Benghazi--The phony scandal that won't go away

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   A.Villarasaposted 9 years ago

   However Obama and the Democrats are  deliriously desirous that this "phony" scandal would go away, it won't. Simply put  the reason for its longevity in the minds of folks who  seriously care  that 4 Americans were killed during the terrorist attack on the consulate, is the fact that not all the pertinent questions as to why and how it happened have not been fully explained by those who know the answers, i.e.  Hilary's State department,  Leon Paneta's  Defense department, Gen. Petraeus' CIA, and Obama's White House.
   
   Oh they explained alright, but not to the satisfaction of rational folks, which unhappily do not include the liberalist  main stream media, who have tried their mighty best to protect their much beloved cohort who occupies the White House.
   
   Now that Speaker Boehner decided to form a special committee to investigate in full force the Benghazi tragedy, we might yet find the answers to our questions.

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      Quilligrapherposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      A good day to you, Dr. Villarasa. I hope you have been well.
      
      I respectfully disagree with your opening claim. Simply put, the reason for Benghazi’s longevity in the minds of many folks is Hillary Rodham Clinton!
      
      The deaths of American diplomats in the line of duty are always very serious matters. I think we agree on this. However, political hyperbole should not ignore political realities. Five other US Ambassadors have also been murdered by terrorists in the line of duty. Their deaths are also serious matters. {1} In addition, to add another perspective, 4,500 US combatants were killed in Iraq and another 32,000 were wounded. Some Americans say this $3 trillion war was to repay one family’s obligations to Halliburton and other Texas oil interests. Others suggest it was a mission of revenge against Saddam Hussein, the man candidate George W. Bush targeted as “the guy who tired to kill my dad.” {2} {3}
      
      Shall we recall some more history together?
      
      I recall eight months of intense investigation. I remember Chairman Issa’s promise that his Benghazi "whistleblowers" would be "damaging," and further promises from the chairman regarding long awaited testimony from CIA employees that was another dud on arrival. The House GOP Majority Leader announced on May 13, 2013, “The time for wasting day after day investigating Benghazi is over.” “The American people don’t have an endless appetite for meaningless political theater,” the Republican leader said when discussing the failure of the Benghazi investigation. He characterized the House hearings as “purely symbolic, pointless, and detached from reality.” {4}
      
      What exactly does Speaker Boehner hope to gain by more faux-outrage? Benghazi would be a non-issue if it was not for the possibility Hillary Rodham Clinton may again run for the Oval Office. The disproportionate dismay over Benghazi is merely encore political theatrics aimed solely at undermining Hillary Clinton’s Presidential aspirations before she can humiliate the GOP again with their third successive defeat in a national election.
      
      Is this deja vu? A prediction aired on this platform last July read, “We are not likely to hear more criticism about Benghazi unless Ms. Clinton decides to run for president in 2016.” {5}
      
      Other Republicans are also saying enough already! Republican Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon publicly criticized the testimony of a Benghazi witness before the committee of Republican Oversight Chair Darrell Issa. Rep. McKeon asserted, “The Armed Services Committee has interviewed more than a dozen witnesses in the operational chain of command that night, yielding thousands of pages of transcripts, e-mails, and other documents. We have no evidence that Department of State officials delayed the decision to deploy what few resources DoD had available to respond.” {6}
      
      The OP statement heralds a new dog and pony show starring the same old dead horse: “Now that Speaker Boehner decided to form a special committee to investigate in full force the Benghazi tragedy etc.” I guess we are suppose to believe that the twenty-month long investigation in the US House of Representatives, including testimony from Secretary Clinton, et al. ad nausiam, was not a full force investigation!
      
      Desperation appears to be driving Republicans to blame the media for their own failures. What does the OP statement say? “The liberalist main stream media, who have tried their mighty best to protect their much beloved cohort who occupies the White House.” The media did not withhold incriminating facts from Chairman Issa’s committee. They simply did not exist. The media did, however, report the absence of any real malfeasance. After twenty-months, the House committee has determined no laws had been broken, no criminal charges could be leveled, and no evidence of punishable dereliction of duty was uncovered.
      
      Therefore, it seems obvious to this observer that the GOP controlled House is forming a select committee and spending more taxpayer money just to derail the one potential presidential candidate they fear the most. 
      
      Be well, Doctor, and thank you for launching this thread.
      {1} http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/the-sev … uty-photos
      {2} http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013 … t-worth-it
      {3} http://www.ipsnews.net/2004/10/politics … bushs-dad/
      {4} http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/b … acare.html
      {5}  http://hubpages.com/forum/post/2444690.
      {6}  http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/b … z310Wncf7b

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         A.Villarasaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         @Quill:
         Quite an extensive  riposte to my rather bland OP. And I thank you for detailing some factoids from the perspective of a liberalist like yourself.
         
