A Bull Dog For Benghazi

Mother's Day has just passed.  There are four mothers out there somewhere who did not receive greetings from their sons.  They're dead.  Killed in Benghazi during a terrorist attack.  No one seems to know exactly why.  Those mothers and the families of those men do want to know why.  That is why there will and should be one more investigation into the incident.

The Democrats can call it a stunt all they want.  Everything is known, they say.  After all there have already been four investigations.  It shows just one more short coming of how our government functions.  The four committees, jealous of their territorial sovereignty I suppose, didn't share the information they got with one another.  Never-the-less, we know none of them got answers to a lot of questions.  So let's try one more time.

I don't know a lot about Trey Gowdy other than what I've seen on television, but I do like what I've seen.  He seems to be a straight shooter.  Enough so it makes me wonder why he's in Congress.  But thank goodness he is.  He would seem to have the ability to ask the right questions and demand the answers without grand standing nor allowing his committee to do so.

It seems to me the Democrats are the ones actually doing the stunt.  If the administration had been honest from the get go this would all be over and done with by now.  But they weren't and a member of the admin at the time has her eye on the Presidency.  That makes it important.

What else?  The fact that we've been lied too over and over again for political expedience.  That's important because that puts in question everything we're told and are supposed to accept at face value.  I don't think so.

It's important because a promise was made to find and punish the perpetrators.  That was not kept.  As  goes the lying so go the promises.

There comes a time that politics must take second place to honesty and truth.  We've seen very little if any from this administration.  However, the only way this one last committee to succeed is for it's members to behave as investigators seeking the truth rather than politicians.  It's time for the Democrats to get on board; they too should want to know the truth.  And the Republicans have to quit being stupid and nix things like the fund raising stunt that surfaced.  That is a stunt.  Plain and simple.

Mr. Gowdy, a lot of us are depending on you to do a Herculean job and ferret out the truth once and for all. Especially the Mothers - and the others those men left behind.

No Guts, No Glory

Hillary, you haven't seen anything yet!  The shoe toss was merely an indication of what you're likely to face in a run for the presidency.

Sure you laughed it off.  You have presence of mind enough to do the expedient thing. But did it bother you more than you let on?  Is that why you canceled your speech to the Western Health Leadership Academy in San Diego?

Or is it because Sean Smith's mother was planning to be part of a protest?  Remember Sean? One of the four Americans killed in Benghazi on 9/11/2013?

C'mon, what difference at this point does it make now? Well, to a lot of people it makes a huge difference and if you think you're going to be able to evade the "what really happened?" question for an entire campaign season you're sorely mistaken.

I know it was tough having to face the families of our fallen Americans as they arrived in flag draped caskets at Dover. Was it hard to lie to them about a really bad YouTube video having been the cause? You did lie, didn't you? All the evidence seems to point that way.

It's going to be a tough campaign.  You have no experience at running anything what's more a nation as complex as ours.  Your time in the Senate was merely marking time for more ambitious pursuits. You had to settle for less than first prize and yet you've been having trouble listing any accomplishment what-so-ever in that lesser position.  Secretary of State.  Unless you consider having the word 'overcharged' in place of 'reset' on the button that was to be symbolic with our new U.S./Russian relationship.

It's too late to alter the outcome of your tenure at State, but you could do a lot by coming clean about Benghazi.  If you insist you were no more than an innocent bystander, don't be surprised if the voters think you should remain a bystander to the presidency.

The truth though.  Well, it would give you a whole new image, something unique in the world of politics, and the American people are a forgiving lot.  Think about it.

Celebrity And Politics Don't Mix

One thing I took from the Benghazi hearings is that Hillary Clinton wasn't paying necessary attention to her job. Oh, sure, she racked up more air miles than any of her predecessors but what did she actually accomplish?

 Just as bad if not worse seems to be that the President didn't much care.  While the men in Benghazi were fighting for their lives he was in bed.

Then came the ludicrous story about the You Tube video which both the President and Hillary claimed as the reason for the attacks.  According to the witnesses at yesterday's hearings, both knew better.  In essence they lied to the American people but since neither was under oath, so be it.

