We’ve now had five weeks of cover stories, backpedalling on the cover stories, ridiculous excuses for the backpedalling on the cover stories, insultingly stupid lies about the ridiculous excuses for the backpedalling on the cover stories, and so on. And after all that, we finally have a definitive answer about the Benghazi debacle: It was Hillary’s fault, sort of.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used an off-camera interview in Peru to take rhetorical responsibility for the Benghazi disaster — and to provide some political cover for her boss.
“I take responsibility” for the security oversights that allowed the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. embassy in Libya, Clinton said.
But Clinton also used the CNN interview to push blame onto lower-ranking State Department officials who were implementing the administration’s policy of downgrading security in Libya.
“The president and the vice president wouldn’t be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals, [who are] the ones who weigh all of the threats and the risks and the needs and make a considered decision,” Clinton told CNN on Monday.
So Hillary fell on her sword, in the sense that she gave the sword a good hard look and then went to dinner.
You might be wondering the same thing David Burge is wondering. I know I am:
Does Hillary Clinton really take responsibility for Benghazi? Then she should trade places with the crappy video maker.
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) October 16, 2012
@hrclinton you stood next to Chris Stevens’ casket and blamed it on a YouTube video. Video maker is in jail. What shall we do with you now?
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) October 16, 2012
Remember when taking responsibility for something meant that, y’know, you took responsibility for it? Back in the old days, it wasn’t just a way to say, “Fine, I stink, get over it already.” But “responsibility” is only a word, and like every other word, it means whatever a liberal means at the moment the liberal is saying it.
Our Libyan ambassador was murdered by terrorists on the anniversary of 9/11. Our government lied about it for weeks. Now Hillary mumbles, “My bad, now move along.” While she’s 3,500 miles from Washington. The night before the presidential debate where her boss has to convince America he’s got any idea what he’s doing on foreign policy. Sorry, Hill, but that ain’t gonna cut it.
Now comes all the Kremlinology, trying to figure out why she’s really doing this: Brilliantly undercutting her hated rival in preparation for a 2016 run? Taking the heat off Obama in exchange for some sort of payoff? Clintonian triangulation? Is she just tired of her life? I don’t really care. I just want somebody to admit the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about what happened in Benghazi.
You may say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.
Update: Roger L. Simon: No, Hillary. Benghazi will not go away.
Update: In ’08, Hillary Clinton said, “The buck stops in the Oval Office.” Huh. How about that.
Update: As Ed Morrissey notes, just because Obama has botched Benghazi doesn’t mean he can’t take the bull by the horns on the real scandal:
Update: Never mind!