The Patriot Post® · Friday Short Cuts

Insight: “The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.” —Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

Upright: “[T]he appearance of a conflict of interest or loss of impartiality is clearly present. But given the way this administration treats the law, we can safely assume [Loretta] Lynch will never recuse herself [after her meeting with Bill Clinton]. And that refusal to recuse will give millions of Americans who already assume the Department of Justice will let Hillary slide no matter where the evidence leads quite a bit of evidence of corruption in the Obama DOJ. And if you’re Hillary Clinton — and you are truly innocent — Bill’s little get-together creates even more questions about your shady conduct. Mostly, though, if you want to know why Americans don’t trust their government, this meeting is a pristine example.” —David Harsanyi

Friendly fire, part I: “I am impressed with Attorney General Loretta Lynch. … I’m convinced that she is an independent attorney general. But I do think that this meeting [with Bill Clinton] sends the wrong signal… I think she should have steered clear, even of a brief, casual, social meeting with the former president.” —Sen. Chris Coons

Friendly fire, part II: “I take @LorettaLynch & @billclinton at their word that their convo in Phoenix didn’t touch on probe. But foolish to create such optics.” —David Axelrod

The BIG lie: “Loretta Lynch is one of the most outstanding human beings I’ve ever known. Her ethics is above reproach. No one could ever question her strong feelings about the rule of law.” —Harry Reid

Non Compos Mentis: “I am sympathetic to a lot of the people attracted by Trump’s message who are feeling really left out and left behind. They have lost faith in their government, in the economy, certainly in politics, and most other institutions. And they don’t know how they are going to create … a better future for themselves. So I am not only sympathetic, I am looking for solutions.” —Hillary Clinton

Rebuttal: “[Clinton] has no right to tell me it’s time to ‘move on.’” —Dorothy Woods, the widow of fallen Benghazi hero Tyrone Woods (“[N]o, Mrs. Clinton, it is not time to move on from your callous and cavalier behavior. It is time you were indicted for your email felonies, and it is time for all Americans to understand just how abominable your actions were on Benghazi and to vote against you in November.” —David Limbaugh)

And last… “Hillary says her leadership is steady and calm. During the Benghazi attack she fell asleep. You can’t get more steady and calm than that.” —Twitter satirist @weknowwhatsbest