Bob SparksLast week the U.S. House of Representatives voted to create a select committee to bore into just what happened in Benghazi, Libya before, during and after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2012. Despite previous hearings by other standing committees, the select committee, unfortunately, is necessary.
Congress has oversight over the agencies of the executive branch. The Department of State is the primary focus of the Benghazi probe, but we now know that actions within the White House brought new issues to the table. This includes instructions to then-United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice prior to her appearance on five Sunday talk shows a few days after the attacks.
“White House officials brought this House investigation on themselves. They could have avoided it by simply telling the truth. Unfortunately, that was too much to ask.”
The words of a wild-eyed Tea Party “radical?” No, these were written by liberal USA Today columnist Kirsten Powers on May 6.
“If Republicans succeed in turning the Benghazi ‘scandal’ from a nothingburger into a Double Big Mac, the Obama White House can blame its own secrecy and obsessive control over information.” This assessment comes from ultra-liberal Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank.
The Obama administration admits that Rice gave incorrect information on those talk shows. They fall back on the increasingly discredited position that the “intelligence community” gave them poor information.
This tragedy is worth pursuing because four Americans are dead. What is profoundly disturbing is the lack of desire by the Obama administration to get to the truth.
Can we all pause for this important reminder? Ambassador Chris Stevens was the personal representative of the President of the United States to Libya. The President appointed him to serve there.
Stevens and Sean Smith were murdered on embassy grounds, therefore on American soil. Ty Woods and Glen Doherty gave their lives defending other Americans. Why haven’t we moved heaven and earth to get to the bottom of it and bring the perpetrators to justice?
These hearings are important because we want to know why the State Department refused Stevens’ dire requests for more security in Benghazi.
Apologists can save the tired line that the Republican Congress cut funding. Even Charlene Lamb, the State Department official in charge of making security decisions, said that was not a factor.
We also want to know why no one – no one – was held accountable over decisions that may have led to the deaths of these four Americans. After expressing dismay and taking a leave, Lamb was given a promotion earlier this year.
When accountability is on the line, the one under scrutiny parrots the line that “we must make sure something like this never happens again.” Doling out promotions may not be the best way to convey that message.
Democrats accuse Republicans of focusing on Benghazi to damage Hillary Clinton’s chances for President in 2016. That can only happen if she did something illegal. No evidence has surfaced yet that she did.
But one thing is deeply troubling to some Americans. During the memorial service at Andrews Air Force Base on Sept. 14, 2012 for our murdered countrymen, she said this with their flag-draped caskets resting just a few feet away:
“We’ve seen rage and violence directed at American embassies over an awful Internet video that we had nothing to do with,” she said. She also read from a statement by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas; he described the attack as “an act of ugly terror.” She called it a “heavy assault.”
There is no way to sugar coat this. It is a disgrace. Giving Secretary Clinton every benefit of the doubt, we need to know who was involved in writing this false narrative to peddle the video nonsense in the honored presence of these slain Americans.
There is your “nothingburger,” Mr. Milbank.
Will the Democrats participate since they are not getting equal membership on the committee as demanded? Who cares? The work will go on with or without them.
If the minority is not pleased with 42 percent of the membership, they can commiserate with the 43 percent of Republicans who made up the Watergate select committee. This is a flaming red herring.
Powers likely has it right when she wrote the reason behind all the huffing and puffing is “they know this won’t end well.” On the other hand, if the committee fails to turn up anything new, calls to hold the Republicans accountable will come from far and wide.
It is certainly worth any political risk. The Stevens, Smith, Doherty and Woods families deserve the truth along with the rest of us.
Bob Sparks is a political and business consultant based in Tallahassee. Column courtesy of Context Florida.