Now you can argue that the witnesses were no more than mal contents.  Many of you will, especially those of you who feel the President and Hillary can do no wrong.  I disagree.

Both, I believe, have achieved their status due to celebrity, not ability. The voters seem to be content with it.  Consider everyone who has the slightest possibility of running for higher office in 2014 or 16 is working on their own celebrity status.  It amazes me how we embrace celebrity.

Look at Mark Sanford regaining his old House seat.  An adulterer and a liar.  Anthony wanting to run for Mayor of New York.  I'm not sure exactly how one categorizes a man who tweets photos of his underwear covered privates other than shameless.  I have other words for it, but I doubt anyone cares.

Back to the ones who have already achieved high office.  The compliant media ignored the Benghazi story as much as they could to  successfully protect Obama during the election season. Now they are doing the same in anticipation of Hillary's run.

There are just too many verifiable reports of intimidation, too many rewrites, too much righteous indignation for me to believe these witnesses are lying.  Their careers have already been altered. What is left for them to gain?

Will Hillary succeed in fooling some of the people all of the time?  I expect so.  I just hope she and her machine don't succeed in fooling all of the people.  When you listen to former diplomats and military personnel who have actually participated in government tell what could and should have been it becomes apparent what happens when you have celebrity rather than experience at the helm.

When the Secretary of Defense states the forces who were trained and exist to combat situations like Benghazi couldn't be put in harms way I wonder what they are supposed to do. When the Secretary of State asks "What difference does it make now" I wonder why she doesn't understand it makes every bit as much difference as it did the day it happened.

Who do I want to answer the phone at 3:00 a.m.  The people didn't want Hillary last go 'round.  I hope they don't want her this time either because she likely won't.  They wanted Obama.  They got him and he didn't.

I want someone who cares more about their country than themselves.  Unfortunately they seem to be in short supply in both parties.

So What're Ya Gonna Do About It?

According to the President he couldn't be more proud of the job Susan Rice has done and isn't particularly concerned that the information she gave the American people about Benghazi wasn't accurate.  Wow.  What contempt toward the American people!

Would it help if the indignant Senators would ask the right questions?  It would make me feel better if they would but for some reason they are not.  Just what might those questions be?

Well, first let's get off Susan Rice. The President has already said she had nothing to do with Benghazi.  She was given the job of whitewashing what happened and did it willingly. So let's accept that and forget her for the moment.

The President also suggested if they wanted to go after someone, go after him.  Why aren't they?  Let's assume all the precautions were in place.  We've been told about the procedures in place if such an occasion should arise and that the necessary assets were indeed in place just waiting for the order to go.  Why wasn't it given?  That's the question.  Why were four Americans left to die when it quite probably could have been prevented? Someone knows.  Susan Rice probably doesn't.

Yes, answers need to be given as to why security wasn't enhanced when asked for, especially after previous attacks.  Susan Rice doesn't have them.

Who changed the wording in the talking points?  As recently as yesterday the CIA and FBI were still playing hot potato with that one.  Susan Rice may not have known that either but someone does.

Hillary wasn't around. By the way, where is she?  She has some things to answer for herself yet she's been given a pass so far.  Why? Does Susan Rice know? Probably not for sure, but someone does.

In other words, the Senators seem to think Susan Rice is all knowing and just isn't talking. I contend she isn't all knowing and if I were her I'd be angry with myself for allowing myself to be so used. The person who is and who can and should answer the questions is the President and he's not talking either.

Why?  If he's trying to bolster the contention that al Qaeda is decimated and on the run he needn't bother, we know better.  Is he delusional?  Possible, but I think more likely he's found himself in an unanticipated and embarrassing situation and feels if he stonewalls long enough, maybe with  an occasional admonishing finger to divert attention, it will all go away.

I suspect he's right. The media has no more taste for it than he does and will leave well enough alone.  The four grieving families, however, who still have no concrete answers deserve much more.  His attitude toward the entire incident oozes contempt toward them as well as us.  I'm betting the military and the intelligence services and our allies are feeling a bit of it themselves.