         If you sincerely think, the investigation is  aimed at derailing  Hilary's presidential ambitions, you are sadly mistaken. The truth is  Hilary herself derailed those presidential ambitions when she famously exclaimed: "what difference does it make" during her appearance in a congressional hearing about Benghazi.
         
         Frankly, Hilary, carries a lot of baggage... and the fact that she was defeated in the Democratic presidential primary in 2008 by an inchoate Barack Obama is telling, don't you think?

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            Quilligrapherposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            I appreciate your opinions on Clinton's baggage. It will be interesting to see how she plays her hand.
            

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         tirelesstravelerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         You speak of dog and pony shows by the GOP, what is climate disruption save another dog and pony show.  The whole government is a dog and pony show.  Russia and China are laughing their heads off at the comedy.

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            Quilligrapherposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Thank you so much for sharing.
            

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         Education Answerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         "Simply put, the reason for Benghazi’s longevity in the minds of many folks is Hillary Rodham Clinton!"
         
         Is there any possibility that Benghazi's longevity is partially based on the fact that CNN can find the perpetrators, but the American government has made no apparent effort to bring these same perpetrators to justice?

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      rhamsonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      This is all about Hillary Clinton. The use of the departments and committees of the government is a lot cheaper than all the negative adds the GOP will have to buy later on down the road to combat her viability in her presidential run. It is a foreshadowing of another GOP non competitive candidate that they want to throw at the democrats. Will they ever learn to just get a good candidate rather than a party stooge. Mind you I have no affections for Hillary either but it shows how scared the GOP is of her.

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   Zelkiiroposted 9 years ago

   Someone's awfully outraged over a mishandling of intelligence that led to the deaths of several American citizens.
   
   Were you this vehement back in 2003 when the same thing happened and led to tens of thousands of American deaths in Iraq?

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      A.Villarasaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      @Zelkiiro:
      I have said it before, and I am going to say it again: The United States going to war in Iraq was a monumental mistake, and will forever mar the presidency of GW Bush.... and all those in Congress/Senate  who voted for it including leading Democrats.
      I have a pet theory: the reason GWBush was so agog at going to Iraq  was payback time for Sadam Hussein's assassination attempt on his dad,  Pres. GHW Bush after the Iraq-Kuwait war.

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         tirelesstravelerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Am I mistaken, has it been 6 years since Bush was in office.  Are you telling us that Obama hasn't done anything in 6 years? 
         Benghazi is in Africa and Chris Stephens was the ambassador. The Ambassador is kind of like the president of the embassy.
         You kill an ambassador and you tell everyone in the world Americans are fair game.  You kill the ambassador, so why not expatriates.  Why not tourists.  Nobody will do anything about.
         When I was a military dependent alert teams of 200 soldiers could be in the air inside of 6 hours. Smaller groups in far less time.  Benghazi is 400 miles from Italy. 
         The fact nothing was done for a representative of the president of the United States, The Ambassador was a big deal.

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      HowardBThinameposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Zelkiiro, check your stats. "Tens of thousands" of Americans did not die in Iraq, In nine years, less than 5,000 died. That was still too many, of course, but no where near "tens of thousands."
      
      The real issue over Benghazi isn't the number of people who died, but what the reaction this administration had to their plight, and whether an attempt was made to cover up the cause of the deaths later.
      
      It all goes back to whether Obama's war on Libya made the region safer or less safe.
      
      We all now know it was the latter. We didn't know at the time, however, and someone who was up for reelection wanted to make sure we didn't know.

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      retief2000posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      The ANNIVERSARY of 9/11?!?!!?  The inability for the Obama administration to anticipate trouble in the AL QAEDA controlled part of LIBYA on that date demonstrates that it isn't intelligence Obama has a problem with, it is drooling stupidity.

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   Paul Wingertposted 9 years ago

   The GOP assh***s must be really desperate. Nobody raised a brow when over 36 US embassy citizens were killed under W Bush! Then there's all the warnings that Bush received and ignored which resulted the attacks on 9/11.

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      retief2000posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I suppose you blame FDR for Pearl Harbor, too.

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      GA Andersonposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Paul, the issue of Benghazi is the claim that the administration purposely mislead the American public for political gain. Are you saying George W Bush did the same thing regarding the embassy deaths on his watch?
      
      ps. Why blame Bush for just 36 embassy deaths? If only the deaths matter, and not the reason or administration's reactions, then you could just as easily have laid 98+/- embassy or embassy related deaths at Bush's feet.
      
      GA

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         Paul Wingertposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Some of these GOP folks in Washington claim to be spending conscience, but in fact wasted billions on stupid crap - for instance, shutting down the government over Obamacare. Did that accomplish anything? No! Just wasted billions. Now they're on their high horse over Benghazi. More wasted money.

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            retief2000posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            Obamacare will waste trillions of dollars and will never end, much like the welfare state and with as much real world accomplishment to show for the squandering of such treasure.

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