Rachel Maddow Explains What Hillary Clinton's Official Email Policy Should Have Been

When people ponder Hillary Clinton's very tedious email "scandal" (and isn't the very word tedious, when attached to Clintons particularly?), if they're not being knee-jerk defensive, or knee-jerk offensive, they might ponder "why?" Why would the official way be undesirable (assuming there wasn't anything particularly nefarious intended, which I realize, many people would never, ever assume)? For the first time that I'm aware of, we have an explanation, courtesy of Rachel Maddow.

And don't get all, "well of course Rachel's shilling for Hillary," since she's just as likely to get criticized for being on Bernie's side, or even for allowing a Trump speech during her show, and just listen.

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Clinton e-mail report illustrates antiquated IT system

Rachel Maddow looks at how a new inspector general's report on Hillary Clinton's violation of State Department e-mail rules describes the archaic archiving system Clinton was supposed to have followed.



Kinda nuts, right? But apparently, the rest of the MSNBC crew doesn't watch Rachel's show, because the Morning Joe crew seemed absolutely baffled at why Clinton wouldn't done this "for convenience." Maybe for the same reason her predecessors did? Nah, had to be nefarious, right?

John Kerry Signs UN Treaty, Gun Rights Advocates. . .Up in Arms

Apropos of nothing, what's going on with
Kerry's face anyway? Image from
source, Huffington Post

Heh, sorry about the pun in the headline, but have you notice how many hackneyed gun metaphors we have? On target, locked and loaded, half-cocked, they're just everywhere. It's like an atheist (like me) trying to avoid saying "oh, god" or "Jesus Christ!" Oddly enough, religion seems tangled up in the gun rights battle. In fact, their love for guns seems to be equal parts politics, religion and sexual fetish. There is no faster way to get a rise out of anybody than to raise the specter of gun control.

So, is it any wonder that an treaty having to do with guns, signed by Secretary of State John Kerry (a DemonRat!) might get a rise out of them?

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Arms Trade Treaty, Signed By John Kerry, Opens New Front In Senate Battle Over Gun Control

The latest front in the Senate battle over gun control opened Wednesday, as Secretary of State John Kerry signed the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty in New York. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Senate Confirms John Kerry for Secretary of State

Ketchup for everybody! Image from source, TPM

Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will be succeeded by former presidential candidate John Kerry! How 'bout that, the Senate can get something done. Then again, Kerry is one of their own, and he's replacing Clinton--who many of them battled just last week. Still, it says something about the quality of recent Democratic presidential candidates, doesn't it? Oh, and John Edwards doesn't count, he didn't get very far (whew!). . .

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Senate Confirms John Kerry As U.S. Secretary Of State

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) as the nation's next secretary of state on Tuesday. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Hillary Clinton Rocks Congress, Part 1: Doesn't Like Sunday Shows

Clinton, in one of her feistier moments. Image from
Huffington Post.

I call this Part 1 because I'm pretty sure I'll have more later. What I'll have to say about this part is that I can certainly understand not liking to do the Sunday shows. What I don't understand, is why the Republicans made so much of Susan Rice's appearance on the Sunday shows in Hillary Clinton's stead. Whether Rice was dissembling, in the dark, mistaken, or 100% correct with what she knew at the time is rather immaterial. That was five days after the Benghazi attack. It's not like the story wasn't clarified, hashed and re-hashed. It isn't still five days later. The laser-like focus on that detail is just bizarre. I really, really don't get it, unless it was just a craven attempt to throw a stick in President Obama's spokes during the run-up to election.

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Hillary Clinton: 'Going On The Sunday Shows Is Not My Favorite Thing To Do' 

 Hillary Clinton told a House committee on Wednesday that she avoided going on Sunday talk shows in the wake of the attack in Benghazi in part because she just doesn't like them that much. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Hillary Clinton in Hospital with Blood Clot

Image from source, Yahoo

Alright, right-wing conspiracy theorists, you can drop the "Hillary Clinton faked a concussion to avoid being questioned about Benghazi." You looked foolish before, and only more so now.

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Clinton admitted to hospital with blood clot

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has been admitted to a New York hospital for treatment of a blood clot, her spokesman said Sunday. . .

