I think the term being bandied about is "public corruption." Can we then finally cleanse the Aegean Stables that is otherwise titled The Clinton Family Foundation?

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  5. This is a very sad day for the USA. This woman should be tried and sent to prison, to hell with the political ramifications of it. The FBI had enough evidence to try her a year ago. And yet, there she is in all her glory.
    You want the American people to be the final arbiter of her deeds? She could have chopped someone's head off (which she did indirectly) and a significant portion of the electorate would still vote for her.
    A sad day, a very sad day.

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  6. Well, what do you expect when our people twice elect someone whose political models are "Third World" tinpot "great leaders"?

    Shrillary Shroooo ought to be the Democrats' Nixon. Maybe her rise and that of the O before her show that this country is kaputt.

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  7. While pondering his comments let us remember that this is is not the final act not the fall of the curtain. Let us bear in mind the leaks that are sure to follow.

    After the convention it is too late to replace Hillary. Death by 1,000 cuts.

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    1. "Let us bear in mind the leaks that are sure to follow."
      I would have you bear in mind that Putin and any other country that has that mail is NOT going to publish it. Why? Because they WANT incompetent leaders in the US. They WANT us to FAIL and destroy ourselve. The chinese and putin would cum in their pants if this carpet munching jingoistic amore cretin ends up a president.
      leaperman

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  8. It was definitely a very strange press conference. My reactions and opinions matched what a lot of others have said in this post & comments. I will note one other insight I've had as I cooled down:

    Comey has now taken it out of the hands of the DOJ to do damage control for Clinton. Before this, there was a very real chance that the DOJ could have toned down the FBI report and made it a slap on the wrist plea bargain based on negligence ('opps she made a mistake, but it wasn't that serious') that could have been spun the same way Hilary has spun the whole sorry episode. Comey's only option would have been resignation and become pulled into the political furor to be labeled a partisan hack, also removing him as an impediment to the politicization of the FBI. He may have felt that would have been worse in the long run.

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  9. Gangster government has taken over America. We beat the Soviets only to lose to their placeholders?

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  10. Trump, a Hillary donor and friend to the rescue?? Whatever? At this point, what difference does it make?? With either candidate, we are screwed. Trump was glorifying Saddam Hussein yesterday for NOT using due process...Do you trust him to use it here??

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  11. Comey had to thread the needle very - very carefully... On the one hand, he detailed for 14 minutes a series of very serious felonies and outright lies. On the other hand, he didn't want to insert himself into the political process. He nailed her to the cross, but didn't drive the stake through her heart.

    Once he said "however", I knew she would skate.

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  12. Comey laid out the case for the grand jury. In this case, the grand jury is the electorate. He even walked toward the answer with the administrative penalty statement.

    Hopefully, Trump and the GOP will realize this path and press the case, making the voter responsible for whom they give access to classified information that can put American troops, American assets and American allies in mortal danger.

    If he'd have gone the other way, the facts would still be closely held, the decision would be in the hands of a DC career prosecutor. Let's look at that last: DC career - most likely a life long Democrat, graduate of one of our finest Progressive indoctrination centers, and certainly afraid of getting uninvited from all the cool cocktail parties. Then we have prosecutor: lawyer, further indoctrinated and based on recent reports of federal prosecutors behavior, likely having no respect for the Constitution, rule of law or ethical behavior. And an FBI recommendation for prosecution is still not a decision to prosecute by the DOJ. All the while Obama's DOJ would be abusing the FBI and suppressing the facts till at least November when the case would be dropped for no longer relevant.

    One way or another this matter is an issue for the voters. Government prosecutorial power was never going to be the deciding factor since "prosecutorial discretion" is fickle. A good investigation and well laid out facts were what was needed.

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  13. Sadly, listening to the talking heads this morning, the spin on this appears to be, to paraphrase, "once again Hillary has been investigated as she has been by Republicans over the last thirty years, and once again they found ABSOLUTELY NOTHING." I gagged at those last two words, and turned the radio off. So there is your answer. America has only heard two words: no indictment. The rule of law has taken a terrible hit, and it was inflicted by Comey.

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  14. Interesting. Apparently Comey has another card he is playing... He's basically volunteered to talk to a Congressional committee about this. What volunteered means is unclear, but it sounds like he may have either reached out, or been unusually cooperative in setting us this hearing. Story link


    What Comey expects to get out of it now is the open question.

