FBI Director James Comey is properly being criticized for breaking all precedent and Justice Department practice by sending Congress a letter about Secretary Clinton's emails whose basis had not been developed, and doing so in the waning days of a presidential campaign where it could have a major impact.
With the sick, vile Republican campaign pouncing all over it, the wisdom of such Justice Department rules has never been so obvious.
Whatever the motivation for breaking precedent and disobeying his boss was, Comey has actually provided the Clinton campaign the perfect exit strategy from the overblown email controversy that has been plaguing it from day one.
Think of it: If Comey is willing to release this document under these conditions, it is very hard to say that he is a Clinton stooge who soft-pedaled the earlier investigation. Indeed, Trump is now calling him a hero. Hence, Comey's credibility in deciding not to prosecute Hillary, his determination that that decision was not even a close call, is now beyond reproach.
Hillary can now rightly claim that the firestorm over Comey's earlier decision was, in Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) words about the entire series of Benghazi investigations (that, by the way, showed that Republicans, not Hillary Clinton, lied over-and-over-and-over again), designed purely to lower her numbers.
Not that further evidence of Trump's disregard of democratic values and process was required, but his praise for Comey's actions also further establishes that Donald Trump has one criterion, and one criterion only, for determining policy matters: Does it help him, personally?
Never mind the 225 year painstaking evolution of the greatest experiment in self-rule ever, aka the United States of American. If it helps Donald, then trampling the first amendment and jailing reporters is just fine. If it helps Donald, then calling on a foreign government to hack our emails is not treason. If it helps Donald, then inciting his own people to vote multiple times is perfectly sound. If it helps Donald, sending goon squads to polling places to intimidate minority voters is justifiable. If it helps Donald, then announcing he is going to jail his political opponent is par for the course. If it helps Donald, firing up his crowd to their "second amendment remedies" if he loses, is quite all right.
The old adage of being careful what you wish for, because it may come true, applies here in spades. I wish I could say that I were sorry, Donald, but you are an existential threat to all that is good, true and beautiful in this world, and everyone with an ounce of humanity wants you crawl back under your rock and leave the rest of us alone.
The Clinton campaign should provide its ground forces a clear statement that they can convey to voters as they go door-to-door that Comey's decision to release this letter demonstrates his independence and honesty on the prior decision, that it shows that all the Republican criticism was nothing but a political show, and that she was correct all along, and that these emails, that arose from who-knows-where will be equally inconsequential.
This should be game-set-match for the Clinton campaign except that it must stop concentrating on the emails and get back to how Hillary's experience and policies that really address problems versus Donald Trump's sociopathic character, inexperience, stupidity and lack of any track record that he will do anything for small business or blue collar workers because he has done nothing but stiffed them before.
They have to say, directly, that a vote for Hillary is a vote for experience and progress, a vote for Donald Trump is a vote for the abyss.
While she is at that, she might invite the American people to elect a Democratic Congress and Senate so we can end gridlock, and pass comprehensive campaign reform, and ask the Supreme Court to reverse their prior conclusions that money is speech and corporations are people. No one who claims our system is "rigged" could oppose that.
Get rid of corruption. Get rid of gridlock.
Now, THAT would be a winning strategy!