“What’s the Difference?”
The View from the Middle
Today, as congressional leaders were supposed to probe Hillary Clinton
in order to get to the bottom of what happened in Benghazi, I got an
affirmation of why the congressional approval rating continues to approach
single digits.
Anyone who watched this fiasco had to have their personal opinion of
congress plummet. As you might expect,
“The View From the Middle” was disappointed with both sides.
If nothing else, however, both sides were very predictable. The left was sickeningly sweet with glowing
tributes to Secretary Clinton and softball questions that she knocked out of
the park. It was interesting that
Hillary had a three ring binder (not full of women) but full of information
that she used to answer questions from both sides of the aisle. Forgive me for suggesting this, but I’m
guessing that while she was recovering from her fainting spells, she somehow
found time to have her staff research every angle of this issue and every
conceivable question. I will guess
further that she probably found the strength and time to rehearse.
On the other side, senators and representatives alike attacked and or monologued,
but left little or no time for Mrs. Clinton to answer even one question. Between the five-minute questioning format,
which clearly favored the Secretary, and the ineptitude of the right and the
deflection of the left, Hillary was the clear winner. Unfortunately, the real losers in this
debacle were the truth and the American people.
If there is any justice, however, the media will
pursue two very questionable answers given by Mrs. Clinton. First, in a heated exchange with Senator Ron
Johnson (R-WI) about the root cause of the attack, Hillary nearly shouted, “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?”
What difference does it make? Are you kidding me? It makes all the difference in the
world. In fact, THAT is exactly what
this entire hearing was about. It makes
a difference, because we as a country would respond very differently during and
after the event if this were a terrorist act.
More importantly, however, it is about honesty and trust. Can the American people trust our government
to tell us the truth, even when it is politically difficult, or will they
distort the truth and manipulate the public for their benefit? It makes a HUGE difference.
Finally, when asked why Susan Rice
did the Sunday talk shows just five days after the Benghazi attack, the
Secretary nonchalantly said, “Going on the Sunday shows is not my favorite
thing to do.” Really? You had five months to prepare for this
obvious question, and that’s the best you could come up with? America has been attacked at one of our
embassies and four Americans are dead, one a dear friend of yours, and you just
didn’t want to be bothered to do the right thing? Instead, you send someone who you later
confirm knows nothing about the event to take your place.
This seems to me to be the height
of callousness, deception or incompetence.
Take your pick; there is no good choice here.
This whole scenario reminds me of
the old saying, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave…” Personally, and I think most
Americans agree, I don’t blame Hillary or the President for the attack on
Benghazi. It is a dangerous world and
there people out there who hate us and who want to harm or even kill us. The government has done a remarkable job of
protecting us since 9/11/01.
But once anyone goes down a path
designed to manage and manipulate rather than inform and educate, they begin to
trip over their own words. In one sense
I have to agree with Hillary when she said, “what difference does it
make?” The origin of this event is far
less important than how it was portrayed by our leaders.
According to Pew Research, only
22% of Americans trust the federal government.
This is well below the average for this measure and battles for the
lowest rating in trust for the last half-century. Obviously, it takes more than words like
“transparency” and “unity” to build trust.
It takes honest and forthright actions.
Here’s some advice for all of our politicians in Washington. Bite the bullet! If you want the trust of “We the People”,
tell the truth! It is easier to
remember, and doesn’t require ridiculously contorted explanations for your
actions.
