GOP successfully scream “Benghazi” until people pay attention to them

[DonViejo]

The conservative scandal-creation apparatus still has juice, but it's not as effective as it was against Clinton

BY ALEX PAREENE

Yesterday, Republicans finally got their #BENGHAZI hearing. After months of non-stop screaming, everyone finally paid attention to the conservative movement’s favorite scandal since Fast and Furious. Darrell Issa’s House Oversight Committee heard explosive testimony from three #BENGHAZI whistle-blowers, who blew the lid off the Obama administration’s conspiracy to win reelection by allowing Americans to die in a terrorist attack and then having an administration official most Americans had never heard of pointedly not blame al-Qaeda on Sunday news shows that only people in Washington care about.

Those are the accusations the #BENGHAZI coalition have been making since shortly after the attack: That the Obama administration intentionally allowed the attack on the U.S. consulate to happen, or did not do as much as it could have to stop the attack once it started, because they did not want to admit that they did not successfully destroy terrorism itself in their first term; and that after the attack, the administration intentionally and repeatedly lied about the attackers and their motivation (the “they didn’t say terrorism” argument), and then engaged in a Watergate-style cover-up of the fact that the attack had been terrorism.

Marc Ambinder explains some problems with those accusations, as coherent stories:

One of the reasons why Americans aren’t outraged about Benghazi is that the event is a series of tragedies in search of a unifying explanation, and one that “Obama is evil” doesn’t cover. Because really, to suggest that the Pentagon or the White House would deliberately — and yes, this is EXACTLY what Republicans are suggesting — prevent special operations forces from rescuing American diplomats BECAUSE they worried about the potential political blowback because they KNEW exactly who was behind it (al Qaeda) is —well, it is to suggest that Barack Obama is simply and utterly evil.

This is the “STAND DOWN” thing, by the way. The notion that the military could’ve saved the day, but the administration ordered them not to because… politics?

Full article
http://www.salon.com/2013/05/09/gop_successfully_scream_benghazi_until_people_pay_attention_to_them/

[tanyev]

1. A good Republican president would have used those deaths as justification to invade Iran.

Maybe that's why the Rethugs are so ticked off.

[JustAnotherGen]

2. +1

[monmouth3]

3. And then the people laugh at them...n/t

[annabanana]

4. stupid rabbits... Even for Clinton, impeached and all, his numbers went UP.

They never tire of showing their asses, do they?