The Patriot Post® · Monday Short Cuts

The Gipper: “Trust the people. This is the one irrefutable lesson of the entire postwar period contradicting the notion that rigid government controls are essential to economic development.”

Upright: “Right now, the vast majority of Democrats are furiously angry that Comey did not withhold information from Congress, because it would be politically embarrassing to Hillary Clinton. That’s not supposed to be a priority of the FBI Director.” —Jim Geraghty

For the record: “The Clintons, that’s a crime family. It’s like organized crime, basically. The Clinton Foundation is a cesspool.” —former New York FBI chief James Kallstrom (No wonder there was resistance to a thorough Clinton Foundation probe.)

Braying Jackass: “I am writing to inform you that my office has determined that these actions may violate the Hatch Act, which bars FBI officials from using their official authority to influence an election. Through your partisan actions, you may have broken the law.” —Harry Reid to James Comey

Non Compos Mentis: “Jim Comey forgets that he works for the attorney general. I think he has a lot of regard for his own integrity. And he lets that regard cross lines into self-righteousness. He has come to believe that his own ethics are so superior to anyone else’s that his judgment can replace existing rules and regulations. That is a dangerous belief for an FBI director to have.” —Matt Miller, who served as Justice Department spokesman under then-Attorney General Eric Holder (So, integrity is second to toeing the political line?

A vast right-wing conspiracy: “I think this was a terrible error in judgment by the director to release this kind of ambiguous letter. … That kind of an ambiguity bomb this close to election was a terrible lapse in judgment.” —Rep. Adam Schiff

Friendly fire, part I: “I am deeply concerned that we will have a constitutional crisis if she’s elected. I want to learn more this week, see what we see, but as of today, I am not a supporter of the secretary of state for the nation’s highest office.” —Bill Clinton’s Demo Pollster, Doug Schoen, retracting his endorsement of Hillary.

Friendly fire, part II: “If ruling Democrats hold themselves to the high moral standards they impose on the people they govern, they would follow a simple process: They would demand that Mrs. Clinton step down, immediately, and let her vice presidential nominee, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, stand in her place.” —Chicago Tribune’s John Kass

And last… “Comey should err on the side of maximum disclosure consistent with the integrity of the investigation, but the entire episode goes to show what a bad idea it is for a political party to knowingly nominate someone who is likely guilty of criminal offenses.” —Rich Lowry