If you somehow missed all 11 hours of the much-hyped, made-for-TV, Benghazi- committee grilling of Hillary Clinton, you don’t need to go to the video. I can sum it up for you in one sentence:
However low your expectations were for the House Select Committee, they were not nearly low enough.
What I mean is — and I’m asking the chair for an extra sentence — if Clinton has often been lucky in her adversaries, and she definitely has, she hit the jackpot this time.
This game was over before it began, of course. It was settled weeks ago when House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy let slip in a radio interview that the entire 17-month investigation has been a politically-motivated witch hunt. But even so, I didn’t expect the committee members to be quite so dedicated to proving McCarthy right.
The 11 hours — about nine of them testimony — were a jumble of conspiracy theories, of witness badgering, of cross-party sniping, of a 7-minute shouting match between the chair and the ranking member, and, mostly, getting to the bottom of this whole Sidney Blumenthal mess. The questioning got nastier as the night went on, and on, and by the end I couldn’t decide whether to call the hearing a travesty or a farce. Either works.
(Quick wrap-up on Sid, the villain of the piece although it’s not clear what made him a villain this time: The very public Clinton friend — public in the Bill Clinton ’90s anyway – sent Hillary Clinton emails about Libya on her private account whereas Ambassador Chris Stevens didn’t know her email address, her cell phone number or her home address in case he had ever wanted to drop by. And that’s pretty much it.)
t was, as one pundit put it, an 11-hour campaign ad for Clinton, who never lost her cool as she handled a bunch of backbenchers in just the way you’d think she would. Hadn’t they watched the debate? This is what she’s good at. She was prepared, of course, and she won major points for stamina. One Democrat joked that if the hearing went much longer, Clinton would finally get to answer her 3 a.m. phone call.
And if she had the Clinton smile pasted on for all 11 hours, you could hardly blame her. It has been a good couple of weeks. She wins the debate; her poll numbers go up. Joe Biden says he won’t run; her poll numbers go up again. She takes on everything an overmatched committee can throw at her, and I’d guess her trustworthiness numbers will start to recover.
It was a gift, if you don’t count the fact that the hearing should have been about the lives that were lost or the fact that Libya has become a nightmare. That wasn’t entirely forgotten. The highlight of the testimony was Clinton’s memory of the day and night of the attack, of the loss of four Americans, of the loss of a Clinton friend, of the fog of war and of the desperation in not knowing what had happened and being unsure of what to do next.
Meanwhile, it was a political disaster for Republicans. What the committee had to do to rescue its reputation was to show they’d learned something — anything — new, something — anything — that could help us understand the Benghazi tragedy or at least understand how better to reduce the risk of another Benghazi.
Instead, we learned nothing. Don’t take my word for it. Take if from Chairman Trey Gowdy. When asked in a post-testimony press conference what he’d learned, he couldn’t come up with anything. He said — yes, he really said this — that he didn’t hear much new in Clinton’s testimony but that he’d “have to go back and look at the transcript.”
I guarantee he doesn’t want to look.
There was a game plan, I guess. It was apparently to show that Clinton was the heartless mastermind of the Libya affair, that she didn’t care enough about Stevens to get him the security he had asked for (even though Blumenthal, uh, something, something, something), that she had lost interest in Libya after Qaddafi was killed, that what she really cared about was in getting credit for Libya when it was considered a success and that she lied in the aftermath of Benghazi to protect Obama’s reelection chances. In other words, it was like any day on talk radio except that Clinton was there to answer the questions.
The problem for the committee was that there’s nothing new to be learned on Benghazi. And though it was a tragedy, it wasn’t really Clinton’s fault any more than, as Jeb! might say, 9/11 was George W. Bush’s fault. She took on each question and answered in detail that would have been embarrassing to the questioners if they could be embarrassed. The Democrats, meanwhile, spent their entire time defending Clinton, who got to appear above the fray, watching as the two sides sniped at each other.
It’s hard to pick one telling moment over 11 hours to show how pointless the day and night were, but this one might do.
It was around hour 9 when Martha Roby (R-Ala.) was asking Clinton how she spent the night of the attack. When Clinton said she went home, Roby asked, “Who else was at your home? Were you alone?” And when Clinton conceded that, yes, she was alone, Roby wanted to know, “The whole night?”
Clinton finally cracked. “Well, yes, the whole night,” she said, breaking into a loud Clinton laugh.
It was a moment of levity for everyone except Roby, who told Clinton, “I don’t know why that’s funny.”
And after watching the entire 11-hour debacle, I’d have to say that I’m sure that’s true.
