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HRC Ain't Nothin' To Mess With

by Chris Tognotti

So far, this has undoubtedly been Hillary Clinton email week. The State Department released thousands more of the former secretary of state's emails on Monday. Much of the political media has been consumed with sifting through them, looking for any details that are strange, curious, interesting, amiss, humanizing, and so forth. And they've gotten a lot out of it — and more than just Clinton's TV viewing habits. Here are four disses from Hillary Clinton's emails that shine a little light on her.

Obviously, Clinton has more than her fair share of critics and antagonists, whether in conservative corners of the news media or in the rival party in Washington. So it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that she's willing to jab back every now and then. There's nothing scandalous to it, to be clear — frustration, or a joke at somebody's expense every so often, are simple truths of life. Clinton is as entitled to a few of those moments as anybody.

Here are a handful of examples of Clinton getting real. And these aren't just barbs directed outwardly; she has some fun at her own expense, too. Apparently, she even once called out the male members of her staff for being dismissive of women's issues.

1. She Wasn't Happy With Snowmageddon

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Remember the so-called "Snowmageddon" that blanketed Washington, D.C. back in February 2010? It was bad enough that the government closed down for a few days — a fact which Clinton was none too amused by. In fact, she called the interruption "silly."

I can't believe the govt. is closed again. I guess I will work from home but I think this is silly.

This is a definite point in her favor, from a presidential standpoint. Why should a politician or official have a mandatory day off just because of a little snow? Okay, a lot of snow.

2. She Once Told Off Some Male Staffers

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Sadly, we don't have the firsthand account on this one. Rather, it's an incident referenced by Phillipe Reines, a top adviser. According to Reines, Clinton finally called out some of her male staffers for their disinterest in women's issues — even though it didn't go over so well.

I for one loved that you finally called out the ogrish males on your staff who roll their eyes at women's issues and events but fyi I'm pretty sure I saw [redacted] roll their eyes at the very moment that you were obviously referring to them. They just don't get it

Remember: Casual disdain isn't just something that working-class women face. Apparently, even the Secretary of State is not immune to this stuff.

3. She's No Fan Of Citizens United

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In an email exchange with longtime associate and former White House adviser Sidney Blumenthal, Clinton made it clear just how dim a view she had of the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC. Namely, she believed that a constitutional amendment was in order, and called the situation "unbelievable."

Not sure there is a legislative fix. Haven't read the opinion yet. Might require a constitutional amendment ... This is unbelievable. Or maybe totally so given the forces at work.

Clinton has since publicly vowed that she'd work to reverse the Citizens United ruling if elected president, specifically mentioning the same idea detailed above — a constitutional amendment.

4. Watch Out, Rep. Dan Burton

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One Clinton email that's gotten a fair amount of attention is her response to a forwarded news story about somebody robbing a bank while wearing a Hillary mask. It's a fun little exchange, to be sure. But immediately afterwards, Clinton let loose a downright cold critique of former Republican Rep. Dan Burton:

On another matter, can you believe Dan Burton will be the chair of one of the House subcommittees we'll have to deal w? Irony and satire are the only sane responses.

For the record, Clinton had every reason to take a dim view of Burton. Among other controversies, he once tried to prove that former Deputy White House Counsel Vince Foster had been murdered by firing a gun at a watermelon. Foster was found dead in 1993, and it was ruled a suicide. But right-wing conspiracy theories like Burton's — often implicating the Clintons in some kind of murderous scheme — persist to this day.