I just finished watching tonight's back to back half hour "forums" with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and I can't say I was surprised by what I saw. Hillary Clinton went first. It took about 15 seconds until the lies started, and she started with a really big one. Hillary started talking about the classified information in her private unsecured email system. Her big point was that classified information comes with a header across the top of the page that identifies it as classified. Her emails didn't say that, so they weren't classified.
Now let's stop and consider that statement. It's wrong on so many counts that it's amazing Clinton actually said it. First of all, who wrote her emails? Think about that. Hillary wrote about half of them, the ones she sent. If there's no "header" that identifies the contents as classified, it's because the author HILLARY HERSELF didn't put the label on the email. So her defense of the missing header is ridiculous. Second, Hillary well knows that material is secret, material is classified whether or not it is labeled as classified. There's no need for that header she spoke of. According to the government there were over 1500 classified emails on her system just among the half that she turned over to the State Department. 1500 classified emails, but this woman who told us again tonight that she knows all about classified information didn't recognize even one, not a single one as secret. There are 22 emails that are so secret and so sensitive that the government won't even release the subjects that they covered, but Hillary Clinton, the self-proclaimed expert in dealing with classified information, didn't recognize even one as secret.
After the lies about her emails, Hillary went on to her usual stuff. She spoke about all the things she has worked on over the years. She worked with McCain and she worked with Lindsey Graham. She worked with a whole host of people. The thing she didn't tell us about, however, is what, after all that supposed work, she actually accomplished. That's because the list of her accomplishments is very short, even non-existent.
Another key moment for Clinton came when a questioner asked her about Clinton's warlike policies in the past. Hillary said that she assumed that the question was about her vote in favor of the Iraq War and her involvement in the attacks on Ghadaffi in Libya. Hillary actually said that the move in Libya prevented a civil war in that country like the one in Syria. Is she kidding? Libya today is a failed state. There are ISIS units that roam the eastern half of the nation. There are violent militias that rule little sections of the country. There are a large number of terrorist bases in that country. In just the last month, things have gotten so bad in Libya that US forces are back bombing positions in that country. It's a mess, and Hillary actually had the nerve to call it a success.
When Clinton was finished, it was Trump's turn. On the whole, I thought he did better than Clinton (although to be fair, that is a pretty low standard.) Trump's answers on the VA hospitals, the problem of veterans' suicides and the problem of sexual assaults in the military were quite good. When Matt Lauer pushed Trump on some of the nice things he said about Putin, Trump also dealt with the issue quite well; Trump made clear that no matter what Putin said, it would not make a difference in the way Trump ultimately dealt with him. Trump made clear, however, that being friends with Putin would be better than being enemies. Lauer also pushed Trump hard on a statement that Trump had made about knowing more about ISIS than some of the generals. Again, Trump did well although the question seemed to get lost as they went back and forth.
The most important thing about Trump's questions came, however, when Lauer asked him if he had been surprised by anything he had been told during one of his recent security briefings. Trump said that there were things that astonished him. He couldn't give details for obvious reasons, but Trump did say that he was astonished that given the intelligence, it was beyond understanding how president Obama could be doing or saying some of the things that he is. Trump then made a pitch for how we need change.
I don't know how many viewers tonight picked up on Hillary's lies. Anyone who thought about it would understand just how dishonest she was. Even so, the key thing on balance was this: Donald Trump looked at least as ready to handle the presidency as Hillary Clinton did. I think he looked more ready, but without a doubt he looked at least to be Hillary's equal. Since the only argument that Clinton makes for her election is that she is supposedly much better than Trump, tonight's appearances were a blow to Clinton's campaign theme.
Now let's stop and consider that statement. It's wrong on so many counts that it's amazing Clinton actually said it. First of all, who wrote her emails? Think about that. Hillary wrote about half of them, the ones she sent. If there's no "header" that identifies the contents as classified, it's because the author HILLARY HERSELF didn't put the label on the email. So her defense of the missing header is ridiculous. Second, Hillary well knows that material is secret, material is classified whether or not it is labeled as classified. There's no need for that header she spoke of. According to the government there were over 1500 classified emails on her system just among the half that she turned over to the State Department. 1500 classified emails, but this woman who told us again tonight that she knows all about classified information didn't recognize even one, not a single one as secret. There are 22 emails that are so secret and so sensitive that the government won't even release the subjects that they covered, but Hillary Clinton, the self-proclaimed expert in dealing with classified information, didn't recognize even one as secret.
After the lies about her emails, Hillary went on to her usual stuff. She spoke about all the things she has worked on over the years. She worked with McCain and she worked with Lindsey Graham. She worked with a whole host of people. The thing she didn't tell us about, however, is what, after all that supposed work, she actually accomplished. That's because the list of her accomplishments is very short, even non-existent.
Another key moment for Clinton came when a questioner asked her about Clinton's warlike policies in the past. Hillary said that she assumed that the question was about her vote in favor of the Iraq War and her involvement in the attacks on Ghadaffi in Libya. Hillary actually said that the move in Libya prevented a civil war in that country like the one in Syria. Is she kidding? Libya today is a failed state. There are ISIS units that roam the eastern half of the nation. There are violent militias that rule little sections of the country. There are a large number of terrorist bases in that country. In just the last month, things have gotten so bad in Libya that US forces are back bombing positions in that country. It's a mess, and Hillary actually had the nerve to call it a success.
When Clinton was finished, it was Trump's turn. On the whole, I thought he did better than Clinton (although to be fair, that is a pretty low standard.) Trump's answers on the VA hospitals, the problem of veterans' suicides and the problem of sexual assaults in the military were quite good. When Matt Lauer pushed Trump on some of the nice things he said about Putin, Trump also dealt with the issue quite well; Trump made clear that no matter what Putin said, it would not make a difference in the way Trump ultimately dealt with him. Trump made clear, however, that being friends with Putin would be better than being enemies. Lauer also pushed Trump hard on a statement that Trump had made about knowing more about ISIS than some of the generals. Again, Trump did well although the question seemed to get lost as they went back and forth.
The most important thing about Trump's questions came, however, when Lauer asked him if he had been surprised by anything he had been told during one of his recent security briefings. Trump said that there were things that astonished him. He couldn't give details for obvious reasons, but Trump did say that he was astonished that given the intelligence, it was beyond understanding how president Obama could be doing or saying some of the things that he is. Trump then made a pitch for how we need change.
I don't know how many viewers tonight picked up on Hillary's lies. Anyone who thought about it would understand just how dishonest she was. Even so, the key thing on balance was this: Donald Trump looked at least as ready to handle the presidency as Hillary Clinton did. I think he looked more ready, but without a doubt he looked at least to be Hillary's equal. Since the only argument that Clinton makes for her election is that she is supposedly much better than Trump, tonight's appearances were a blow to Clinton's campaign theme.
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