Politicians lie. Apparently they have to lie to get elected. I would hate to face the pressure of the media scrutiny that anyone running for office has to face these days. None of us are perfect, and we all have skeletons in our closets of some kind. Not only the skeletons in our past, but in many cases there are things in our present that still would need to be hidden if we are to get elected.
In the case of someone already in office, who wants to be re-elected, you also have the public scrutinizing your every vote, your every action. Every plan, no matter how well thought out and sincere your intentions, will have it’s critics. You can call me naïve, but I think no matter how painful I would have to opt for near total transparency, displaying the good and bad out in the open and let the chips fall where they may. I can’t keep track of which lies I have told to whom, and so instead of getting tripped up I would rather people think me stupid than untruthful. That is why I expect those in office who expect my vote to be transparent and open, and not to hide the truth.
The Benghazi affair has grown old in the eyes of many, and I know it will elicit eye rolls. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others were killed on September 11th, 2012, nearly a year ago at this point. There have been hearings and investigations and press conferences and denials and accusations and many people are simply tired of hearing about it. It has taken on a highly partisan tone.
I would like to make the case that Benghazi still matters, and that despite the weariness, we need to stay engaged and try not to roll our eyes. This is not over, and it is more than simply a partisan story, although it is certainly a partisan story. Remember the incident in Benghazi did not happen in a vacuum. September was not long before November, and the presidential election.
Benghazi matters, first of all, because we were lied to. I do not mean to say that facts were confused in the fog of war, or that someone mistakenly got something wrong on some talking points. People lied on purpose. Instead of beating around the bush, let me make some claims and then back them up.
· What was Ambassador Stevens doing in Benghazi on September 11th, 2012? That is certainly a highly significant date, and one that would make anyone worry about security. The answer is he met that day with a Turkish diplomat. He was there to talk about sending arms from Libya through Turkey to Syria to support the rebels there. Who would have known that? Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama.
· Why was there not more security in Benghazi for the Ambassador? Because the mission to send arms from Libya through Turkey to the Syrian rebels was a secret, and they wanted a low-key, low profile mission.
· Was the attack on the consulate a result of a spontaneous demonstration caused by a video? No, there was no demonstration, it was not spontaneous, and it was not about a video.
· Why was help not sent to the people at the consulate once the attack began? They did not want to draw undo attention to the Benghazi attack because the mission was a SECRET.
· Isn’t it possible that the administration was confused and thought this was about the video and that there was a spontaneous demonstration that turned into a more violent attack? No, nobody thought that because there was real-time video of the event provided by a drone overhead. They not only saw what happened in real time but they could review the footage as needed.
· How do we know the attack was pre-planned? Because the Libyan President told us they had evident that the attack was pre-planned on the same talk shows where Susan Rice claimed it was spontaneous.
Let me say this again. The President and Secretary of State knew what Ambassador Stevens was doing there and they had real time footage of the events of that evening. Every time they claimed it was spontaneous and due to a video they were lying and they knew it. They were lying to get elected. That is why Benghazi still matters. They allowed 4 people to get killed and then lied about it for political reasons.
And now let’s review why I make these claims. First, listen to Diane Feinstein discuss the real time video and the ridiculousness of the assertion that this was a spontaneous demonstration.
Senator Feinstein is chairman of the Intelligence committee and a Liberal Democrat. The video is 14 minutes long but only the first six minutes deal with Benghazi. At the 3 minute mark she confirms that she saw the real time video, she confirms that they there was inadequate security, and she notes the political dimension of an impending election and a secretary of state that make seek to be president.
Fox News can certainly be considered biased but now that Senator Feinstein has confirmed the existence of a real time video here is a short clip where they discuss where the live feed would have gone.
Back to Senator Feinstein, discussing why they did not simply acknowledge it was a terrorist attack.
And now to refresh your memory, here is Ambassador Susan Rice directly contradicting the Libyan President and telling an untruth to Bob Scheiffer on Face The Nation
From The New York Times, Syrian rebels are getting weapons we sent to Libya.
Also from the New York Times, on CIA involvement in steering arms to Syrian rebels.
And this article from CNS news where a former commander of special intelligence forces discusses the secret mission to transfer Libyan arms to Syria through Turkey.
This next one is Hillary Clinton and the famous “what difference does it make”. Note one thing: she stresses the importance of justice and getting the people that did this.
And Barak Obama in front of the UN, talking about a video, and he didn’t mean the real time one.
And finally a synopsis from CBS news.
The administration knew what happened in Benghazi and they went out of their way to cover it up. Four people died. But there was an election coming and they could not tell the truth, they had to manufacture talking points. Some of us are outraged about this type of behavior. Fortunately there are those such as Chairman Issa who will not rest until they get to the bottom of this. Unfortunately most Americans are sighing and rolling their eyes. I understand.
The problem with allowing politicians to outlast our patience is that it encourages future cover-ups, and future secrets. I am not sure why they could not have been open about transferring arms to Syrian rebels in the first place. Or why they could not have simply admitted it was a terrorist attack, as Senator Feinstein suggested. Maybe they are better than I am at keeping track of their lies.
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