In front of a Congressional panel on the Benghazi attacks, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got defensive over a question that was asked by Senator Ron Johnson. In an heated response, she stated in part, "...what difference at this point does it make?"
Clinton in essence, stated that those four men were already dead, and that it was time to move forward to avoid that happening again. In that response, I saw someone who was caught in an indefensible position, and instead of confronting that question, lashed out with a very stupid and disrespectful response.
Well Hillary, if we don't fully understand ALL that went wrong, we CAN'T learn from it to avoid future attacks. So Hillary, IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Hillary, FOUR men are dead, and we need to know WHY? So Hillary, IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
From what I've read and heard, the breakdown in security left the Ambassador vulnerable for such an attack. And we must know how and why that happened. From what has been released, there were multiple requests for retaining the security that had been there (and removed), added security, existing threats to our Embassy as well as other foreign offices, and the increased activity of al-Qaeda affiliates. Yet, NO additional armed security personnel were added, and in fact, were reduced. WHY? By WHO's authority? We must know that. It DOES matter!
Every LIE told by members of State and the White House, about some video inspiring riots that evolved into that attack, seems to me to have been an attempt to cover up ALL the failures leading up to the attack. So Hillary, IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
When the attacks commenced, urgent messages were sent to D.C.. Yet, NO security aid, via CIA or Military, was tasked to do ANYTHING. Drone(s) were overhead, but NO combat assets dispatched? WHY? By WHO's authority? We must know that. It DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
The CIA assets who were about a mile away, were ordered to "stand down", when requesting to aid the Ambassador. WHY? By WHO's authority? We must know that. It DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Those CIA Officers went anyway, and attempted to save the Ambassador and his staff. In what has been reported as a 7 - 8 hour firefight, with 2 - 3 requests for assistance, and even "painting the target" with targeting lasers, NO "ready response" assets were sent. For 7 - 8 HOURS! WHY? By WHO's authority? We must know that. It DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
For the self-righteous Clinton to burst out with such a comment, in her attempt to defray the hard questions, is inexcusable. And it was WRONG. It absolutely matters, and it DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Dan, I agree with what you are saying, yet at the same time I'm disappointed in the partisan approach this is taking in Congress. When Bush ordered the military into Iraq, costing thousands of American lives, tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, and hundreds of billions of dollars, many of these same Republicans were silent about where the weapons of mass destruction were. Instead, we changed our mission from eliminating weapons of mass destruction to one of nation-building in Iraq.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Republicans were silent.
So, yes, I agree with everything you're saying, and I do believe it is Congress' responsibility to learn exactly what went wrong and why, but I want all of them, Democrat and Republican, to ask these questions regardless of who is in the White House.
Shouldn't we all expect that from our elected officials?
Thank you for this opportunity to vent the frustration!