Such a delicious irony that the predictable pre-election October surprise stink bomb blew up on the Democrat candidate rather than the Republican.  After all, the Democrats are masters of pulling some controversial revelation out of the hat days before a presidential election.

Hillary Clinton is dismayed that the October surprise blew up in her face rather than in Donald Trump’s.  The surprise being the confluence of three scandals the media has dutifully ignored.  Mrs. Clinton’s unsecure email system that left national security open to who knows who.  Her round-the-clock “body woman” Huma Abedin and her ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.  And finally Huma’s husband, the comical former Democrat congressman, Anthony Weiner, or as he is known is his sexting circles, Carlos Danger.

Friday, FBI director James Comey announced that the FBI was reopening its investigation into Mrs. Clinton’s private email server based on finding thousands of State Department emails on Anthony’s computer.  Mrs. Clinton immediately denounced the same FBI that just a few months ago exonerated her, calling the new investigation “strange,” “unprecedented,” and “deeply troubling.”

Not only is Mrs. Clinton in a tizzy over Comey’s move, but so is one of her campaign arms, The Huffington Post.  They believe that the FBI “has jumped into the election in a historic way.”  Mrs. Clinton echoes the assertion: “It's pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information right before an election.”  Is it really?

The October surprise shoe was on the other foot in 1992.  Also involving a Clinton.  Special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh announced the indictment of former Reagan defense secretary Caspar Weinberger on October 30, days before the presidential election.  This was actually a reindictment from a few months earlier in June that was thrown out.  Yet Walsh decided to try again, just a few days before the election.  October surprise.

The close Bush-Clinton election might have been swung in Clinton’s favor over the new indictment.  The surprise indictment was then thrown out a month later by a federal judge, but the damage was done.

Another Bush was caught up in an October surprise a few elections later.  The revelation of George W. Bush pleading guilty to a DUI 24 years previously.  What was known since 1976 became newsworthy on Friday, November 3, 2000, just days before the election.  A bombshell likely influencing the Bush-Gore election, sending it to the Supreme Court for final adjudication.  October surprise.

So no, Hillary, it is certainly not “pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information right before an election.”  This is standard operating procedure for Democrats in close elections.  Unfortunately for her, the shoe is on the other foot this time.

While Mrs. Clinton may dance with Jennifer Lopez, Jay Z, and Katy Perry at campaign rallies, she will have a hard time dancing away from the FBI and her tangled web of unsecure emails, Huma, and Carlos Danger.  Et tu, Hillary?

Brian C Joondeph, M.D., MPS is a Denver-based physician and writer.  Follow him on Facebook  and Twitter.