A few thoughts on Quotegate

As America reels in horror at the latest Hillary Clinton scandal, I think we should all keep in mind an important political standard: The majority of interviews with politicians are meaningless because the majority of politicians are full of shit.

Allow me to explain.

Every word muttered by a politician is carefully calculated and gauged to get the appropriate response from the designated electorate. The resulting "dialogue" is usually nothing more than politically tested talking points with no substance -- as much empty rhetoric that can be said without saying anything at all.

However, sometimes a politician really screws up and goes off message or says something completely ridiculous. These moments -- usually the only indication that a politician is human and not some automaton designed to say strictly what we want to hear -- are what we affectionately call "gotcha journalism." As much as I despise gotcha journalism, I have no choice but to concede its great importance, given that the only time we can expect true honesty from a politician is when something is said in error.

If everything a politician says about an issue is either bullshit or an accident, then voters would be wise to keep close track of the latter. Unfortunately, with Clinton, it's really hard to tell.