Secretary of State
Hillary
Rodham Clinton is a national embarrassment. In congressional testimony this
week,
Mrs. Clinton — under oath — repeatedly deceived the public about her role in
the Benghazi
terrorist attacks. Although claiming “full responsibility” for the breakdown in
security, she in fact evaded culpability at every turn. She delivered a
performance worthy of an Oscar — at times choking back tears while at others
expressing righteous indignation. Her Hollywood leftist friends must be proud.
For months,
Mrs.
Clinton refused to face congressional scrutiny about the
Benghazi
atrocities, which resulted in the deaths of four Americans — including U.S.
Ambassador
J.
Christopher Stevens. She did have serious medical problems, yet it is
obvious what her plan has been all along: to help cover up a major scandal that
should have brought down the Obama administration.
Hence, she denied any role in formulating the administration’s early talking
points, whereby the attack was blamed on a supposedly spontaneous flash mob
sparked by an anti-Muslim U.S. video. The protest narrative was a fiction, the
concoction of President
Obama and his allies. The reason: to divert attention from
Mr. Obama’s seminal
campaign claim that he had smashed
al Qaeda. The
reality is that under his presidency, jihadist forces are on the rise across
North Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Rather than subduing radical
Islam, the
president’s policies have emboldened it.
The Libyan intervention was a geopolitical disaster. The eastern part of the
country has become an Islamic safe haven. Shariah law is being consolidated in
Libya.
Al Qaeda-linked
terrorists succeeded in raiding a massive stockpile of weapons, which may have
been the ones used against our officials in
Benghazi. Instead
of confronting this blowback, the administration decided to lie about what
really happened on Sept. 11, 2012.
Mrs.
Clinton was an integral part of the deception campaign.
When asked about the false talking points by
Sen. Ron Johnson,
Wisconsin Republican, she waxed indignant. “The fact is we had four dead
Americans,”
Mrs.
Clinton roared at
Mr. Johnson.
“Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night
who decided they’d go kill some Americans?” she said. “What difference at this
point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and prevent it
from ever happening again, senator.”
This is not only false, but sinister. Her goal is to whitewash the
administration’s systematic attempt to politicize the
Benghazi attacks
and manipulate the intelligence. Within hours of the assault, the evidence was
overwhelming that jihadists were behind it. The Libyan government, the CIA’s
station chief in that country, several U.S. intelligence agencies, an unmanned
drone above the compound, and
State
Department officials in Washington watching the events live from cameras at
the consulate — all reported that the attack was not the result of some
imaginary flash mob. This begs the question: Who in the administration
deliberately removed references to
al Qaeda and
terrorism from the talking points? We are still nowhere closer to finding out.
The truth is being swept under the rug.
Moreover, U.S. officials were begging for military assistance as the compound
was being overrun. U.S. gunships and a rescue team were only an hour away. Yet,
Mr. Obama and
Mrs.
Clinton refused to lift a finger to save them. Why did they not order a
military strike against the rampaging jihadists? Several of the victims could
still be alive today. Instead, they were betrayed by their own government.
Stevens
and the diplomatic staff at
Benghazi worked
under Mrs.
Clinton.
She was their boss. She did nothing to defend them.
For months,
Stevens
had sent cables and emails to senior members at the
State
Department begging for more security. The compound had been attacked several
times in the previous five months. The Red Cross and British diplomats had
pulled out from
Benghazi and armed Islamic terrorists were seen roaming the streets.
Stevens
and his staff feared for their lives. A major assault was not only predictable —
it was inevitable. Every request, however, for extra guards and heavier
firepower was denied.
Mrs.
Clinton brazenly told Congress that she never saw or received
Stevens‘
cables. I don’t believe her. It is almost impossible.
Mrs.
Clinton is known for being an intense micromanager, meddling in almost every
area — no matter how low-level — at Foggy Bottom. Congressional investigators
should subpoena her emails.
The Clintons are experts at the art of mendacity. Her husband, Bill, lied under
oath about Monica Lewinsky. During
Mr.
Clinton’s administration,
Mrs.
Clinton was intimately involved in numerous scandals — Filegate, Travelgate,
Mr.
Clinton’s alleged sexual assaults on Kathleen Willey, Juanita Broaddrick and
Paula Jones, and of course, Monicagate.
Mrs.
Clinton is no stranger to cover-ups. Much of her political life has been
spent playing to the cameras. She can now add to her credits Benghazigate — one
of the greatest debacles in American history.
Jeffrey T. Kuhner is a radio commentator in Boston.
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