By now, the news that Hillary Clinton got a pass on her email server wrongdoings has filtered into the forebrain of everyone who pays any attention to the news. The reaction from the Right has been predictable and generally justified, with a widespread lament that FBI Director James Comey’s recommendation put another nail in the coffin of the quaint premise that this is a nation of laws above men. Comey bizarrely applied a mens rea test where one is not relevant (intent does not matter when it comes to mishandling classified information), then noted that prosecutors consider additional factors in deciding whether to prosecute.

The crux of Comey’s statement is:

Although there is evidence of potential violations of the statutes regarding the handling of classified information, our judgment is that no reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case. Prosecutors necessarily weigh a number of factors before deciding whether to bring charges.

A more honest and forthright version might read:

No sane prosecutor would jeopardize his career, subject himself to the Clinton machine, subject himself to the liberal press, subject himself to the liberal blogosphere, subject his family to any of the above, or try to win a case against a defendant with such powerful political ties, such deep pockets, such a sympathetic press corps, and such enormous power. Nor, would any sane prosecutor think that any sane judge, subject to the same concerns, would stand sufficiently objective to afford any reasonable chance at prosecutorial success.

Reading the events of the past week simply (and, yes, a bit cynically), Comey blinked. After the (at the very least) foolish private meeting between Bill Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, a meeting whose fallout led to Lynch having to publicly declare that her office would heed the recommendations of the FBI, Comey was put in a bind. It’s not normally the FBI’s role to make prosecutorial decisions, but there it was, out in the open. The ball was his to swing at or to let go by. So, Hillary skates free after acting in a way that would get mere mortals prosecuted. As to the latter, Comey himself made that pretty clear:

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.

Again, the more honest and forthright version might read:

Mortals, peons, and people not named Clinton take note: If you do what she did, we will lock your sorry asses up.

As I sometimes do when such hot button news stories come to the fore, I went on safari into the deep jungle of the Angry Left, i.e. the comments pages of liberal blogs. Amidst more instances than I could count of gleeful gloating that “republican heads are exploding all over the country,” I found one commenter’s observation that “she’s bulletproof and I love it.” Much hoo-rah concurrence followed, of course. While there were occasional stray crumbs of dissent in that jungle (many, I suspect, from angry Sanders supporters who, despite being foolish in their support for an unapologetic socialist, are at least operating from some sense of principle), the general tone was one of victory and vindication. Feeling vindicated, in this case, is an act of willful blindness, given that Comey made it very clear that Clinton et al did indeed do improper things and did indeed break rules.

Bulletproof is a good trait for your protagonist if she is beset by evil forces. However, in this case, the forces besetting her are the laws of the nation, and her triumph over those laws is both a tragedy and a warning. And, make no mistake, this is the elevation of one person over the law of the land, not an exoneration. Even left-leaning news sources accept that the FBI found she had violated rules and laws, a contradiction of her assertions that she did nothing wrong.

The New York Post’s John Crudele reminds us that this isn’t Clinton’s first escape from prosecution. While Whitewater is widely regarded by Clinton supporters as a smear job, there was, as Crudele notes, more than enough with which to indict. Whether prosecutors could win is another story, and it appears a similar weighing of “a number of factors” was the ultimate decision driver there. The Clintons have a laundry list of scandals in their history, but those scandals, individually and in the aggregate, have done little to derail their political careers.

While the Clinton Foundation investigation continues, it’s hard to imagine that, after the FBI’s punt on a situation with such clear and obvious wrongdoing, anything that affects the Clintons themselves will be put forth. After this email saga, it truly seems that Hillary is bulletproof.

Her supporters may be elated by this, but they really should take pause instead. President Hillary Clinton, armed with the knowledge that even the FBI is afraid of crossing her, could run amok. The only restraints would be her good judgment and honest intent. The email saga demonstrates she has little of either.

Obama has run hog wild on expanding executive power, something he had promised to reverse, but he hasn’t been tainted with substantiated accusations of wrongdoing. Even his “pen and phone” actions are primarily a usurpation of Congress’s role as legislator. Clinton in the White House would be operating on the precedent of vastly expanded executive power established by both Obama and George W. Bush, and she’d have the knowledge that her reputation has cowed both independent prosecutors and the FBI itself. Metaphors regarding Clinton dirt and the staining of the White House write themselves.

Some will welcome a bulletproof and all-powerful liberal ensconced in the Oval Office and able to do what needs to be done, to authorize the right solutions. My question is – how could anyone trust such a person? Someone who’s above the law has no reason to respect the law, no reason to fulfill any promises, and nothing to stop her from making a further mockery of our entire system of government. If Obama, who came in with a golden glow, a sheaf of highfalutin promises, and a rather clean slate didn’t deliver on the promises of a liberal utopia, how can anyone believe that Clinton will?

Every nation gets the government it deserves. – Joseph de Maistre

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard. – H.L. Mencken

We’re getting what we deserve, and we’re getting it good and hard.

• About the Author

About Peter Venetoklis

I am twice-retired, a former rocket engineer and a former small business owner. At the very least, it makes for interesting party conversation. I'm also a life-long libertarian, I engage in an expanse of entertainments, and I squabble for sport.

Nowadays, I spend a good bit of my time arguing politics and editing this website.

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