How Hillary Clinton Met Satan The New York Times

Author Susan Faludi has written a critically-important essay about the long-standing demonization of Hillary Clinton as a symbol of 'radical feminism' in America. Hillary has long been a symbol of our country's deeply held resistance to the empowerment of women, unless it happens within the acceptable limits of patriarchal values.

This core concept of female identity in America and its impact on women's lives at home and globally is a key lynchpin of analysis and commentary at Anne of Carversville. With America's national elections just a week away, Faludi's analysis couldn't be more dead-on.

We continue posting key commentary about the weekend's latest controversy concerning a trove of emails connected to Hillary Clinton through her long-time assistant Huma Abedin.

Eric Holder: James Comey is a good man, but he made a serious mistake The Washington Post

Those of us who have served as stewards of our nation’s justice system — from line prosecutors to attorneys general — are tasked with an awesome responsibility. The idea that all Americans are entitled to the same rights and obligations — to fair treatment and due process — is central to who we are and what we stand for as a nation. Whether that idea endures for future generations depends on the actions we take to keep its promise real.

I served with Jim Comey and I know him well. This is a very difficult piece for me to write. He is a man of integrity and honor. I respect him. But good men make mistakes. In this instance, he has committed a serious error with potentially severe implications. It is incumbent upon him — or the leadership of the department — to dispel the uncertainty he has created before Election Day. It is up to the director to correct his mistake — not for the sake of a political candidate or campaign but in order to protect our system of justice and best serve the American people.

James Comey is damaging our democracy The Washington Post

Hillary Clinton supporter Jamie Gorelick and anti-Trump Republican Larry Thompson have written an op-ed about the 'going rogue' nature of FBI Director James Comey's October bombshell. Gorelick served as deputy attorney general from 1994 to 1997 and Larry Thompson served as deputy attorney general from 2001 to 2003 in the Bush administration.

As former deputy attorneys general in the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, we are troubled by the apparent departure from these standards (a shutdown on any activities that could impact the election 60 days in advance) in the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s email server. First, the FBI director, James B. Comey, put himself enthusiastically forward as the arbiter of not only whether to prosecute a criminal case — which is not the job of the FBI — but also best practices in the handling of email and other matters. Now, he has chosen personally to restrike the balance between transparency and fairness, departing from the department’s traditions. As former deputy attorney general George Terwilliger aptly put it, “There’s a difference between being independent and flying solo.”

At the same time, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch — nominally Comey’s boss — has apparently been satisfied with advising Comey but not ordering him to abide by the rules. She, no doubt, did not want to override the FBI director in such a highly political matter, but she should not have needed to. He should have abided by the policy on his own.

Events as they have played out point to the value of the department’s traditions. Having taken the extraordinary steps of briefing the public, testifying before Congress about a decision not to prosecute and sharing investigative material, Comey now finds himself wanting to update the public and Congress on each new development in the investigation, even before he and others have had a chance to assess its significance. He may well have been criticized after the fact had he not advised Congress of the investigative steps that he was taking. But it was his job — consistent with the best traditions of the Department of Justice — to make the right decision and take that criticism if it came. Department officials owe the public an explanation of how events have unfolded the way they have. There must be some recognition that it is important not to allow an investigation to become hijacked by the red-hot passions of a political contest.

Election Update Four Ways Forward For Clinton After The FBI News FiveThirtyEight

Nate Silver lays out the pros and cons of four distinct strategies for the Clinton Campaign this week. They include:

Strategy No. 1: Demand more details from Comey
Strategy No. 2: Rile up Democratic partisans by attacking Comey and other targets
Strategy No. 3: Let it go
Strategy No. 4: Drop an opposition research bomb on Trump

Republicans Weaponize James Comey's FBI To Kneecap Hillary Clinton by Joy-Ann Reid The Daily Beast

Republicans including Chafftez eagerly tweeted out Comey’s news Friday, and Trump supporters (and some media outlets) ran with the erroneous claim that the FBI had “reopened” its Clinton email probe (it never closed it) and that the agency is revisiting its decision not to prosecute Clinton over her email server (there’s exactly zero evidence of that). And since Republicans have openly signaled that they plan “years of investigations” of Clinton should she win on November 8th, it’s not hard to see where this is going. They’re hoping this new “revelation” sinks Clinton, but expecting to use the faux scandal to drag her down over the next four years.

This follows a pattern that dates back to the Bill Clinton administration, when Republicans used the majorities they gained in the House in 1994 to pursue endless, relentless probes of the first family in search of a scandal that could hand the White House back to the GOP. The point of the many “gates” – Filegate, Travelgate, Whitewater and Lewinskygate – was never to advance public policy, or to hold the president and administration accountable to the American people. They were a naked grab for power by means outside the electoral process.