There’s plenty of stories everywhere on the web about Clinton’s testimony today. Everyone has a take….She was “emotional” and “angry” and “direct” and “defensive” and “defiant”.
Did you watch it? What are your take aways? Did she flail, fail, or succeed in owning the room?
She owned the room. But that’s not enough for Obama’s little trotalongs. They’ve been posting nasty stuff all day about Republicans on the Senate Committee as if they had no right to ask her questions. Bots really are the the sorest winners ever.
I watched some of her comments and thought she spoke with authority and clarity, explaining, probably as much as she could without revealing classified information (which I do think there is a lot of and I don’t support showing our hand to any of the tinder-box jihadist types), what led up to the tragedy in Benghazi. She extolled the commitment of those working for the State Dept. and that they all know the extreme and sometimes volatile environments in which they will be posted.
The Republicans definitely have a right to ask whatever questions they deem necessary to satisfy their need to know, but it seemed like that Johnson, (AL), was not listening to her answers to his questions as he kept repeating the same question. I’m sure it seemed frustrating to her and that she had a right to react the way she did.
I remember Al Gore being asked in an interview during the 2000 Pres. election as to how much does the American public really know about what our government does, either because of the activity being clandestine or unpopular, and he answered about 10%. Granted we are now in a post 9/11 world, and I do realistically think that we cannot openly share intel with the global community—-too much is at stake and there are too many brainwashed potential jihadists waiting and planning to strike. Wish that was not a reality, and I’m not typically paranoid!!!
Johnson kept asking the same question because she never answers it. Nobody in the administration has answered it.
Personally, I couldn’t care less about the original talking points story, to me that seemed SOP and I came to expect it a long time ago. But if people want to know the truth behind how a false story was spread by the Obama administration after an attack on our people, that’s not unreasonable. Hillary did a good job of shutting down Johnson but that’s not the same as answering the question.
Zal,
Hillary repeatedly told them to RTFM (Read The Fucking Manual), BOTH the classified and unclassified materials as well as the report from the independent panel.
I am not a Bot by any stretch of the imagination, yet I simply cannot help myself in pointing out the foolishness and uselessness of the questions from that panel. They wanted a scandal and they want to get to Obama by any means necessary and their CDS would be just as delighted to get a two-fer. It was obvious to the most casual observer that they clearly had no interest in “getting the facts that the American people deserve.”
That Hillary didn’t fall for their shit is somehow a mark against her? When YOU know what’s in the classified docs, please enlighten the rest of us.
I know what Hillary told them. Are you suggesting you believe that the answer to why the WH talking points, and Susan Rice, tried to sell the YouTube video narrative can only be discovered in classified documents? I say that’s nonsense. And ultimately Hillary said, “what difference does it make?” Well actually the truth makes a difference, that’s the whole point of investigations and inquiries.
When it’s discovered a story put forth by the White House about a terrorist attack was not true, it’s reasonable to be persistent about finding out why.
Are you suggesting you believe that the answer to why the WH talking points, and Susan Rice, tried to sell the YouTube video narrative can only be discovered in classified documents?
No. Are you suggesting that it would not have happened if Susan Rice had different talking points?
And ultimately Hillary said, “what difference does it make?”
Not what she said.
Read the ARB:
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/202446.pdf
Why should I read that? Is the answer to the question in there? Why the big mystery, why not simply answer the question?
The Secretary of State should have answered the Senator’s question rather than throwing a hissy fit.
Look, I like seeing Hillary get angry at men. She does it well, and there’s plenty to be angry at Senators about. But that doesn’t mean high ranking members of the Administration aren’t responsible for answering direct questions from our Congress about what they did or said that subsequently turned out to be false.
In her response to Johnson, Clinton implies that we still can’t rule out that a spontaneous, youtube-inspired protest ‘sparked’ the Benghazi attack.
What a fucking liar!
Her question ‘what difference does it make?’ was unworthy of her. Benghazi was an arms depot, and Americans of all stripes are against arming terrorists..
What is it with Obama and gun running ?
I agree Conner/Sophie. It was really unworthy of her. I am very, very disappointed in her.
Agreed! I also was turned off by her dismissiveness toward the question about whether she saw the “cable” from Amb. Stevens asking for more security. Her answer was basically, “Hey, we get lots of cables. I can’t see ‘em all!”. Sickening.
Anyway, her “testimony” was just a dog and pony show and was delayed until it had no impact. The Benghazi incident has been successfully swept under the rug, and we’ll probably never get the full story about the gunrunning operation, etc.
