Name:   Talullahhound - Subject:   Hillary's classified emails up to 1,000 Date:   12/1/2015 7:56:54 PM

Okay, a minor clarification - State Department and others are saying that X number of messages contain potentially classified information.  In some cases they are retroactively classifying the messages.  This is a weird thing with classified information - it may be in unclassified publications yet still be considered classified.  I don't know how many of the messages she originated (and she would have had classification "authority", i.e. to mark something as classified).  If she is not the originator, the person that sent her the email would actually be the one at fault for not ensuring the document was properly classified.  Once they identify all the classified material, someone will have to make the determination to what extent national security has been compromised.  There are levels of this and making the determination can be a long drawn out affair.

Having said that, having any potentially  classified informtion on her unclassified server is bad.  Becasue it left the information open to hacking, monitoring, etc by foreign entitities.  Even if a particular piece is not really classified, it can be the missing piece to a bunch of other information that has been already obtained from other sources.  I really don't understand why any senior official, particiularly one in a sensitive national security position would use anything but an official classified server, because of the risks involved. 

You know MM, I doubt there is anything there that can be used for exhortion purposes after this point in time.  but is is still not a good thing.  It's quite possible that she never thought to question whether certain information should be classified, but I find that difficult to believe,  especially given the access she had had to highly classified information in the past.  So in her case, I don't think "I didn't know" is going to cut it.  But the whole classification thing is so confusing and obscure to the average American, I doubt it will keep her from getting elected.  and I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for some criminal legal action against her.  She is hardly the first.