Mike Littwin writes for The Colorado Independent (www.coloradoindependent.com).
Martha merely reacted anally, completely normal for repubs and their supporters.
Good column Mike! Think you nailed it.
I did not expect Mike to get it. And that goes for editor also. Holmes was one male, from California, who shot up theatre, and Sentinel got that. At least it was hammered for much too long, for only 2 questions for jury to answer. Was Holmes insane? And if insane, was there anything that could be thrown against the wall to make it a life sentence, with mental health care? 3 and half years later, the jury got to make the 2 decisions, and one juror found reason to keep him alive.
Now we have 4 men dead in Benghazi. ACT OF WAR AGAINST USA. DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY CONTROLLED BY USA. AMBASSADOR KILLED. SUBSTITUTE FOR OUR PRESIDENT, SINCE THAT IS A DIRECT CHALLANGE TO USA. Panetta issued alert to military, prepare to depart, rescue, and evacuate our personnel. What happened? Who gave Stand down order? That is a set procedure, and in military planning for such attacks. (Note: I served 26 years. Military are not killed like that, in attack against our government, without retribution. And the attackers need to get lesson while still on the premises. Fast burner planes could have been over Benghazi within less than 4 hours, with rockets, missiles, bombs, you name it. Those folks should not have been able to depart the area, except in small pieces on the trees, buildings, and walls around them.
And Mike is so tickled out of his skin because the politician did not answer her phone at 3 AM. In fact she did not even get involved. One of her best friends, who she did not send Emails to or from. But she had a boo koo of them from Cid. A friend. Not an employee. Not working for State Department. Not involved with security matters, but giving advice on security matters. Not knowledgeable of middle east, but having some kind of kinky deal there, that he wanted her help with.
You people deserve all the criticism you get. You fit right in with MSNBC. See what you want. But don’t report the truth. Reason I and others do not buy the paper. I used to, and also bought Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. NO MORE. NO NEWSPAPER TODAY TELLS THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. We reread some articles on all, but only to compare, then check against other media that we do trust.
I was not impressed when Mike wrote for sports on Post, and less impressed now with Sentinel. But that is me.
Hillary lacks any semblance of Common Sense. She is a politician – and a Lawyer (but I repeat myself). Not to be trusted with anything.
It appears frank is not taking his meds as directed. His dementia is clearly reaching critical mass.
You can quit worrying about my meds. I have regular checkups, with both my care providers, and have been found normal on all. You will be surprised that my system testing show I am in normal range, even for someone younger and more athletic than I am. So worry of your own health, since you seem to worry too much of others. And when 15 educated, well trained, long experienced doctors could not determine how sane, or insane Holmes was, then I know you are not at all qualified to determine dementia, insanity, etc. OKAY, if we agree to disagree.
Thankfully, frank is in the “normal range”. So true given his wing nut proclivities.
I also would remind you that in my 26 years, I did not carry a weapon up any hills, shoot or be shot at. But in that time, I did the support to ensure that those who went, had all equipment, training, records accurate, to do their mission, and return, just as others did. Too many of my friends went, and not as healthy on return as when they went, or in body bags. And for those 26 years, I was expected to do same as they, at any time. When you work with that stress, too few, with too much to do, but do it anyway, we fully expected our government leaders to back us, and do what was needed to see we came back. I don’t see that in this administration at any level, and I see a lot of lip service as ‘how we honor our military’. Military and Police today are shot at, and killed just for wearing uniform, so don’t be making flippant remarks questioning my meds. We need to find out why that CIA Station Chief in Libya took it on himself, to give stand down order. I know from my service at the time, that president appointed Admiral Stansfield Turner as head of CIA years ago, who promptly forced leaders into retirement, replaced others, and those who knew Intelligence were gone, and NO-RISK TAKERS promoted to leadership. CIA sucked for knowledge of other countries for too long, and I see Morrell as one of those, in 2012. Did he give the order to Station Chief, or did it come from higher. If you don’t want to know, why 4 men (one being the ambassador) was killed, then don’t post on web sites. Hillary did not answer any question, she simply switched focus and stone-walled. Only Liberals could see that as strong leadership. (And if you question that, read book by Gates, Panetta, Hagel of how they were prevented from doing their job, as Director of Defense Dept.) And review their statements on video.
“Flippant remarks”? Is that what this lengthy editorial is about? Dear me! frank certainly seems agitated. The poor guy will probably need shock therapy soon.
