May 7, 2014

Hillary says there are "of course... a lot of reasons" why Benghazi, even at this point, still makes a difference to some people.

She was asked "Were you satisfied with the answers [on Benghazi] and are you content with what you know what happened?" She answers:
"Absolutely, I mean, of course there are a lot of reasons why, despite all of the hearings, all of the information that’s been provided, some choose not to be satisfied and choose to continue to move forward. That’s their choice and I do not believe there is any reason for it to continue in this way, but they get to call the shots in Congress.”
I've watched the video twice. The first time, I said, out loud, "Ugh. That tone. She's not likable enough." I was deliberately evoking Obama's old "You're likable enough" line and implying that she would have trouble once again if she runs for President again. Her flat, controlled/controlling attitude is going to put people off, I thought.

Then I watched it again and thought it was a successful expression of a steely, distanced attitude toward a congressional investigation that will take its course and that she has no choice but to allow take its course. There's a hint of dismissal, as if she intended us to think: Those politicos in Congress are keeping a pseudo-scandal alive for political reasons. But it's so subtly and coolly put that she really didn't say it at all, it seems. It seems as if we thought it ourselves.

Perhaps we are susceptible to Hillary's wiles... if we listen twice. But we don't listen twice. It's the first listen that matters, and there, it was offputting, phony, exasperating.

67 comments:

pm317 said...

She knows where Obama was that night. She won't get my vote until she shares that with me.

mccullough said...

The people who killed the four Americans have not be apprehended or killed. Not that Hillary would care about that.

Anonymous said...

There is a reason why she has gotten the nickname Shrillary.

If the Republicans are willing to play in the dirt, they will easily beat her in a Presidential election. I'd plaster the airwaves with her own words.

"What difference, at this point, does it make!"

Or

"I aint no ways tired."

Ugh.

Mark O said...

I am decidedly not "susceptible to Hillary's wiles" and the thought that she had "wiles" makes my skin crawl.

There are two parts to this. First, Hillary's incompetence. Not only was security weak, but I understand that there was an agreement with Libya that precluded the US from sending troops, or otherwise using force without the permission of the Libyan government. There was no need for a stand down order that night, it had already been negotiated. Please examine all the testimony in that light.

Second, in full analogy to Nixon, this cover up became election fraud. Were the facts to have come out, Obama's election would have been gravely in jeopardy--or at least that's what he and his people thought.

Hillary participated fully because to do otherwise would have ended her political career.

ddh said...

I suspect that whatever Hilary says is meant to protect her political viability, as her husband once said about his draft dodging.

Paul said...

Standing over a flag draped casket and telling the bereaved that she was gonna get the filmmaker responsible for their son's death should be in itself enough to banish her to the political and social wilderness for life.

In a sane society, that is.

Rusty said...

it makes a whole lot of difference to the families of at least 4 people.

SayAahh said...

Confirmation bias is fundamental in how we perceive the speaker's narrative.

Hillary's public career has created a substantial amount of
material for one to form a bias...subconscious or not.

Ergo, no need to watch the video twice.

Hagar said...

"Benghazi" is just a piece that came loose and might afford us an opening to begin finding out what was behind it.

Limited Blogger said...

Your spicing of her remarks is unduly charitable and deceptive. She did not say there are many reasons Benghazi makes a difference to people.

She said there are many reasons some people "choose" not to be satisfied.

So here are several fundamental questions a lot of us "choose" to ask and be answered:

http://youtu.be/A1jeJmeeMjs

rhhardin said...

Normally you throw them out at the first lie.

MD Greene said...

From the time in Arkansas when she teamed up with a sleazy trader, Hillary has shown herself to be flexible when it comes to personal scruples. As has her husband.

But. Bill is without question the ablest politician of his generation. Neither of them is stupid. Personal integrity is not counted in the larger scheme of events. Even in the context of the State Department, even when the issue is the chief executive willfully committing perjury.

Between them, they have raised enough money to scare off any Democratic opposition while the Republicans are still battling (Tea Party/libertarian/traditionalists) among themselves. HIllary can glide to the general with hundreds of millions of dollars in reserve, undamaged by primary battles.

Like it or not, these are the facts.

FWBuff said...

