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Friday, January 25, 2013

Richard Cohen: Hillary Clinton and Benghazi


Benghazi was tragic but, in the "big scheme," trivial
On the other hand, Reagan's failure in the face of terrorism was colossal.

"Over the top criticism of Clinton.... When she got sick and slippedher critics accused her of malingering to avoid testifying before congress. This was a woman who would fly to the other end of the earth to shake hands with some potentate — who has maybe not taken sick a day in her life — and yet she was accused of faking an illness. Later, when it turned out she had sustained a blood clot, the rush to apologize … just didn’t materialize. Being unfair to Hillary Clinton is perfectly acceptable in some circles.
Now to this Benghazi matter. It is both serious and tragic — four Americans were killed, after all, one of them Ambassador Christopher Stevens — but the post in Benghazi is the consulate, not the embassy. The embassy is in Tripoli. And so when the request came to beef up security at Benghazi, does anyone really think the matter should have gone to the secretary of state and that she should have personally reviewed it? After all, what does she know about such matters? This is what the security professionals do. This is why you have subordinates. Paul must know that and so his suggestion that the president ought to have fired Clinton for the attack in Benghazi made no sense. At any rate, everyone is entitled to one mistake. Rand Paul just made his.
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Alan: 
Good politics is founded on "perspective and proportion." 
Contemporary American conservatives dedicate themselves to the destruction of same.


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