TheDC Morning

TheDC Morning: Secretary of State grade inflation

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
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1.) Secretary of State grade inflation— When Hillary Clinton testified in front of Congress last week on the Benghazi terrorist attack, Democratic legislators insisted she would go down as one of the great secretaries of state in American history. For what reason, no one’s exactly sure. TheDC’s Jeff Poor reports:

“The case that Hillary Clinton has been a ‘great’ secretary of state is ‘exceedingly weak,’ argued Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume Sunday. According to Hume, the list of accomplishments her proponents use to tout her four years as America’s top diplomat is nothing exceptional. ‘I think those examples you cited would add up to a case for her competence,’ Hume said on this weekend’s broadcast of ‘Fox News Sunday,’ responding to host Chris Wallace laying out a list of Clinton’s alleged accomplishments. ‘They do not add up to a case for greatness. After all, the groundwork on Burma had been done by the previous administration and the administration properly followed through on it. You look across the world now at the major issues. Are Arabs and Israelis closer to peace? How about Iran and North Korea and their nuclear programs — have they been halted or seriously set back?'”

What, pray tell, has she really achieved? You’ve heard of grade inflation, well, this is the secretary of state inflation. Greatness requires great accomplishments, of which Hillary Clinton doesn’t really have any at the State Department.

2.) Guns matter at Media Matters — And boy, donors won’t be happy about this story. Media Matters and their donors supposedly don’t like guns. They campaign against them. But Media Matters founder David Brock hasn’t exactly been living up to the standards his mouth has set. TheDC’s Vince Coglianese reports:

“A staffer at left-wing Media Matters for America committed numerous felonies in the District of Columbia and around the country by carrying a firearm to defend the organization’s founder, David Brock, The Daily Caller has learned. According to a knowledgeable source, multiple firearms used to protect the Media Matters founder were purchased with Brock’s blessing — and apparently with the group’s money. TheDC has previously reported that Brock’s one-time aide, Haydn Price-Morris, carried a concealed Glock handgun as he traveled with the liberal leader to public events in Washington, D.C.”

Whoopsies!

3.) The Slobbering Republic — The New Republic released an interview with President Obama Sunday which was conducted by editor Franklin Foer and Chris Hughes, the twenty-something Facebook billionaire who recently bought the magazine and installed himself as editor-in-chief. More relevant, Hughes was also a 2008 Obama campaign worker. So, as you would imagine, the questions they asked Obama were really, really tough. Really tough. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to ask all the questions they prepared in the time allotted, but  in a satirical exclusive TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein has gotten his hands on a list of 10 questions they had planned to ask before time ran out. You’ll be happy to hear they were similarly tough queries, like “Will there be an major changes during your second term to your iPod play list?” and “where do you stand on Jackie Robinson?” Check out the full list.

4.) Barack Obama, skeet shooter — President Obama may be seen by some as an enemy of gun rights, but let be known he is also a shooter of skeet. TheDC’s Will Rahn reports:

“In an interview with The New Republic, President  suggested he regularly goes skeet shooting with guests at Camp David. ‘[U]p at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time,’ Obama said. ‘Not the girls, but oftentimes guests of mine go up there. And I have a profound respect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for generations. And I think those who dismiss that out of hand make a big mistake. Part of being able to move this forward is understanding the reality of guns in urban areas are very different from the realities of guns in rural areas.'”

5.) Tweet of Yesterday — ConanOBrien: My apologies to the nice people at the Lady Foot Locker in Sherman Oaks. That’s all I can legally say for now.

6.) Today in North Korean News –BREAKING: “Kim Jong Il’s Birth Anniversary to Be Commemorated in Nigeria”

VIDEO: Krauthammer notes, “There is a reason that in the New York Harbor there’s a Statue of Liberty — it’s not a Statue of Equality.”

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Jamie Weinstein