I'm with you, Althouse. Regardless of Hillary Clinton's politics (which I don't like), her "official" voice and delivery style are incredibly off-putting. Her fake laugh is even worse.

lb said...

per jane...true...don't like...at all.

SomeoneHasToSayIt said...


Well, I took a second look, and I'm sold. What a woman.

She may not yet be the top female politician of the last 50 years, but she's getting close.

That's why she needs to run. To cement that place in the History books. And, for America, of course.

lb said...

per jane...true...don't like...at all.

lb said...

wischappy

Guildofcannonballs said...

Fuck Hilary.

I was denied Steel Panther.

Just now, in Denver, I was denied my rights.

Again.

You people think it's funny I am denied my rights, until your ass tinted red screams NO!

i WAS JUST DENIED AT sTEEL pANTHER.

dENVER

5/7/2014.

You who deny, me, to fucking Steel fucking Panther, ought to know.

And they do.

Guildofcannonballs said...

I just got a great, great guitar player to ride me to Steel Panther, and the *&*&^^ literally denied me saying I was too drunk.

Literally this just happened.

I am somewhat stunned.

16 year olds, according to the website, get in.

Not me.

Again, I was denied entry to the fucking Steel Panther.

I got me cabs and whatnot so I ain't be dying alone, but holy fuck.

WHO denied me PANTHER ! ! !


gIVE ME A NAME.

i WILL BE DENIED PANTHER WITHOUT SCREAMSHIONS RARELY.

Guildofcannonballs said...

The lack of your understanding is all I didn't want.

SteveR said...

She's always been "offputting, phony, exasperating". Her speeches are terrible, her campaign mode is Howard Deanesque only more screechlike.

People who love her don't care what she says and how she delivers it. For me I won't pay any attention to President Hillary. There won't be anything left to turn back when she's done.

readering said...

I'm immune to her charms, but I was immune to Bill's as well. But she has legions of fans, so I guess we're going to see her run. And when she does, Benghazi will have nothing to do with her fortunes. If the blue dress could not prevent Bill from leaving office with the highest ratings in polling history, most folk will not let conservative derangement over Benghazi affect their vote.

Michael K said...

"Standing over a flag draped casket and telling the bereaved that she was gonna get the filmmaker responsible for their son's death should be in itself enough to banish her to the political and social wilderness for life."

That is her most serious offense. If she even had kept her mouth shut it would be understandable. That act makes her a psychopath in my estimation. Goebbels would understand her.

traditionalguy said...

Vince Foster remained unavailable for comment.

Fen said...

The wife of an impeached president is running for president. And there are enough idiots out there to make it happen. Wow.

cubanbob said...

"Absolutely, I mean, of course there are a lot of reasons why, despite all of the hearings, all of the information that’s been provided, some choose not to be satisfied and choose to continue to move forward. That’s their choice and I do not believe there is any reason for it to continue in this way, but they get to call the shots in Congress.”

Just for that she should be horsewhipped. Nothing has really been provided. Its one lie after another. I suspect the Benghazi affair was a gun running operation from Libya to the Syrian rebels. Libya isn't Belgium and Benghazi isn't Brussels so the lack of security and the fact there was a CIA annex is telling-they didn't want to draw attention to a clandestine operation. Now I don't have a problem arming those who are on our side like the Contra's in the 80's but here it looks like we were arming the bad guys against another bad guy for no worthwhile reason. This kind of thing isn't done by low level types and the ambassador being there is proof of that. It goes to the top-all the way to Hillary and above.

Archilochus said...

Did someone press a reset button?

Heyooyeh said...

That you would hate her response was a forgone conclusion. So predictable. So not cruelly neutral. Yawn.

kimsch said...

But when that 3 o'clock phone call really came in, both she and Obama were asleep.

Carl Pham said...

The part I don't get is where Hillary Clinton appeals to women as a woman. I mean, there will be a first woman President of the United States, sometime, probably not very long. You seriously want Hillary Clinton to occupate that spot in the history books forever? You can't think of anyone better? Not even after seeing the First Black President slot occupied forever by an obvious affirmative action hire, a thin-skinned bullshit artist with the (low) leadership competence you'd expect from a college lecturer and community activist?

