The Real Scandal of Benghazi

The exhaustive investigations into each nook and cranny of the tragedy in Benghazi have to date done nothing more than prove that mistakes can have fatal consequences, the White House was trying to provide correct information whenever possible, and some from the Republican side of the room are willing to do whatever it takes to smear their enemies. ?The GOP has changed their conspiratorial tone regarding President Barack Obama’s role in the aftermath of the attack initially to the more subdued approach that Missouri Senator Roy Blunt voiced recently:

“?I think the real challenge here for Republicans, frankly, is to?be patient and methodical when you’re outraged. It’s hard to do when you’re outraged. But the right thing to do here is let the facts come out, don’t try to prejudge what they are.”

The Republican party jumped at the chance to portray the State Department in a negative light, spinning the attacks in Libya as quickly as possible to their benefit on the foundation of doctored emails. ?There were calls for impeachment. ?There were fundraisers and campaign ads, all based on what they claimed was a clear cover-up job by the incumbent president. In a blood thirsty letter from CEO Michael Needham of Heritage Action, a powerful conservative policy group, to House Speaker John Boehner, it is “imprudent to do anything that shifts the focus from the Obama administration. . .Rather than scheduling such legislation for consideration, we urge you to keep the attention focused squarely on the Obama administration.”

Weeks after the attack, capitalizing on tragedy.
Sadly, the GOP has a history of campaigning via tragedy, this from Bush’s campaign ad.

Needham’s letter speaks of the need to hide the?ideological?differences within the GOP, but it is becoming clear that there are bigger rifts than opposing policy in the party. ?Republican party aides are speaking up against the illogical whims of their conservative?representatives? even now, when big names such as Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are drawing down the “conspiracy cannons.” ?Said one aide:

“Some of the accusations, I mean you wouldn’t believe some of this stuff. It’s just ? I mean, you’ve got to be on Mars to come up with some of this stuff.”

In the beginning of the attack on the consulate, four security officers in the Libyan capital of Tripoli were ordered to stand-down and not allowed to assist in rescue/evacuation efforts. Some of the conservative head hunters demanded to know why, some of which even suggested that there was an armed Predator drone on stand-by at Ramstein Air Base, Germany that could have been utilized in American defense. ?A senior GOP aide clarified the misconceptions with Roll Call by stating that:

“. . .there is just some crazy stuff [being said]. The crazy stuff is, you know, the airman in Ramstein that knew that the Predator was armed. There are no armed Predators in the region there. The [status of forces agreement] does not allow us to fly them armed, and everybody knows it. . . ?When you step back and say how were the people killed at the annex, they were killed by an indirect fire mortar round.?Four more M-4s [rifles, referring to the stand-down order] inside the annex doesn’t change that outcome. In fact, they might have just created more casualties. We have got to get down to what really happened on the DoD side and for us the DoD side was not properly postured, why?”

While the overreaction of the GOP is routine, it is nevertheless disheartening to see elected, tax funded, politicians engage in such?vehement, yet pointless inquisitions. ?The tragedy is the use of four slain Americans in a “scandal” that conservative party members so desperately tried to cook up. ?It is only fitting that Republican conspiracy theorists are the ones now getting burned.

Edited and published by CB

I had a successful career actively working with at-risk youth, people struggling with poverty and unemployment, and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. In 2011, I made the decision to pursue my dreams and become a full-time writer. Connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.