Notch another victory for empire.
It was in the middle of a long paragraph, and the quote is ” what difference, at this point, does it make?”
If we are going to quote Hillary, we shouldn’t self edit.
Put me down in the “she owned the room” column.
Yes, Sweet Sue, that is what she said. However, the truth always makes a difference. Whether it’s at this point or that point. I’m tired of all administrations sweeping things under the rug while using taxpayer funds.
This attack cost four Americans their lives. All of us should want to know what happened. Not that we’ll ever get the answers, but we should all want them.
Being in the obama Administration means never having to say you’re sorry.
Pelosi just got punked by Clinton. Clinton is registered and owned, by Obama/Jarrett, owners of The National American Slave Owners Inc. She is the newly minted town whore. Because we all know Clinton owns nothing, except her treason. However on a larger stage, it is just a clear affirmation, to what Woody Allen said about politicians, they are one step above pedifiles, which of course, Woody would know about. Therefore, Clinton is only a tad better than Harry Reid. There u have the New Democratic Party! The exit question is, how long will they last and how bad is going to get?
Qu,
The only thing missing is the raw truth that the GOP is worse than the Dems right now. Bought off with the added benefit of being inept and 10 years behind the moment. Last week I thought Christie was the GOPs only hope…but the GOP will expunge him for the simple fact that he gets Dem votes and doesn’t think FEMA is secretly setting up prison camps. So Rubio is the hope of the GOP now. If he becomes too “moderate” – which he will – some faction in the GOP will bury him too.
I’d say the Dems will last a bit longer than the GOP at this point because the GOP simply cannot control it’s most obnoxious and toxic elements. Every time normal people get close to voting GOP some asshat says something horrifying about justifiable rape or gay people being subhuman. Until and unless those freaks are run off the cliff the GOP is doomed. The dems are doomed too it will just take longer.
Clinton divorced herself from domestic nonsense for the last 4 years. She’ll spend the next three divorcing herself from anything that goes wrong with Obi in term 2. And she’s clean for 2016. Who in the GOP will be able to upend her? Rubio…maybe Christie. But imagine the slaughter if Santorum or Paul get into the primaries? Retrograde freaks imploding the GOP again for 9 months while Clinton sails thru. The GOPs best hope is the insanity of Obamacare coming into effect…which clinton will run on fixing, not ending, and it will be a winner for her.
Why does the GOP keep pining for Reagan when they need to be pining for Ike? Seriously. Ike can save the gOP now…Reagan cannot.
pedifile – n. a device for shaping toenails
“Clinton divorced herself from domestic nonsense for the last 4 years. She’ll spend the next three divorcing herself from anything that goes wrong with Obi in term 2. And she’s clean for 2016. Who in the GOP will be able to upend her? Rubio…maybe Christie. But imagine the slaughter if Santorum or Paul get into the primaries? Retrograde freaks imploding the GOP again for 9 months while Clinton sails thru. The GOPs best hope is the insanity of Obamacare coming into effect…which clinton will run on fixing, not ending, and it will be a winner for her.”
Totally agree.
Ah… but the theater…the theater worked…I get why people are disappointed with her…BUT…I think the “what difference does it make?” answer was absolute nonsense BUT it worked. She won the moment and the debate. She protected her exit and set up her re-entrance in one morning. She claimed the obots (and the obot media) by pretending to give a shit about Powers…and recommitted her base AND rounded up many many many women who are determined a female wins in 2016 (something I support IF it is her). She spanked those dudes.
The fact is anyone in her chair today would have been full of shit (except maybe Abe Lincoln) she took the shit she had to spew and turned it into a campaign stop. I know it’s crass but I love watching the game being played well. I’m convinced more than ever that barring a health issue she is running in 2016.
The big loser today? Joe Biden. He simply cannot match the raw political skill of either Clinton. 2nd big loser: All the obots who are secretly winding up the Warren (neo-Dean) head fake. 3rd: Sorry Cuomo. Come back later.
You’re most likely right, but I am sick to death of getting nothing but theater from Washington. I don’t like it being performed by Hillary any more than I like it from Reid, Boehner, Obama, or whoever. Enough!
Too bad that Washington’s media arm is so good at expelling real people before they get too close to power. Mr. Smith would never make it to Washington these days. He’d be “exposed” as a pedophile and/or serial killer as soon as he started to get favorable attention from the electorate.
