Former Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton finally answered questions about her e-mail accounts yesterday at a Press Conference. The whole thing about Hillary’s e-mail problems appears to be an attempt by her opponents to damage her for 2016. You would think that the Republicans would have learned that you can’t just call wolf every time a high-ranking Democratic politician is linked to some specious issue.
The GOP has spent the last six years trying to pin some scandal that did not have any merit on President Obama. Congressman Daryl Issa was like Don Quixote trying to destroy the president by investigating whatever failures he felt the president was responsible for. His irrational obsession and failed attempts with the so-called scandals earned him a demotion.
This is not the first attempt by the GOP and their supporters to damage Hilary Clinton as they tried to do so with the Benghazi issue. That attempt came up empty and so now they are taking another shot at her on how she handles her e-mail accounts. This problem, which is on a lower scale than the Benghazi issue seems to be nothing more than the GOP creating a mountain out of a molehill.
If there is any new message from Hillary Clinton’s Press Conference it was her attack on the 47 senators who dispatched a letter to Iran’s leaders. There has been strong criticism about this letter by the Democrats as they see it as another blatant disrespect to President Obama and part of the GOPs ongoing effort to undermine the treaty he and other countries are working on with Iran for the nuclear program.
This is what Hillary Clinton said about the irresponsible senators and their Iran letter:
It was out of step with the best traditions of leadership.
Whether you like Hillary or not what she said was the truth and points directly to the leadership problem that the GOP has. Her comment was a thinly veiled message to the three amigos (Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Rand Paul) who are contenders for the 2016 Republican presidential candidate. The reference to the three amigos is a pun as there are indications they don’t really like each other.
If Hillary Clinton becomes the Democratic presidential candidate in 2016 and if one of the three amigos becomes the Republican candidate (a long shot), which would be another indication that the Republicans are stir crazy, then Hillary would use the Iran letter to show why they are unfit to be president. What the Senators did in sending a letter to Iran while the president was engaged in negotiations with that country is disgraceful, disrespectful, and makes them look like political neophytes. The New York Daily News (3/10/15 issue) editorial even called them traitors.
Instead of governing as they were expected to do when they won the mid-term election last November, the Republicans have allowed their hatred of President Obama to impair their judgment. Furthermore, they have failed to learn from their mistakes and seem to nonchalantly do irresponsible things that do not benefit the country – shutting down the government, talking about impeaching the president, threatening to shut down the Department of Homeland Security, and their mantra to repeal ObamaCare.
What the GOP should have learned is that controversies or so called scandals that have no substance and lack merit makes the target looks stronger especially when they handle the so-called scandal with poise and leadership. When they tried to discredit then Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in 2008 for his ties to Rev. Jeremiah Wright, he gave a leadership speech in Philadelphia to put the matter to rest. They tried to damage Attorney General Eric Holder with a couple of so-called scandals and he handled it with poise and leadership.
If Hillary’s e-mail issue turns out to be another Don Quixote attempt of tilting windmills, then it will only make Hillary stronger for 2016. The Republicans should also remember that if you become overzealous in trying to bring down someone especially when that effort might be an unfair, unethical, or the motive is for all the wrong reasons you will fail. They can ask their own Congressman Darryl Issa and Independent investigator Ken Starr – they can testify to this.
Mel Shim is the author of Whom God Has Blessed, Let No Man Curse (Infinity Press, 2013) and A New Perspective on Race-related Problems in Corporate American Companies (Outlook Press, 2013). http://www.jermelshim.com