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  15. My friend Terry Harper is so much more eloquent about the subject than I could ever be. In his own words:

    "As suspected Hillary the Un-convicted felon bribes, and lies her way free. I truly fear for our country when the ruling elites are held to a much less stringent legal standard than us members of the un-washed masses. What is even more frightening and indeed depressing is that our moral standards have dropped to such a degree that the Clinton's deep lack of moral character and dishonesty has the hallmark of being resume enhancers - In other words we view success and strong leadership as the ability to lie, cheat and steal and ignore the rule of law as strong character traits for leadership as opposed to detriments.
    Do you think the FBI would re-write a law to allow one of us to wiggle off the hook? We now officially have an elite ruling class that is above the law - that has the power and influence to change law and or ignore the law of the land as applied to themselves.
    But that is only the beginning. Obama tested the waters and set the bar for ignoring law in his avalanche of executive orders, etc. and outright refusing to uphold the laws of the land. Congress has got into the game by ignoring the will of the people on countless issues - Obama Care, Trade deals, Iran, Immigration, etc.. Hillary The Un-Convicted-Felon will no doubt expand on Obama's mocking of the Constitution and no doubt leverage a congress (which should be acting as a check to executive powers but is for sale to the highest bidder) to take it to a new level of despotism. Combine that with a pliant media who long ago willingly allowed to have their teeth pulled and are unwilling to act as a watch dog and you have the recipe for a bad outcome. Right now - today congress is debating a bill to "strengthen" gun laws. Should people on the terrorist watch list be able to buy guns? Common sense says no. but... if the Democrats have their way there will be no notification that you are on a list, and far more terrifying no due process (as called for by the Republicans) for the stripping away of your 2nd amendment rights. In other words you are guilty no matter what which goes against every principle our laws are based on. (innocent until proven guilty) Just as it has been proven that the IRS has become a political tool to punish dissenters so too will this bill if the Democrats have their way. This in an age where the Government views the American people as more of a threat than the actual terrorist (as the fallout from the tragedy in Orlando has shown) Once we head down that slippery slope we are not going to stop until the very bottom. Imagine our very freedom is up for grabs from the highest bidding lobbyist and what each congressman can gain for influence. Hillary is only going to build on this. Heck I am probably going to end up on a list just for writing this! There was even a proposal, as part of Hillary's campaign platform, to make it so those of us who speak out or deny the man-made global warming hoax could be prosecuted!"


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  16. "A republic, if you can keep it." I fear November may be the last chance for a course correction before the Second Civil War.

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  17. Unfortunately the biggest obstacle to defeating HRC in the election is not the unlikeable or abrasive nature of Trump, but rather the connivance of the major media outlets to suppress the truth.
    We saw NBC making excuses for her within minutes after Comey's speech.
    It will be very difficult to overcome the constant braying of the media on her behalf for the next 4 months.

    Graham

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    1. And I'm not holding my breath that the GOP will to anything approaching a good job of keeping this story alive and accurately in the public eye.

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    2. Well, that's why it's called the Stupid Party.
      It will be interesting to hear what Comey says to Congress tomorrow. (Gee, that was arranged pretty quick. Guess Comey didn't have anything else on his schedule.) Particularly since Lynch has already been scheduled to appear before Congress next week.)

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    3. My guess is the GOP congressmen will trip all over each other trying to grandstand (just like the Benghazi hearings when they got her to testify), and just make themselves look like the fools they are, while Comey adopts a stance of disinterested forensic investigator and gets away with it.

      "Stupid Party" barely touches how pathetic they are, which is why they now have to deal with Trump.

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    4. I think we'll be *very* lucky if Hillary doesn't win on gender alone.
      On second thought, I'm not sure we want that. Without Hillary taking office, Warren is almost assuredly going to assume the mantle of 'the woman who will break the final glass barrier'.
      Identity politics works in America, Obama *proved* that.
      We might not like it. It might be shameful, but it does seem proven at this point.
      This ain't what I want. I can think of few characters I'd like less in the white house than our whitewater-scandaling, lewinsky-pimping, foster-killing, ambassador-abandoning idol of "personal ambition over anything else".

      - reader #1482

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    5. I know hind sight is 20/20 but 12 police officers shot and 4 dead in Dallas. 2 in critical condition.
      We might not like this, it might be shameful but I can;t think of a better way to put to rest BLM.
      NO ONE IS GOING TO GO FOR THE WILLFUL SLAUGHTER OF DALLAS PD.
      BLM. go fu@@ yourselves. And do it hard.You pieces of slimy sh@@ that choose to tear our country apart. I have nothing but contempt for you.






      las.

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    6. Did Obummer's measured, but nonetheless damning, comments from Poland incite this Dallas insurrection? I can see his half smile now ...

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  18. This video shows Hillary at her best

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbkS26PX4rc

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    1. That smirking effing B***!
      leaperman

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  19. What I find very interesting are the convoluted rationalizations used by federal officials when put in the position of having to go against the Obama administration and crew. From the twisted Obamacare decision put out by John Roberts, to now, James Comey's very strange 15 minute presser. What are they afraid of?

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    1. They are afraid of not being allowed to play with all the cool kids.

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  20. Have a friend who thinks he basically told people what happened. He said: In our system, the prosecutors make the decisions about whether charges are appropriate based on evidence the FBI has helped collect. … we frequently … engage in productive conversations with prosecutors about what resolution may be appropriate, given the evidence."

    The FBI frequently engages in productive conversations with prosecutors. He talked with prosecutors in the AG's office and they warned him off. We have taken another step toward the abyss.

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  21. Obama and Hillary campaigned the day this was announced. How long does it take to set something that up. Almost makes you think they knew the fix was in.