If Hillary is elected President, we’ll all be just as disappointed as Obama’s people are. The question is: Like the Obots, will we rationalize and explain away all her betrayals just because we’re fans?
I don’t know, John. I think we’re at a different point in time. You could be right, but, like Kim, I’m very sick of it all, and know many, many people who feel the same way.
I think the economy will continue to get worse and the crapcare bill is going to play havoc with lots of people’s income. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next few years. I doubt it will be anything good.
“The fact is anyone in her chair today would have been full of shit ”
Not if they weren’t part of a criminal cover-up and had nothing to hide.
” I am sick to death of getting nothing but theater from Washington. ”
It’s getting about time we burn the whole damned theatre down.
“The fact is anyone in her chair today would have been full of shit (except maybe Abe Lincoln) she took the shit she had to spew and turned it into a campaign stop. I know it’s crass but I love watching the game being played well. I’m convinced more than ever that barring a health issue she is running in 2016.”
~ Signed
Amen Kim, Americans vote on ‘feelings’ now, not principles..
John, good dissection of the Repubs, who Really need to morph into something else, preferably, something sane.
Kim, I think you’re spot-on.
There’s a sad twist to all this.
Some of us who were hot Hillary supporters will have, by 2016, cooled considerably about her. We already are – because in order to remain viably powerful she had to sell out. If she runs and wins in 2016 it’ll be obots, not us, who see it as their win. And they’ll be right.
Agree, Zal. I won’t vote for her again because she did sell out and I no longer trust her.
I’ve lost every last shred of respect I had for her.
By 2016, even the Obots may not be Obots any more. Those who are still around, will fade back into the woodwork, it was always about Race with them. The media may give her a well deserved mea culpa, but how credible will they be after for more years of Obot mania ?
They may or may not be recognizable in obot form but believe me they’ll be around and worse than ever. Obama was only a figurehead, a rallying cry; these people and their thought process are problems for America far beyond supporting Obama. And a lot of non Obama supporters turned out to have the same traits, witnessed in the last election.
I see it a bit different, and less operatic. I have always respected your insightful writing which generated a wide range of turbulence and has ignited a cross fire of ideas. However this is not about the GOP, they have been twisted into a side show, a political prop.
Democrats are a regime of hard liners.
The politics of America no longer exist as we know it. The belief or a dynamic of a “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” is only nostalgia, an old black and white film.
No one is, going to face this regime at High Noon. Gary Cooper is dead, and if he were alive he would have only a prop, as a six shooter, with no bullets!
It is vast and exclusive power grap. Fox, like Israel will be devolved into whatever small part of the gulag they are willing to accept, in the surrender process.
The cocoon has been formed. Simply put, we have entered the twilight zone.
Please example to me, one counter punch, which has fazed this regime, one possible instance of where this regime, could lose power, or be exposed? You can make a long laundry list of them, however they are just part of the tapersty, lessons learned, mistakes not to be made again, by the regime. Because the media press has made that quite clear, they were only missteps as part of the learning curve. The media press, is running openly bias interference for the regime. Just listen to them, Williams, Scheiffer, Moran, Sawyer, Kopple, Rather, Brokow, Cooper, Maddow, NYT, LAT, WaPo, Remnick, Lerher, which is a small list, of easlily replacable advocates for the regime, etc. Where is the outrage! Rush Limbaugh? And if he dies tomorrow?
Do the math, $16 T in debt, $114 T in long term obligated debt. We all have credit cards, we know how finance works. It is fairly clear how this ends up.
The media press has value, Disney, TimeWarner, GE, Viacom, Comcast, etc.
The internet biosphere is easily controlled, with no substancial benefactors to a secure it with a back stop, and can be easlily switched off, or regulated, not too hard to do.
I am sure some one in the regime can create or can come up with an mental internet equivalent of an Aurora, or New Town? And for the sake of the children, the regime will have to act accordingly.
hRc was supposably our last hope, over the evil empire, as it turns out she was a false flag. Jarrett eat her lunch. And now she is owned.
However, we will never know if she was, just not good enough? or strong enough or as it appears, Obama, was just a lot better? She can never come back, from the dark side, perhaps she never left?
What I see is certain people like jarrett and michelle who will block hillary. Even bronco will oppose her because as a narcissist who is overly concerned with his image and unprecendentedness, he wont want the Clintons to succeed where he failed so miserably in terms of the economy and jobs. Remember both Bill and Hill can speak succinctly and knowleagebly without a teleprompter.