I'm willing to wait four generations for the first President of Pham national origins, because I want him (or her) to be superhumanly awesome, a combination of Washington and Lincoln, who'll excite admiration for centuries, and make people think Good God, why did we wait so long? Let us elect four or five more like that...

David said...

This post needs an "overthinking" tag.

Original Mike said...

""Were you satisfied with the answers [on Benghazi] and are you content with what you know what happened?""

Well, yeah. she knows what happened.

Bob Boyd said...

"there are a lot of reasons..."

Oh my goodness gracious, here's another one:

http://www.examiner.com/article/sen-schumer-emerges-as-surprise-key-player-benghazi-scandal

David said...

Crazy Jane said...
Bill is without question the ablest politician of his generation.


Bill is an able self promoter, vote getter, money grabber and responsibility evader. He has some charm and a gift for expression. He got himself elected President twice with a thin resume to start with (and with crucial help from his wife.)

But able politicians have significant long term accomplishments, which are born of a combination of power, principal and goals. Clinton was fortunate to be President at a time of an economic boom which he did little to create, and he failed to use those good times to long term national advantage. No significant tax or (with one exception) entitlement reform. A complete missed opportunity for nuclear disarmament. No curb on the bureaucracy. No major innovation and certainly no moral or ethical leadership.

Clinton was a low impact President in a time of great potential. That is better than being a severely negative president. He was that only in his role in the decline of public ethics. But he was nothing special as a political leader.

Æthelflæd said...

The whole Benghazi/Hillary! thing depresses me. The level of cynicism required to ask "What difference does it make now?" is hard for me to fathom.

Bob Ellison said...

Why is this person fit to be the President of the United States of America?

Rusty said...

Æthelflæd said...
"The whole Benghazi/Hillary! thing depresses me. The level of cynicism required to ask "What difference does it make now?" is hard for me to fathom."

That and the whole made up"demonstration" story and then framing a fall guy and sending him to prison.
In a country with some sort of rule of law those responsible would themselves be in prison. but chicago politics is runing the country so it's all;"we don't know nobody what nobody has sent"

Blackbeard said...

People remember Bill and in comparison to Obama he was a great president. The assumption, not necessarily valid, is that she would be like Bill. And people feel it's time for a woman president. And, really, who do the Republicans have?

If she runs she wins and I say that as a conservative who wishes the Republicans had somebody better to offer.

campy said...

"If the Republicans are willing to play in the dirt, they will easily beat her in a Presidential election."

You're delusional. There is no republican who would have a chance against Team Hillary.

Brando said...

The likeability issue was also what doomed Gore (and to an extent, Kerry). If I (instead of her overpaid minions) were advising her, I'd concentrate on that immediately, work on her tone, choice of words, and small scale interactions before she hits the campaign trail. Much as I think she'd be a disaster as president, she has a number of advantages going into this race--mainly, a Democratic party that is ready to clear the boards for her, and a GOP that seems determined to top out at 45% of the vote and has a weak field on top of that (though GOP's branding problem may be the reason they seem especially weak).

What could undermine her stroll to the White House is if once the campaign starts, she grates on voters and makes major errors the way she did in 2008. Remember, Obama only just barely beat her in the primaries--had she been better on the stump and in public appearances he likely would not have come close.

Bob R said...

1. Why was no military rescue team dispatched to the area? Who in the military command knew about the attack?

2. Where was President Obama? Did he know about the attack?

3. What orders did SoS Clinton give? What did she know and when did she know it?

"Despite all of the hearings, all of the information that's been provided" no one has really answered these questions. Hillary is a fundamentally dishonest person in a fundamentally dishonest administration. Nixon revisited.

Brando said...

"Why is this person fit to be the President of the United States of America?"

She's obviously not fit, but unfortunately that hasn't been a disqualification lately. The idea of this criminal gang getting back in there makes my skin crawl. Who knows what scandals they'll run up this time.

I think she can be stopped, but it would take a number of factors to come together (the public's fatigue with the Democrats, a sluggish economy, a GOP candidate who can expand his appeal beyond their typical cieling). I don't see Benghazi being the candidacy-killer that the GOP seems to think it is, and if they're counting on that then we're all likely to be disappointed come November 2016.

Larry J said...

Paul said...
Standing over a flag draped casket and telling the bereaved that she was gonna get the filmmaker responsible for their son's death should be in itself enough to banish her to the political and social wilderness for life.