Read more at: Yahoo News

Hillary Clinton Calls for World to End Anti-gay Discrimination

Image from source, Los Angeles Times

Wow. This is really a first. An American call to other countries to end anti-gay discrimination?  That is very cool. And it was Hillary Clinton, part of the Barack Obama administration, who did it. I wonder if this will help squelch any lingering resentment from gays and lesbians over a) the Obama/Clinton fight in 2008, and b) the perceived slights toward the gay community from Obama? I think it might.

[Excerpt]


Hillary Clinton calls on world not to discriminate against gays

Reporting from Washington—

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called on world leaders for the first time Tuesday to stop discrimination against gays and lesbians, announcing that the United States would use diplomacy and $3 million in aid to help expand the rights of gay people around the world. . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times

Rachel Maddow, On a Roll

It might seem like I throw a Rachel Maddow Show clip up on the blog whenever I can't think of anything else. It's not true (most of the time), but I could get away with it, if I wanted to. Her MSNBC show is one of the most interesting, entertaining and informative programs on cable news. If you like your cable news loud and pointlessly argumentative, RMS is not the place for you. But if you want to feed your brain, you've found your destination.

Last night's show was so entertaining, I'm tempted to post every available clip. But I'll tamp down my geekdom, and just present the opener, in which Rachel discusses Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's trip to Japan. Rachel made me laugh out loud more than once (especially at the clip of the Japanese finance minister on a bender), and seemed to be having a really good time. Maybe she finally got some sleep this weekend. Rachel is made of awesome. OK, geek-gushing over. For now. . .

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Hillary Clinton Finally Confirmed as Secretary of State

Photo from TopNews

Hillary Clinton spoke often of the "glass ceiling" of politics, while trying to attain the highest office in the land. And though Secretary of State isn't exactly chump change, she arrives there with an already shattered glass ceiling. Madeline Albright broke it for women, Colin Powell broke it for African Americans, and Condoleezza Rice was both. But hey, Hillary is--I believe--the only former First Lady to go this far in politics. That just leaves "openly gay" or "confirmed atheist" for future glass ceilings, doesn't it?

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Senate confirms Clinton 94-2

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of State.
The former first lady becomes the highest-profile member of President Obama’s Cabinet. The two had battled for the Democratic nomination throughout the first half of the year but have since maintained that there is no bad blood remaining from the protracted primary. . .

Read more at: The Hill

Hillary Clinton to (Finally) be Named Secretary of State

She's in! She's out! She's in! For real this time, barring an unexpected event or something. I'm cool with it, but I'm happy the will-she-or-won't-she is over!

Is She or Isn't She? Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State

Photo from source, New York Times

Remember back during the Presidential primary, when it became apparent that Hillary Clinton couldn't possibly win enough delegates? There was tons of speculation that she'd drop out tomorrow, the next day, the next week or month. And it drug out all the way to June.

Now, Mrs. Clinton has been offered the position of Secretary of State, and here we go again! She was offered the spot, she wasn't offered the spot. She's going to take the spot, she's not going to take the spot. . . And on and on. One of these days, we'll know for sure.

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Clinton Decides to Accept Post at State Dept., Confidants Say

Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to give up her Senate seat and accept the position of secretary of state, making her the public face around the world for the administration of the man who beat her for the Democratic presidential nomination, two confidants said Friday. . .

Read more at: New York Times

Hillary Clinton to Accept Secretary of State Job?

Photo from source, Guardian UK

Well, hey. I'm OK with it. You?

I went into the Democratic primaries with neither love nor hate for Hillary Clinton (I'm an odd duck, I guess). My only problem with her was a nasty tone during the primary campaign. But oddly, in American politics, primary fights are usually water under the bridge after they are over. And if Barack Obama can overlook it, who am I to hold on to the rancor?

I've got to wonder how the alleged army of PUMAs is taking this though. This has to play ping-pong inside their heads. Poor PUMAs. . .

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Hillary Clinton to accept Obama's offer of secretary of state job

Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama, who is reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration, the Guardian has learned. . .

Read more at: Guardian UK

Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State?

Image from AlFranken.com

Well, why the heck not? She's good enough, she's smart enough, and doggone it. . .wait, that's Al Franken. But he may just secure his own gig too! Good on both of them.

It would be really fun to see both Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity in a rubber room after the announcement of Sec. of State Clinton and Sen. Franken, wouldn't it?

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Sen. Clinton considered for top diplomat: report

Sen. Hillary Clinton, who lost to Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential primary, is being considered to serve as secretary of state in the Obama administration, NBC News reported on Thursday. . .

Read more at: Yahoo! News