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Hillary’s Testimony and a Face-off with Crazy

Posted: January 23, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Hillary Clinton, Live, Live Blog | Tags: |52 Comments

illary-clinton-benghaziThe Senate Foreign Relations Committee finally got its chance at Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  We didn’t learn much other than Rand Paul is more crazy than his father and probably has delusions of presidential runs and even the senate has its group of Tea Party nuts.

The WSJ has the Text of the Clinton’s Testimony. It was a filled with lessons learned and praise for our overseas diplomats.

As I have said many times since September 11, I take responsibility. Nobody is more committed to getting this right. I am determined to leave the State  Department and our country safer, stronger, and more secure.Taking responsibility meant moving quickly in those first uncertain hours and days  to respond to the immediate crisis and further protect our people and posts in highthreat areas across the region and the world. It meant launching an independent investigation to determine exactly what happened in Benghazi and to recommend steps for improvement. And it meant intensifying our efforts to combat terrorism and support emerging democracies in North Africa and beyond.

Let me share some of the lessons we have learned, the steps we have taken, and the  work we continue to do.

Clinton had several fierce exchanges with some of the committee’s more right wing members who seem to embrace conspiracy theory more than truth.  This exchange was captured by TPM.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday fired back at Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) over accusations that the Obama Administration misled the public by claiming the Benghazi attack was the result of a spontaneous protest. Johnson pressed Clinton on why the State Department didn’t talk to the U.S. diplomatic staff evacuated after the attack, to get clear information about what happened.

“Senator, when you’re in these positions, the last thing you want to do is interfere with any other process going on,” Clinton said, adding that the State Department was waiting for the FBI to finish conducting interviews.

“I realize that’s a good excuse,” Johnson responded.

“Well, no, it’s the fact,” Clinton said. “Even today, there are questions being raised. We have no doubt they were terrorists, they were militants, they attacked us, they killed our people. But what was going on, and why they were doing what they were doing, is still, is still unknown.”

Clinton forcefully insisted neither UN Ambassador Susan Rice nor the Obama Administration misled the public. “With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans,” she said. “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? What difference, at this point, does it make? It our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, senator. Now, honestly, I will do my best to answer your questions about this. The fact is that people were trying, in real time, to get to the best information.”

One of the more political and insane maneuvers came from Kentucky’s Aqua Buddha Senator, Rand–bring on the crazy–Paul.

RAND PAUL: One of the things that disappointed me most about the original 9/11 was no one was fired. We spent trillions of dollars, but there were a lot of human errors, these are judgment errors, and the people who make judgment errors need to be replaced/fired no longer in charge of making these judgment calls. So we have a review board. The review board finds 64 different things we can change, a lot of them are commonsense and should be done, but the question is it’s a failure of leadership that they were not done in advance and four lives were [lost] because of this. I’m glad that you’re accepting responsibility. I think that ultimately with your leaving you accept responsibility for the worst culpability for the worst tragedy since 9/11. And I really mean that. Had I been president at the time and I found that you did not read the cables from Benghazi, you did read the cables from Ambassador Stevens, I would have relieved you of your post. I think it’s inexcusable. The thing is that, we can understand that you’re not reading every cable. I can understand that maybe you’re not aware of the cable from the ambassador in Vienna that asked for $100,000 for an electrical charging station. I can understand that maybe you’re not aware that your department spent $100,000 on three comedians who went to India on a promotional tour called “Make Chi Not War,” but I think you might be able to understand and might be aware of the $80 million spent on a consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif that will never be built. I think it’s inexcusable that you did not know about this and did not read these cables.

Clinton tried to explain to the committee that their reckless budgets cuts undermine security in the region for our diplomats and facilities.

Citing a report by the department’s Accountability Review Board on the security failures that led to the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, during an attack last year, Clinton said the board is pushing for an increase in funding to facilities of more than $2 billion per year.

“Consistent shortfalls have required the department to prioritize available funding out of security accounts,” Clinton told the Senate this morning, while again taking responsibility for the Benghazi attack. “And I will be the first to say that the prioritization process was at times imperfect, but as the ARB said, the funds provided were inadequate. So we need to work together to overcome that.”

Clinton, showing little effect from her recent illnesses, choked up earlier in discussing the Benghazi attack.

“I stood next to President Obama as the Marines carried those flag-draped caskets off the plane at Andrews,” Clinton said this morning, her voice growing hoarse with emotion. “I put my arms around the mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters.”

John Kerry was not present at the hearing to avoid the perception of a conflict of interest.  The hearing was run by Bob Mendez instead.