We are devolving from decency to depravity at warp speed, when nothing really matters at this point, including four dead Americans.
While I appreciate John’s point about great political theater, what happens when someone we know and love get sacrificed for ‘the cause’ ? Who wants to buy a ticket for that ?
Everything’s just entertainment now. All day today (I’ve been sick in bed and spending way too much time watching this stuff) I’ve seen FB postings of Hillary’s performance before the Senate configured for entertainment. Gifs and mashups and whatever. It was the Secretary of State testifying before the Senate about four Americans being killed – and it’s just funzies to these people because that’s all anything is today in America. Until, as you said, it’s someone you love who’s been killed or damaged.
I appreciate John’s point about political theatre, but I’m not as amused by it as I used to be. I wouldn’t have been one of those enjoying the music of Nero fiddling.
For anyone who hasn’t yet, I heartily encourage you to read/view The Hunger Games, which depicts ritual murder as light entertainment designed to subdue the masses, in a dystopian nation named after “Bread and Circuses.”
http://www.anitafinlay.com/Blog/2013/01/24/hillary-clintons-benghazi-testimony-and-the-men-who-fear-her/
Sorry, about your illness zal. Here’s to a speedy recovery
Working my way through the transcript, and so far I’m disgusted by Secty Clinton’s testimony of lies.
First she says, “The world in many ways is even more dangerous because we lack a central command [in al-Qaeda] and have instead these nodes that are scattered throughout North Africa and other places.” — So we were safer with bin Laden still alive?
But then, “We’ve come a long way in the past four years, and we cannot afford to retreat now” — parroting the obamalonian call for Endless War against Eastasia/Eurasia.
Our Founding Fathers warned us about tyrants who’d enslave us with constant wars or threats of wars. Hillary Clinton is one of those tyrants they tried to warn us about.
“Nodes” = people we don’t like, that we bomb indiscriminately, that have stuff that we want, and that sometimes deign to try to strike back.
And how clever of Hillary to lay out the rationale for our ramped-up incursion into the African continent. We have troops in 30+ African countries now- all looking for nodes, doncha know.
Spot on!
I dont the comments about “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” It’s a movie, FCS. And, politics doesn’t breed or sustain Mr. Smiths.
Hillary Clinton was always a hawk on foreign policy. Remember, Obama ran to the left of her on that, and his primary victory was in large part because of his so-called “anti-Iraq and “I’ll-negotiate with our enemies” stances. I don’t say this as a way of criticizing her, but rather seeing her for what she is. If you didn’t see it, you weren’t paying attention. Hillary isn’t and never was a saint — and i, for one, am glad (she wouldn’t be a successful politician otherwise).
I’ll back her in ’16 — it’s high time for a woman president.
Hillary, first must be qualified to be president and should not be dismissed because she is a woman, not the other way around. Furthermore, it has nothing to do with running east or west of Obama? She failed at her job, and openly lied to the country.
Therefore her actions in Bendgazi, which cost the death of 4 Americans, including an US ambassador, were at best, totally incompetent, and at worst, treasonous.
Which makes her completely unqualified for the presidency.
In the same way your critical thinking was done on Mr Smith. One would have to think, it was a documentary, shot cinema verite, however u are rejecting it, out of hand, because it is a film.
That is as how far, u would have us believe, to freely accept and not criticize her actions on Benghazi. Ms. Clinton(Sec of State) ain’t no saint, and Mr. Smith(Jimmy Stewart) ain’t no angel!
Huh? English is your friend–learn it.
And get the facts: Hillary isn’t responsible for the Benghazi deaths. Newsflash! She wasn’t POTUS when they occurred.
Yet, she can lie about! Which I guess makes her qualified to be president! Is that ur point!
And she’s clean for 2016. Who in the GOP will be able to upend her?
The GOP is not Hillard’s problem, she would beat them easy, as she could have in 2008.
Any Hillary 2016 win would be stopped by her own party, the Dems ….just as her 2008 bid was.
Hillard’s??
oy,I need another cup of coffee
and I meant
“Any Hillary 2016 bid….”
Lord, my blogging skills have rusted ! lol
Basically the idea is the Dems would stop her exactly because she can beat
the GOP and actually run a government. We are now an imperial, criminal concern and the powers that be don’t want an actual government gumming up things
I don’t know if Hill wants to run…but she has to leave it out there as a question to remain viable in any public role she chooses …as soon as the powers that be feel that danger is over, her effectiveness will be diminished generally.