I can only hope that Mike and Dave watched Fox News tonight at 8 PM on Denver Comcast. Hillary lied her rear end off for 13 hours yesterday, and the 3 Seals who survived the battle and wrote the Book, was on Fox. With diagram of that area of Benghazi where they were, and the battles took place was on desk before them, as they described what they needed done for security, for vegetation to be removed, after June attack, and the others departed. They had written and requested more security, and did not get it. Needed more people and did not get it. AND THE BATTLE LASTED MUCH MORE THAN THE FIRST BUILDING. WHERE WAS THE SUPPORT, BACKUP? WHO CUT OFF ANY TRY? And who rejected the larger weapons they requested and needed? Where was the planes to target what the laser beams they projected was sighted on??????? Where, Why, and Who needs to stand tall and speak out?????
With an active attack against our facilities (leases, or contracted from Lybian Government, as Consulate and USA uses) our President, Panetta and Hillary Clinton was notified at 4 PM in Washington. President went up to quarters and it has been assumed he slept until the morning, then went to Las Vegas on fundraiser. And nothing issued forth in Government being in control, or even caring.
Watch the wives talk about what they went through, and hear the Seals tell what they saw, did, and also when they realized their two friends and co-peers were dead. They also know their families. This issue will not go away. And Dam the politics, parties, partisanship. This was an attack against every American, just for being an American. Infidels, since they think in 6th century prophet writings. Shame on all of you for heartless free riders on the USA Constitution. They, we (my military brothers and sisters) all fought for that Constitution, and Freedom of the USA. And it is being sold out for not 30 pieces of silver, but for power, greed, and ego. Shame on all of us for letting it happen.
It was apparently to show that Clinton was the heartless mastermind of the Libya affair,
Which they completely failed at, because Clinton clearly never masterminded anything while in office. If anything, the entire Libya debacle–from the time American planes began conducting air strikes to the moment Stevens dead body hit the ground–and her gross negligence in allowing classified information to be sent to and from her non-siprnet and non-JWICS-encrypted server demonstrate that she was completely overwhelmed by the responsibilities of her office.
Hillary’s demonstrated that she’s a complete sociopath, and if the Republicans thought they were going to get someone like that to admit they did anything wrong, they were delusional.
If anyone is delusional it’s this commenter and the asinine content of his/her remarks. Classic sociopathic wing nuttery!
Ryecatcher,
You are the delusional one. Check out the story on Chris Christie on the Quiet Car as written by Gawker story. Then check for the truth of what really happened, by a liberal reporter, who gave correct story, and Chris was sitting at their table, and when he realized that was the quiet car, he apologized to occupants on car, and voluntarily moved to another car with secret service. (Are you in training to write Gawker?)
Now as to the story here, I hope you caught the repeats of 3 ex-seals (of 5 or 6) who defied the order of CIA station chief (BOB) who held them for over 20 minutes, sitting in running vehicles, with weapons ready that they had, and I would call that a Stand Down Order. Question? Did he make that decision on his own, or did he get instructions from Morrell (CIA in Washington then) or someone else? I suspect, as the panel with Bret Baier, from other reporters, that will be taken up by committee possibly in mid 2016? Won’t the be juicy, for Hillary, Panetta, Obama to explain. And we really don’t want Hillary as President, or even responsible for this fiasco. We really want Obama to be shown for what he really is, so Liberals will see too. Since 3 of those 5-6 of security team, live in Colorado and Nebraska, I don’t think you want to challenge them, either? I watched the original story on Fox News with Brett. Know you would not lower yourself to learn the truth? Would you?
More wishful thinking and conjecture. Yawn!
Typical Liberal. No wonder we get those types in office with so many like you to sleep through life. Have you always had that problem, Think Rip Van Winkle was known for that too.
frank goes from Hillary to Rip Van Winkle. No wonder the poor guy is mixed up!
LOL–you’ve obviously never worked with classified information and don’t understand the consequences for its mishandling. I’ll take your ignorant snark for what it’s worth.
Laugh out loud is it! Obviously “rocks rockin” doesn’t understand the ignorance inherent in his/her asinine original comment making absurd claims concerning Hillary Clinton.
rocks’ assumptions concerning “classified information” sound like something he/she picked up listening to the ‘gasbag’ or from some idiotic site laden with wing nut garbage.
Sadly, ‘rock’s’ rocks are mostly in his/her head.
Gosh, who could have expected that a progressive would consider whitehouse.gov and gpo.gov to be “idiotic sites laden with wing nut garbage”?
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/USCODE-2009-title18/USCODE-2009-title18-partI-chap37-sec793
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/executive-order-classified-national-security-information
Perhaps in another stroke-like fugue, ryecatcher will reveal once again how little he knows about working with classified information. Let’s find out!