Now, watch her face the really crazy in the house.

CAP Action: Congress ‏@CAPcongress

Sec’y Clinton is about to testify before HOUSE Foreign Affairs committee on C-SPAN3. http://cap.af/I6Pxwn  #benghazi

52 Comments on “Hillary’s Testimony and a Face-off with Crazy”

  1. ANonOMouse says:
    January 23, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    Well, the opening statement of the GOP chairman was exactly what we would expect, a finger point. Hillary will put them in their place in short order. I don’t know how she keeps her cool, I certainly wouldn’t be capable of doing so, I’d be saying “fuck you, you dumb clucker”, but I’m a heathen!!!!

  2. dakinikat says:
    January 23, 2013 at 1:52 pm

    RJ Eskow ‏@rjeskow

    New post: “David Brooks Is Shocked When Tribes Let Sick People Die. He Also Wants to Cut Medicare” http://bit.ly/Tn7iOm

    In his review of Jared Diamond’s new book, David Brooks is appropriately horrified by the stories of tribal women who were left to die rather than be cared for by their communities. He’s so horrified, in fact, that he seems to reject Diamond’s core thesis that these tribespeople have something to teach us about ourselves.

    “It’s hard to know,” Brooks concludes with a nearly audible sigh. “They seem so distant.”

    When he was done writing that review Brooks went back to one of his primary preoccupations, which is pushing for Medicare cuts.

    • NW Luna says:
      January 23, 2013 at 1:59 pm

      ….none so blind as those who will not see.

    • dakinikat says:
      January 23, 2013 at 5:09 pm

      oh, wow .. I can’t believe this … it must’ve polled badly for him … but thank the wisdom beings something prevailed!!!

      Amanda McElfresh ‏@TDAMcElfresh

      Wow. RT @StephenOrtego: Breaking news from Capitol steps: @BobbyJindal resends cuts to hospice Medicaid. #hospice #LApol

  3. dakinikat says:
    January 23, 2013 at 2:04 pm

    I hate it when these Congressmen spend their question time lecturing the person who knows what they’re doing in the catbird seat.

    • Fannie says:
      January 23, 2013 at 5:50 pm

      What gets under my skin, is when they all start out saying, we are glad you are taking responsibility………..and then they dig in. Have you noticed not any of the republicans have taken responsibility……….no they keep looking for another document that says “it’s not our fault”.

  4. dakinikat says:
    January 23, 2013 at 2:06 pm

    Wow, hard to believe Dana R is still there … He must be one of the few republicans left standing in California. And he’s still a pompous ass.

    • ANonOMouse says:
      January 23, 2013 at 2:12 pm

      Wow…..Now there was a guy I would have verbally leveled. I don’t even know how many “fuck you”s I would have shouted at him. What are arrogant pompous ass he was/is.

    • RalphB says:
      January 23, 2013 at 2:14 pm

      Will always be a pompous ass!

    • Beata says:
      January 23, 2013 at 2:20 pm

      Issa from CA is still standing, as well as Rohrabacker. What a disgusting pair they are.

      • Fannie says:
        January 23, 2013 at 5:58 pm

        Yeah, and that fuckin’ Joe Wilson, you know, the LIAR MAN, he wasn’t to impressive, since he said the embassy in Benghazie…………don’t they know that the classified information is in Tripoli……………then that idiot Jeff Duncan, it went right over his dickhead when she answered that she responded to the distinguished panel – meaning unlike this panel, which is not so distinguish.

  5. dakinikat says:
    January 23, 2013 at 2:12 pm

    Chris Stevens’ Family: Clinton Has Reached Out To Offer Sympathies

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/23/chris-stevens-family-clinton_n_2535894.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

  6. bostonboomer says:
    January 23, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    National Journal: Why Benghazi Hasn’t Brought Down Hillary Clinton–and Won’t

    http://nationaljournal.com/politics/why-benghazi-hasn-t-brought-down-hillary-clinton-and-won-t-20130122

  7. Beata says:
    January 23, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    I love the way the leaves on the curtain behind Rep. Joe Wilson’s head make it look like he has horns. Very appropriate.

  8. peggysue22 says:
    January 23, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    I’m home today so I’ve been watching the testimony off and on and caught the Johnson and Rand Paul sections. Hillary made short work of Johnson. She was far more restrained with Paul and he was far more aggressive and insulting. “If he were President . . . ” As if! I’ve had the feeling that a lot of these GOP members are burnishing their public records with future political ambitions in mind. Think the Republicans are terrified Hillary Clinton will run in 2016 and clean their clocks, again. They have no one, beyond Christie who could even come close to competing with her. And though I don’t share Christie’s political affiliation or policy positions, he would be the best bet in a national face-off. But it won’t happen because the screechy far right crazies find him too ‘liberal.’ He’d never survive a primary.

