Jonathan Karl's latest breathtaking exposé — Bill Clinton Sought State Department OK For Paid Speeches Related to North Korea, Congo, New E-mails Show — leaves one breathless indeed, but only because right off, Karl knocks the wind out of his own story and us readers:
ABC News has obtained State Department e-mails that shed light on Bill Clinton’s lucrative speaking engagements and show he and the Clinton Foundation tried to get approval for invitations related to two of the most repressive countries in the world -- North Korea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo…. These newly revealed emails show speech requests that the State Department refused to approve.
Italicized bold courtesy moi, just in case the thrill of scandal swamped anyone's reading comprehension. Bill Clinton! Paid Speeches! North … North … North Korea! New E-mails! Show! (nothing).
Further down, Karl excavates his desperation:
Clinton defenders are likely to point to the emails as an example of the system set up by the Clintons working. Speaking requests were sent to the State Department, which had the final word.
Still, the exchanges open a rare window on the private communications between aides to the former president, the Clinton Foundation, and Secretary Clinton's State Department.
Again, italicized bold courtesy moi, just in case anyone overlooked the utter vacuity of Karl's exposé and his feeble, scrambling effort to pump something into it. In these bureaucratic instances, anyway, "the system" did work. Still! ...