Barbara Walters got it right. Hillary Clinton is the most fascinating person of 2013. Why? She has been able to successfully overcome any attempt to be held accountable for what happened in Benghazi.
If Republicans don’t get serious about telling the true story of Benghazi, 2013 may be marked as the year Hillary Clinton effectively squashed one of the only issues that could prevent her from winning the White House.
2013 began with Secretary Clinton crushing Republican attempts to question her on Capitol Hill and ended with Barbara Walters’ proclamation of her greatness without even uttering the words “what difference does it make.” In between, her allies in the mainstream media and at the White House have given her the top cover she’s needed to make Benghazi seem like a non-issue moving forward.
It’s up to conservatives to push back, because some Republicans don’t seem willing to take up the cause. Despite 179 co-sponsors for a proposal to form a select committee to investigate Benghazi, House leadership refuses to bring the bill up for a vote. This lack of action, in part, has given President Obama and Mrs. Clinton the ability to dismiss Benghazi as a “phony scandal.”
We must ensure every American knows the true story of Benghazi. That’s why my business partner and I launched “Benghazi 9.11,” a movie that will tell story of the events before, during, and after the Benghazi attack. Our goal is to produce a feature film documentary in the mold of “2016 Obama’s America“ and expose the cover-up surrounding Benghazi. We’re closer than ever to achieving our objective.
So, what is the story of Benghazi?
The story of Benghazi is a failure of leadership. When Hillary Clinton found out the president was in bed, she should have driven her black armored SUV to the White House and woken him up. I know first hand from my time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it makes a big difference when the President is personally engaged in crisis response.
The story of Benghazi is a management failure. Clinton’s job as Secretary of State was straightforward: Ensure her staff left no stone unturned. Review all the intelligence. Assess all security measures. Prepare contingency plans. Protect her personnel. Clinton failed to do her job.
The story of Benghazi is an intelligence failure. Obama, Clinton, and their entire national security team failed to pay attention to the warnings, including pleas for more resources from the Ambassador and his team. There were reportedly 50 security incidents in Benghazi the year before the attack.
The story of Benghazi is a failure to respond. The military has thousands of contingency plans. Either there was a stand-down order given or there was no actionable response plan in place. That’s outrageous, especially when one considers that there was a State Department and CIA facility in a highly dangerous area where so many security incidents occured.
The story of Benghazi is a mainstream media in the tank for Obama and Clinton. Until after the election, 60 Minutes withheld video of the president saying it was not a terrorist attack. CNN’s Candy Crowley defended Obama at the debate. From September 11th until Election Day 2012, not one mainstream reporter in the White House press corps put any significant pressure on Obama for answers. Over a year later, the mainstream press continues ignore the cover-up. Now that Lara Logan’s 60 Minutes story has been challenged, they totally disregard Benghazi (the latest example being Barbara Walters).
As of today, the story of Benghazi can be summed up like this. No one has been arrested. Not one person has been fired. The president, Hillary Clinton, and the mainstream media have moved on. The public has not heard from the survivors. Congress continues to be stonewalled. Many questions remain unanswered.
When the final chapter in the Benghazi story is written, let’s hope it doesn’t list 2013 as being the year Hillary Clinton eliminated her biggest obstacle to becoming President of the United States.
Buzz Jacobs served as the Director of Immigration Security Policy on the White House staff under President George W. Bush and as an FBI analyst. He currently co-owns SSC, a national media production and communications firm. Learn more at www.SSCads.com, www.Benghazi9-11.com, and www.BuzzJacobs.com.