    So, this is a beat up Hillary day under the auspices of ‘finding the truth’ or making sure this doesn’t happen again. Who are they kidding???

    As for Hillary? She’s pretty bruise-resistent. Today she is strong and articulate, as always.

  9. bostonboomer says:
    January 23, 2013 at 3:51 pm

    Former foreign service officer calls C-Span: ‘Asses’ McCain and Paul belong on Ag Committee to ‘dish dirt’

    Following the Senate hearing, C-SPAN took a call from women named Sarah from Sterling, Virginia on the Democrats line.

    “As a former member of the foreign service, I thought that Sen. Rand Paul and Sen. John McCain made complete asses of themselves, if I can use that word,” Sarah volunteered. “They have no idea with regard to the status of forces agreement and to what the role of the U.S. Marine Corps is in embassies.”

    Sarah went on to explain that she had been stationed in a Middle East country where American staff had only been provided one security guard by the host country.

    “The State Department has no control over that unless there is a status of forces agreement that allows Marine security guards to step out of their comfort zone,” she continued.

    “And Rand Paul has no idea, has no clue of what happens at an American embassy. I suggest that he change committees and go over to the Agriculture Committee, that’s where you can dish dirt. And that’s exactly what he did. He was a disgrace and he should not be on that committee.”

    • RalphB says:
      January 23, 2013 at 4:00 pm

      Fuck yeah!!!!!

    • dakinikat says:
      January 23, 2013 at 4:16 pm

      wow …

    • RalphB says:
      January 23, 2013 at 4:19 pm

      Chris Mathews was hilarious in the opening segment of Hardball.

    • Beata says:
      January 23, 2013 at 4:41 pm

      Yeah, Republican asses mooned in Congress and disgraced themselves today. They are shameless and stupid. It was another banner day for the Grand Old Party.

      • ANonOMouse says:
        January 23, 2013 at 4:55 pm

        One of the GOP/TP’ers even went so far as to bring up the “fast and furious” bullshit. They are such a bunch of loser, cry-baby, whipped, limp-noodle old slugs and so intimidated by her superior intellect and knowledge and goddamit, she’s a WOMAN TOO, they just couldn’t control themselves.

  10. roofingbird says:
    January 23, 2013 at 4:22 pm

    I wonder what the historical level of DOS funding is in the budget. Surely it has been more that less than 1%.

  11. RalphB says:
    January 23, 2013 at 4:22 pm

    Hillary Clinton reaches new heights of political popularity

    Heh, heh, heh ,,,

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/01/23/record-high-for-hillary-clinton-as-she-faces-little-regarded-congress/

  12. Beata says:
    January 23, 2013 at 4:51 pm

    So, do we all agree that “ass” was the word du jour for the Repubs? Let’s have a show of hands.

  13. ANonOMouse says:
    January 23, 2013 at 5:01 pm

    John Boehner: “So we’re expecting over the next 22 months to be the focus of this Administration as they attempt to annihilate the Republican Party,” Boehner said at a private Ripon Society luncheon, a Republican think tank in Washington. His comments were released on Wendesday.”

    Really? It looks to me like the GOP/TP is annihilating itself. STFU Tan Man!!!!!

  14. dakinikat says:
    January 23, 2013 at 5:10 pm

    Pentagon to allow women in combat roles: http://nyti.ms/V7MsOp

  15. RalphB says:
    January 23, 2013 at 5:32 pm

    Charles Pierce on Benghazi in the Senate

    Benghazi Wednesday, Chapter One

    Barry’s comment is marvelous…

    FROM THE DESK… of the families of the 54 diplomats and service personnel who were killed at embassies from terrorist attacks when George W. Bush was president.
    TO: Senator Rand Paul.
    RE: Your statement about Benghazi being the worst tragedy since 9/11.

    Go fuck yourself.

    • Cthulhu says:
      January 24, 2013 at 9:00 am

      Yeah, for some reason, those events at Newtown and Aurora just fall by the wayside for Rethugs..

  16. RalphB says:
    January 23, 2013 at 7:09 pm

    Lanny Breuer is leaving the DOJ. Maybe they will replace him with someone who will prosecute a fucking bank! 🙂

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