Benghazi in perspective

Let's put Benghazi in perspective.    What happened at Benghazi was a terrible thing.   Our ambassador and three other Americans were killed by men who stormed the consulate building.   Yes, it was inadequately protected.   Yes, there was initial confusion about who the attackers were, whether they were part of the wide-spread protests against an anti-Muslim, American-made video that got out of hand -- or whether they were terrorists specifically targeting our facility in Benghazi.

There is no question that more security might have prevented these deaths.   There is also factual evidence that (1) our ambassador, who was killed, had not wanted more security because his style was to connect directly with the local people, and hiding behind armed guards interferred with that;   (2) in fact, there were wide-spread protests going on about that offensive video;   (3)  Republican budget-cutters had decreased the amount of money available for security at our foreign embassies and consulates.

But what are they aiming for in these investigations?    Not how it happened;  not how it can be fixed so it doesn't happen again.    No, what the Republicans are trying to call a scandal is this:    who said what on a Sunday morning talk show and who told her what to say and were they trying to cover something up?

That's it, folks.  That's what Republicans are spending millions and millions of dollars on.   At the end of the day, not one single foreign service person is going to be safer.   They're doing it for the sheer political motive that it might hurt Hillary Clinton's campaign for president -- and of course, always and at every conceivable moment, trying to undermine Obama's presidency.

That's it, in a nutshell.   And it is downright shameful.

Ralph

PS:   On a Sunday morning talk show, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) -- one of the senate Republican hawks -- sounded a warning to fellow Republicans, that they might be going too far with this Benghazi thing and it could backfire on them politically.