Yes. Add to that the stupid "Reset" with Russia. How is that working out, anyone?

There's also this from the Daily Beast:

Hillary's State Department Refused to Brand Boko Haram as Terrorists

Under Hillary Clinton, the State Department repeatedly declined to fully go after the terror group responsible for kidnapping hundreds of girls.

The State Department under Hillary Clinton fought hard against placing the al Qaeda-linked militant group Boko Haram on its official list of foreign terrorist organizations for two years. And now, lawmakers and former U.S. officials are saying that the decision may have hampered the American government’s ability to confront the Nigerian group that shocked the world by abducting hundreds of innocent girls.


What, exactly, are her accomplishments?

Illuninati said...

Since lefties love big government one would think they would be even more concerned than conservatives that government was effective. That is if the purpose of leftie big government really were about taking care of common people like the lefties claim. On the other hand, if the purpose of big government is to increase the power of the leftie elite, the actual efficiency in providing the end service to the common people is irrelevant since a corrupt leftie government is just as effective or more effective in its true purpose which is to enrich and empower the leftie elite.

Hilary is a leftie elite whose primary interest is the wealth and power of Hilary. In that context her claim that it is illegitimate to investigate Benghazi is absolutely true. If the needs of the leftie elite take precedence over everything else, including the needs of the little people, she is absolutely correct.

Unknown said...

I have been right about every election since 88. hillary is our next president.

Wince said...

I'm surprised noted sartorialist Althouse hasn't noticed that Hillary Clinton has started to dress and act like Dr. Evil.

Tank said...

kimsch said...

But when that 3 o'clock phone call really came in, both she and Obama were asleep.


Actually, it was not 3 AM here, and she and Zero aggressively worked on a political response and executed it in a timely manner.

Bob Ellison said...

She is not likeable. This is her doom. Gollum would get more votes. Sorry, Hillary.

Bob Ellison said...

You can't blame Hillary for Boko Haram. But you can ask whether Hillary is competent, especially given Boko Haram, Benghazi, the "reset" debacle, the "vast right-wing conspiracy" idiocy, and, well, pretty much everything else she has done since she was what, 25?

She is a power-hungry jerk. She's pretty good at politics, but not first-hand: she lost to some bozo from her own state who had no record at all. She's better at managing campaigns. Maybe a Dick Morris type.

She's a jerk. Let's move on.

Bob Ellison said...

BTW, RE: the video story--

THIS WAS FICTION, AND THEY KNEW IT.

When I first heard the story, on about 9/13/12, I looked up the video, the "this started it all" video, "Innocence of Muslims". It's not on YouTube anymore, apparently. I guess the Googlemeisters are scared.

Well, anyway, when I looked it up, after Hillary and Barry and Susan were all talking about it as this horrible thing that the USA government had nothing to do with, it had:

about twelve thousand views on YouTube

It's difficult to re-construct how stupid this whole thing was, but really, this was a joke from the get-go. Nobody who knew what was going on believed it.

And then Susan Rice went on a whirlwind Sunday morning political show tour to say it was all about a YouTube Video.

And Hillary said likewise.

And Barry went to the UN and said likewise.

These are impeachable offenses. They lied. People died.

LilyBart said...

.....some choose not to be satisfied and choose to continue to move forward.

Oh, I see, we *choose* not to be satisfied by her phony narrative about the video.

And we *chose* not to be satisfied that they've never answered why they didn't provide the add'l security requested by the Embassy, or why they didn't take any action whatsoever to assist our people under fire.

But, ok, its was my *choice* not to be satisfied.

LilyBart said...


Perhaps we are susceptible to Hillary's wiles...

Perhaps *you're* susceptible.

You should trust your first instinct here.

glenn said...

"offputting, phony, exasperating".

Sounds like a typical lefty to me.

glenn said...

What Paul said at 7:54

mtrobertsattorney said...

The women who are the most rabid about Hillary seem to have these things in common:
a) they are from her generation;

b) they share many of the her off-putting personal characteristics;

c)they have been left of center feminists since their early twenties; and

d)they share her same horrendous sense of style.

Hagar said...

Cubanbob,
Running guns into Syria is one thing, and forgiveable; running them into Egypt or Qatar would be quite something else.

tim in vermont said...