Gosh? I’m amazed a conservative knows about whitehouse.gov. or gpo.gov. Judging from rock head’s ignorant rant over Hillary one has to wonder. rock head’s typical of the average airhead conservative whining about Hillary or Obama.
rock head has to dazzle us with the “classified information” innuendo as though he/she is in a position to know about such matters. Let’s find out!
The master of bluff and bull s*** speaks. The oracle of blowhard drones on siting executive orders and USC’s after labeling a former Secretary of State a “sociopath”.
Factual government sources is it. The oracle no doubt will cough up another of his/her patented bromides in defense of his/her previous diatribes of monumental proportions.
I thought wing nuts were aghast over executive orders. What’s with this clown siting executive orders. His hero GASBAG limbaugh wouldn’t approve.
Let’s find out as rocky noisemaker cuts another brain fart.
The master of bluff and bull s*** speaks.
Here we see ryeguzzler’s projection on full display.
The oracle of blowhard drones on siting executive orders and USC’s after labeling a former Secretary of State a “sociopath”.
Notice that ryeguzzler again avoids explaining why the previously cited USCs and the executive order on information security don’t apply to the sociopath.
Factual government sources is it. The oracle no doubt will cough up another of his/her patented bromides in defense of his/her previous diatribes of monumental proportions.
More bluster employed as deflection. Notice ryeguzzler still refuses to engage the actual laws and regulations regarding classified information. Perhaps ryeguzzler will be willing to explain why Hillary was never required to follow 12 FAM 500 from the own agency she headed:
https://www.state.gov/m/a/dir/regs/fam/12fam/0500/
I thought wing nuts were aghast over executive orders. What’s with this clown siting executive orders. His hero GASBAG limbaugh wouldn’t approve.
Here we see ryeguzzler again arguing with the strawman in his head. Must be something about those government regulations that really bothers him to be so unwilling to explain why Hillary should be subject to a different set of rules than the people who worked for her.
Will ryeguzzler once again spew another fount of diarrhretic prose rather than engage the sources he presumed only came from wingnut sites? Let’s find out!
12 FAM 500. My isn’t that a mouthful. Another hiccup for the oracle. I’m assuming we’re supposed to be impressed with the oracle’s insights regarding “classified information”. Then again anyone can utilize the internet to suit their zany beliefs.
The oracle’s diarrhetic crusade is simply another example of full frontal idiocy. Pathetic at best!
12 FAM 500. My isn’t that a mouthful. Another hiccup for the oracle.
Here we see ryeguzzler once again fail to explain why Hillary wasn’t required to follow federal regulations. Reading anything more sophisticated than Cat in the Hat appears to be too daunting of a challenge.
I’m assuming we’re supposed to be impressed with the oracle’s insights regarding “classified information”.
Notice the lazy deflection once again, since ryeguzzler wasn’t prepared to argue against cited laws and not the voices in his head or the clouds in the sky.
Then again anyone can utilize the internet to suit their zany beliefs.
Previously, ryeguzzler argued that the laws on classified information came from wingnut sites. Here, we see him argue that it was a simple internet search rather than an understanding of the consequences of violating information security laws, which one would have to read to be able to follow. Actually explaining why these laws don’t apply to the sociopath requires far more intellectual sophistication than one of his kindergarten-level emotional development is prepared to tackle.
The oracle’s diarrhetic crusade is simply another example of full frontal idiocy. Pathetic at best!
Here we see ryeguzzler practicing his “I know you are but what am I” debate methodology. Worthy of the finest grammar school playgrounds. But let’s give him one more chance. After all, allowing TS/SIGINT/TK information and other classified material to pass over your private, unencrypted email server without reporting the violation would normally get any other federal employee with a security clearance fired, if not placed under indictment. Think he’ll be able to explain why the rules laid out in SF312–which all federal employees and contractors who work with classified information are required to sign before receiving their security indoctrination–don’t apply to Hillary, but apply to those who worked for her? Let’s find out!
Note the length of this whatever you call it. Obviously the product of an inflated ego pretending to be somebody. zzzzzzz
Note ryeguzzler’s need to stick within his hugbox rather than explain why federal regulations on information security don’t apply to the sociopath but apply to those who worked for her. Nor can he explain statements like “I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email. There is
no classified material. I’m certainly well aware of the classification
requirements and did not send classified material,” which turned out to be a lie. And of course “Any released emails deemed classified by the administration have been
done so after the fact, and not at the time they were transmitted,” which the IGs immediately refuted–a lie which is compounded by the rules of SF312, which state, “classified information is marked or unmarked classified information, including oral
communications, that is classified under the standards of Executive Order 13526.”
