While I agree that Senator Clinton's inquiry should have been handled in a manner more satisfactory to her, I think you're making much of the perceived patronizing attitude toward her as a woman. I was the Adjutant for my battalion while deployed to Afghanistan and when congressional inquiries came down-- often concerning topics that should have been handled at a higher level, but things just kept rolling downhill-- it was my job as a lowly captain to write the response with my commander's signature block. The letters always concluded with a statement to the effect of "Thank you for your concern in this important matter. We stand committed to continue to provide the utmost service; please feel free to contact us directly with any future questions."

It just seems like such a brush off. Actually it is comparable to final paragraph the form letters one gets back in response to a letter to a congressperson.

Well, the letters I was writing pretty much were form letters, and these were to Congressmen and Senators, male and female. The format was:

1. This is the concern that you sent to us.

2. These are the facts as we understand them and what we have done about it/ why we can't do what you want.

3. Thanks for your concern, we're going to keep working on it, and please feel free to write again.

The response to Hillary was sexist and a deliberate insult

position of responsibility then you should also know that stateside such things are generally done differently, particularly when the inquiry IS fully withing the constitutional writ of the person making the inquiry; i.e., it is the purview of her committee AND - of a more practical nature - the person making the inquiry was KNOWN to have massive political clout and the gutter fighter's ability to turn a stupid reply to her own advantage at the expense of the person making the stupid reply and of that person's boss.

Frankly, you should know better than to paint other departments, their procedural operations, and the importance of CERTAIN people with that of your own job experience.

Frankly, you should know better than to paint other departments, their procedural operations, and the importance of CERTAIN people with that of your own job experience.

Um, in what way? I am comparing this response from the DoD to a sitting senator to my ghost-written responses as a member of the DoD to sitting senators and congressmen. Hell, one of my responses was to Senator Kerry. You don't suppose he has some clout, do you?

You have tried to water this down by saying… “you agree…..!” ONE month to reply???… is an outrageous contempt. No 500 company would tolerate this behavior. You obviously are trying to cover someone here?

And then to add to insult… “… to her,…” who the hell do you think you are 'lowly captain.....???'

Jo Moss

Absolutely Agree!!! do we ‘The Generals Daughter’ here?

Jo Moss

Well, who do you think the response should have been satisfactory to other than the person initiating the conversation? How is it insulting for me to think that the response should have been satisfactory to Senator Clinton?

Not sure what you're getting at, here. I think the response was wildly inappropriate, including the one-month turn around time. I just think that Kaplan is contorting himself to add sexist patronization to the list of legitimate complaints based on that concluding statement.