B737-800 FOR CREW HAS A GND CONFLICT WITH ANOTHER ACFT AT MSP.

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AFTER PUSHING BACK FROM GATE AT MSP; WAS TOLD BY GND TO TAXI TO RWY 12R VIA TXWY C AND TXWY A. APCHING RWY 22 AT TXWY A; WE CONFIRMED CLRNC TO CROSS RWY 22. GND SAID 'TAXI TO RWY 12R VIA TXWY A; CROSS RWY 22.' WE CROSSED RWY 22 AND CONTINUED ON TXWY A; ROLLING TO A STOP AT INTXN A9; AND STAYING WITH GND FREQ FOR SEQUENCING. THERE WAS A SINGLE ACFT IN FRONT OF US; HOLDING SHORT OF THE RWY; A B757. WHEN WE COMPLETED OUR TKOF CHKLIST UP TO THE PA AND CHIME; THE CAPT RELEASED THE PARKING BRAKE AND WE BEGAN TO ROLL FORWARD. THE NEXT THING I WAS AWARE OF; OUR ACFT CAME TO A SUDDEN; HARD STOP. TO OUR L; SQUEEZING BTWN OUR ACFT ON INTXN A9 AND THE EDGE LIGHTING; A COMMUTER CRJ WAS TAXIING VERY FAST WITH NO LIGHTS ON AND ROUNDED THE CORNER; CUTTING US OFF. THEY WERE SO CLOSE TO OUR JET; I COULD SEE BOTH PAIRS OF COCKPIT CREW MEMBER'S EYES AT NIGHT. I SERIOUSLY DOUBTED THEIR WING WOULD CLR OUR NOSE; AS THE CRJ CONTINUED AT SPEED AROUND THE CORNER. I SAW THEIR WINGLET FLASH RIGHT PAST AND BENEATH THE CAPT'S WINDOWS. I KEYED THE MIKE AND ADVISED GND THAT WE JUST HAD A JET TAXI IN FRONT OF US. HIS REPLY WAS THAT THE RJ WAS ON TWR FREQ. WE SWITCHED TWR FREQ; AND RPTED THE INCIDENT. TWR'S REPLY WAS THAT THEY CLRED THE RJ OFF THE RWY DUE TO HIGHER PRIORITY LNDG TFC. THEY SEEMED VERY UNCONCERNED WITH OUR NEAR COLLISION. I HAVE NEVER BEEN CLOSER TO AN ACFT ACCIDENT IN MY CAREER. IN MY OPINION; IF THE CRJ WAS TOLD TO CLR AND COULDN'T DO IT SAFELY; IT WAS THAT CREW'S RESPONSIBILITY TO ALERT TWR OF THAT FACT AND STOP THEIR ACFT. THE ONLY SAFE COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO SEND THE LNDG ACFT AROUND. 2 ACFT WERE PUT IN JEOPARDY ON 2 DIFFERENT FREQS; SO THAT AN AIRPLANE WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO A PERFECTLY SAFE GAR MANEUVER.