"Where was President Obama? Did he know about the attack?"

We know where he was now, he was in "debate prep" and not to be disturbed. This just came out last week.

Larry J said...

Bob Ellison said...

You can't blame Hillary for Boko Haram. But you can ask whether Hillary is competent, especially given Boko Haram, Benghazi, the "reset" debacle, the "vast right-wing conspiracy" idiocy, and, well, pretty much everything else she has done since she was what, 25?


I don't blame her for the existance of Boko Haram. I blame her for refusing to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist organization when the FBI, CIA and others requested it two years ago. Her failure weakened intelligence and law enforcement actions against Boko Haram.

As a side note, it's good that the kidnapping of hundreds of girls is finally bringing media attention to Boko Haram. I just wonder why it took them so long to start paying attention. It isn't as if this is the first terrible thing they've done. For example, :

On February 25
, between 40 and 59 children were killed by the fundamentalist militant group. Early that morning, Boko Haram terrorists attacked a boarding school and shot many of children, aged 11 to 18, while they slept. Some of the students were gunned down as they attempted to flee. Others had their throats slit. In some buildings, Boko Haram militants locked the doors and set the building alight. The occupants were burned alive.

All of the victims were boys. Reports indicated that the young girls the militants encountered were spared. According to the BBC, the militants told the girls to flee, get married, and shun the western education to which they were privy.

Beyond wire reports and a handful of segments on globally-focused outlets like NPR, this atrocity went unremarked upon in the popular news media.

Kidnapping girls and selling them into slavery is indeed terrible. Murdering boys is apparently no big deal.

Big Mike said...

And then there's this:

The State Department under Hillary Clinton fought hard against placing the al Qaeda-linked militant group Boko Haram on its official list of foreign terrorist organizations for two years. And now, lawmakers and former U.S. officials are saying that the decision may have hampered the American government’s ability to confront the Nigerian group that shocked the world by abducting hundreds of innocent girls.

In the past week, Clinton, who made protecting women and girls a key pillar of her tenure at the State Department, has been a vocal advocate for the 200 Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, the loosely organized group of militants terrorizing northern Nigeria. Her May 4 tweet about the girls, using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, was cited across the media and widely credited for raising awareness of their plight….

What Clinton didn’t mention was that her own State Department refused to place Boko Haram on the list of foreign terrorist organizations in 2011, after the group bombed the U.N. headquarters in Abuja. The refusal came despite the urging of the Justice Department, the FBI, the CIA, and over a dozen senators and congressmen
.

grackle said...

But he[Bill Clinton] was nothing special as a political leader.

I think here the comment confuses "political" with "governance." As a political mind Slick Willy has proven he can run circles around most politicians.

As for his competence as a small "g" governor during his two terms as President – well, that depends on the viewpoint of the commentor, doesn't it?

Skeptical Voter said...

Hillary's recent appearance in a grey Mao jacket was "interesting". The choice of clothing said a lot about the mind within the grey jacket.

Doug said...

President Trey Gowdy.

mikee said...

How many years did it take Althouse to realize what a rube she was for voting for Obama?

How many years will it take her to realize what a rube she will be for voting for Hillary?

Fool me once, shame on you.

Fool me twice, shame on me.

C'mon, Althouse, if you can't by now see the lying, power-mad self-righteous angry woman that is Hillary!, is there any hope for the Republic?

Paul said...

"Well hey dude, What difference, at this point, does it make?? is Hillary's thought process.

Dead is dead to her and bygones!

I suspect Hillary is a disciple of FISHISM (for any of you who do not remember 'Ally McBeale' and her boss, Fish.)

See, bygones!

machine said...

Hey, don't forget to fund raise off BENGHAZI!!!!!!

Brando said...

Unknown, you wrote:

"I have been right about every election since 88. hillary is our next president."

Just out of curiosity, how far in advance of those elections did you make those predictions? Because your Hillary prediction is now about 30 months in advance of the 2016 election. I don't think I could have predicted Obama getting elected in May of 2006, or Clinton in May of 1990.

I hope you're wrong in any event!

Brando said...

Something tells me after 4 or 8 years of Hillary as president, most Republicans will look fondly at Obama's presidency.