One doesn’t have to “pretend to be somebody” to know these things, just actually work with classified information on a daily basis because knowing and following the laws of information security is something good citizens do besides being an occupational requirement. Obviously crafting a sophisticated explanation of why this doesn’t apply to Hillary is far more difficult for him than kindergarten-level troll responses, as we’ve seen repeatedly in this thread. A betrayal of ryeguzzler’s inherent ignorance, indeed!
Another matter of fact nonsensical comment from an obviously Hillary obsessed boogeyman/woman. For all the rocknut’s refined blather attempting to portray him/herself as an expert on classified information, his comments are nothing more than paranoid bluster.
I’ll wait to see what the Justice Department investigation reveals before rendering judgment something rubes like rock head seem to conveniently avoid. But then rockhead’s ignorance and paranoia with Hillary seems to be adding to his/her obviously impaired mental state.
Isn’t the SF rules and Executive Order noise fun. rocknoise certainly has a way of crafting his explanations mostly based upon biased BS.
Another matter of fact nonsensical comment from an obviously Hillary obsessed boogeyman/woman.
Another deflection to mask ryeguzzler’s ignorance of information security laws.
For all the rocknut’s refined blather attempting to portray him/herself as an expert on classified information, his comments are nothing more than paranoid bluster.
Here we see ryeguzzler argue that federal laws and regulations are paranoid bluster, a classic example of projection. Not something most progressives would do, but then ryeguzzler is a special little snowflake.
I’ll wait to see what the Justice Department investigation reveals before rendering judgment something rubes like rock head seem to conveniently avoid.
“I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email. There is no classified material. I’m certainly well aware of the classification requirements and did not send classified material,”
Oops: https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/24/politics/hillary-clinton-email-justice-department/
But then, we can’t expect an ignorant proglydyte like ryeguzzler to be up on these sorts of things. Especially when the law states things like this:
“Classified information may not be removed from official premises without proper authorization.”
or this:
“Consistent with directives issued pursuant to this order, an agencyshall safeguard foreign government information under standards that provide a degree of protection at least equivalent to that required by the government or international organization of governments that furnished the information.”
or this:
“Agencies that allow employees to send and receive official electronic mail messages using a system not operated by the agency must ensure that Federal records sent or received on such systems are preserved in the appropriate agency recordkeeping system.”
or this:
Whoever, being entrusted with or having lawful possession or control of any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, note, or information, relating to the national defense, (1) through gross negligence permits the same to be removed from its proper place of custody or delivered to anyone in violation of his trust”
All things anyone working with classified information is supposed to be aware of and follow. Once again, not surprising ryeguzzler didn’t know about them, robustly proud in his ignorance as he is.
But then rockhead’s ignorance and paranoia with
Hillary seems to be adding to his/her obviously impaired mental state.
Coming from someone with a clear case of willful ignorance of the law and peruile emotional development, one can’t help but take this as a compliment. Don’t let any contrary information violate that hugbox, ryeguzzler!
Isn’t the SF rules and Executive Order noise fun. rocknoise certainly has a way of crafting his explanations mostly based upon biased BS.
Note how ryeguzzler doesn’t actually explain how these federal regulations are BS, just claims it to be so. He can’t understand or doesn’t care that having classified information on a non-siprnet and non-JWICS server is a violation of information security protocols and federal laws, something that would get any other federal employee or contractor who committed such violations fired or even thrown in jail. Such a fascinating case study in pathological special pleading he makes!
Pete and repeat rock head a Hillary obsessed paranoid schizoid. Poor thing! Hope he/she doesn’t do something stupid when Hillary is elected President.
ryeguzzler, projecting and special pleading like a champ again, as is the wont for senile proglydytes. Must be difficult to see Hillary’s bulltsh*tting laid out against the federal regulations she violated. Let’s see if ryeguzzler continues to white-knight for the sociopath.
zzzzzz
When Littwin is involved in ‘reporting’ a story, you can bet your bottom dollar it will favor the liberal Democrats, he’s never sided with a conservative, never. Clinton lied, and allowed Rice to lie, the emails she sent to Chelsea and an ambassador said as much, you must have missed that Mike.
goo man whines cause Mike never sided with the “wing nuts”. goo man misses everything with the possible exception of using the toilet for his bowel movements.
Hey Mike, you must have missed the part where Jordan read the emails she sent to her daughter and to an ambassador about it being ‘an Al Quada type attack’ and then going to the families of the murdered Americans and saying it was a video that set off the religious fanatics to murder. She’s a liar Mike, sorry you didn’t hear that part, too busy swooning over the Dems defense of her eh?