What do the republicans hope to accomplish with Benghazi?

[cali]

I think that's pretty clear. They hope that it catches on with the American public and damages the current administration, but even more importantly they hope to cripple Hillary Clinton politically; making a presidential run not viable.

For a long time, repukes were more trusted by the American public on foreign policy. Then came bushco. They desperately want that back.

The more I read about Benghazi, the clearer it is that there's no there there, but republicans with their endless hearings by multiple committees hope that the issue is just too confusing form Americans and that they can distill it into Benghazi bad democrats bad their fault dead Americans.

So far, it's not working, but they are managing to keep it alive.

[hrmjustin]

1. They have no one that can defeat Hillary so they are going to try to tarnish her.

[cali]

3. It's beginning to look as if that is their chief objective

[jberryhill]

2. Far away places with strange sounding names....

Quemoy and Matsu!

Quemoy and Matsu!

[Archae]

7. Errr...what are those?

[jberryhill]

9. "Benghazi" in 1960

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsu_Islands

The phrase "Quemoy and Matsu" became part of U.S. political language in the 1960 U.S. presidential election. During the debates, both candidates, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, pledged to use U.S. forces if necessary to protect Taiwan from invasion by China, the mainland, which the U.S. did not at that time recognize as a legitimate government. But the two candidates had different opinions about whether to use U.S. forces to protect the ROC's forward positions, Quemoy and Matsu, as well.

-----

But, yes, a pivotal issue in 1960, now reduced to "what are those?"

[Archae]

16. No wonder I never heard of them.

I was less than a year old, and by the time I actually could know more about politics, Watergate hit.

[liberal N proud]

4. It is more about their hate for Hillary than Obama at this point

They want to smear Hillary with whatever they can pre 2016 so she will not be electable.

Wouldn't it be terrible to have that much collective hate for someone that you are willing to bring down a nation?

[Kber]

19. They would see this country burn

If they could rule over the ashes.

[bravenak]

5. They hope it will slow Hillary down.

They better shut up. She made them all look so very stupid last time they tried demanding answers.
I'm sure she will be in top form later if she runs.
They will look stupid again. And again. And again. Forever.

[HooptieWagon]

6. We all know there's nothing there.

The republicans know this. But they keep repeating "Bengazi, Bengazi" in the hopes their low information voters will assume there must be something there. Its swift-boating, part deaux.

[Populist_Prole]

8. Keep their mouth breather base riled up

It won't last, and so they'll have to come up with another cause du-jour every so often till the 2016 elections. Gotta keep drunken angry self righteous rubes angry and drunk, lest they lose fire in their belly and think things through rationally.

[Buzz Clik]

10. Bingo. Perfectly stated.

[MiniMe]

11. I'm surprised that nobody has brought up Whitewater

[Thinkingabout]

12. I am thinking they may have been able to pull conspiracy at the time of Hillary running for

President and gotten more mileage out of it but again the GOP could not see the forest for the trees. I doubt they are going to find out much more than they should have learned if they cared to attend the briefing but then they would have lost footage in trying to prove something which did not happen.

[LittleBlue]

13. Yep, that was my first thought

They want to embarrass Hillary. But not so much that she decides not to run, they want something that they can make an issue of in the campaign. And if she gets elected, something they can continue to use throughout her presidency just like the birther nonsense.

If we choose another candidate who can't plausibly be connected to Benghazi, they'll literally have nothing except a bunch of shit unpopular policies.

[PD Turk]

14. It is a tale

...it is a tale,told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
signifying nothing......

I'm predicting they will strut and fret for their hour upon the stage, and it's starting to look like their hour is almost up.

[Wounded Bear]

15. Good points, but it's doing double duty here....

It also takes attention away from the modest upticks in the economy lately that destroy their austerity agenda.

The usual kabuki theater of the absurd.

[cali]

18. and that's an excellent point

[Common Sense Party]

17. Yes, that's exactly what I think as well.

That's why someone leaked the rough drafts to ABC.

I still don't see how this damages her, but maybe some do:
http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/Benghazi%20Talking%20Points%20Timeline.pdf

[Ganja Ninja]

20. The usual, control the media by distraction.

Focus the public on a fake story so they control the subject of national discourse. Smear the Democrats by innuendo and gin up public anger with partisan hearings and fake displays of outrage and indignation. It's all designed to trigger a monkey see monkey do response in their less than intelligent followers. That way they won't have to face scrutiny of themselves and their piss poor job performance.