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  22. High Noon starring Gary Cooper, now played by James Comey. A viscious criminal gang is coming to town, and Comey is the only one granted the official responsibility to stop it. Cooper went out to face them alone, and eventually received help from the town. Comey didn't leave town, but he surrendered, hands up, showing that he was unarmed.

    High Noon was dramatic just because Cooper was a larger than life hero ready to die rather than lose his personal honor. Well, he was larger than life because we can't expect that from life. A person with some bit of honor is already a rarity in Washington. If you don't have the crowd with you from the start in Washington, then your opponents will shoot you and forget your name.

    Comey made a remarkable presentation which will end his public career. Hillary and the boys can't tolerate a man who would do anything against them. Comey spoke truth to power.

    It is now up to the town to appear on the street and overwhelm the gang. Maybe Trump will be the focus of that action. Ultimately, if the town (voters) turns out, then this ends well. If the town shrugs, then the gang wins. The outcome is not changed by whether Comey had brought an indictment. If the town won't do the right thing, then Comey was correct to surrender rather than die like a dog.

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  23. "Is this giving Comey too much credit?"

    Very probably. If in doubt, consider Fear and Greed.

    Hell, this is the same FBI that bumped off that witness in the case of the Chechens who allegedly did the Boston bombing. Why "allegedly"? Because that was the same FBI that let off the criminal Clinton.

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  24. It seems to be that, given the facts and the politics, Comey had two choices. Hillary was not going to be prosecuted no matter what he said. If he recommended indictment, the Clinton machine would have done to him what it did to Ken Starr and Ms. Lynch or President Obama would have prevented prosecution or proactively pardoned Hillary. In this circumstance, the findings of the investigation could also have been suppressed. So Director Comey could either do what he did, getting the facts out or resign in protest. I think that what he did was best for the country.

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    1. So, Comey's action announces that a senior insider agrees with people who argue that "the system" is hopelessly, criminally corrupt.

      But won't he eventually be knifed even for that small rebellion?

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    2. ..."won't he eventually be knifed even for that small rebellion?"

      Depends upon his performance in ActII dearie, tune in tomorrow for his soliloquy before Congress!
      On Watch~~~
      "Let's Roll"

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    3. At least Comey's approach got the facts out officially. It is not apparent that any other approach would have done that. The best that could have been expected otherwise was leaks from nameless disgruntled agents subject to disparagement because of their source and because of the failure to indict. This approach exposes the corruption for what it is. I have no idea whether Comey will suffer (be knifed) for this. If he does the punishment will be delayed until the e-mail scandal is "old news" and will be for a completely different pretext (e.g., lack of management confidence in him or his judgment).

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  25. Romanian hacker with access to Clinton emails found dead in jail cell.

    That could have been Comey if he hadn't cooperated.

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  26. Funny, Aesop on Raconteurreport used the exact same analogy to describe this appalling situation. The photo he used was apt. http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2016/07/its-official.html

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  27. At first I was angry at Comey. Very much so. Now I am conflicted. If he had recommended prosecution it nevertheless would have been up to the Justice Department to handle the prosecution, and they are totally in the bag for the Bag. It is very, very easy to take a dive when you are the prosecution. Its child's play although you can make it look like you tried to the rubes.

    Now I think Comey was essentially talking in quite breakable code, the essential meaning being that there was no way the Justice Department was going to even attempt to convict Hillary. Any indictment and trial would have been pure theater to exonerate her and show she was blameless and pure, a perverse inverse of a kangaroo court.

    I think he was, to all who could read between the lines, telling us this.

    --Tcobb

    (and for 13 years I was a criminal defense attorney. I do know something about how the actual system works, as well as how it doesn't. When politics are involved the "fix" works both ways, both for conviction and acquittal)

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  28. James Comey had always been described as an honest and honorable public servant, so it came as a shock that after 13 or so minutes of laying out a nearly airtight case against Hillary on Tuesday, he then concluded by basically saying, "Never mind."

    I wish he had appended something like this:

    "Finally, I wish to take this opportunity to announce my resignation as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I won't take questions at this time, but I assure you I will at an appropriate date in the future. Thank you."

    The ensuing firestorm would have been a thing of beauty.

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  29. He is not "the good guy" he is pictured as being.
    http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323728204578515650309268038

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  30. Replies
    1. And leaking unlike anything we have ever seen.

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  31. Not a Republic but an Oligarchy. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.
    A nation has died and the body doesn't realize it yet. Once one has stepped over a certain line the Praetorian gaurd has spoken. Sickening.
    leaperman

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  32. Faithful lurker, reader. Occasional commenter.

    Subtlety is lost on the Clintons and on Hillary in particular. Nothing short of being behind bars, preferably on a remote island or Gitmo, will cripple her politically.

    And with the deep corruption that runs through this Administration, the Democrat Party and the progressive network this will never happen.

    Our last hope is that the elections are not so fraudulent that the vote be true, and against Clinton.

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  33. "I don't always decline to pursue criminals. But when I'm going through their computer files and find my own suicide note..."

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