GOP ready to push Benghazi case into 2014, beyond

[DonViejo]

BY CHARLES BABINGTON

WASHINGTON (AP) — Steady drips of information about a horrific night in Libya are fueling Republican arguments and ads designed to fire up the conservative base and undercut the Democrats’ early favorite for president in 2016.

Strategists in both parties disagree on the issue’s power to influence elections next year and beyond. But after eight months of trying, Democrats are still struggling to move past the terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi last Sept. 11 that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Democrats insist that an independent inquiry, the dismissal of several State Department officials, and nine congressional hearings leave little new to say on the matter. But Friday turned up the sort of nuggets that feed conservative activists’ belief that a major scandal may be at hand.

Newly revealed communications show that senior State Department officials pressed for changes in the talking points that U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice used a few days after the Benghazi attacks. These senior officials expressed concerns that Congress might criticize the Obama administration for ignoring warnings of a growing threat in Libya.

The White House has contended it only made stylistic changes to the intelligence agency talking points, in which Rice suggested that spontaneous protests over an anti-Islamic video set off the deadly attack. The new details suggest a greater degree of political sensitivity and involvement by the White House and State Department.

full article
http://www.salon.com/2013/05/11/gop_ready_to_push_benghazi_case_into_2014_beyond/

[Proud Liberal Dem]

1. Hopefully people will be sick of this by the end of this year

This article all but says that Republicans are using what happened in Benghazi for political purposes in 2014 and, likely, in 2016. Oh and then, this gem: "At Wednesday’s hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., told relatives of the four Americans killed in Benghazi that her constituents “think about you all the time.”

Really?

[John2]

3. I do remember,

one of Chris Stevens relatives told Mitt Romney to stop using his death for political gains. It just shows you how phoney the rightwing Republicans are and how far they will go to gain power in this country. They don't care about anybody. They are all like Michelle Bachman that lady from Alaska. What is her name now, I done forgot her. She is becoming irrelevant to me every day.

[BlueDemKev]

19. "Lady from Alaska..."

I don't know who you're talking about. Couldn't be Sarah Palin, because she's NO lady.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

23. I do remember that now that you mention it

They started politicizing it for electoral gain immediately. The fact that they are no fundraising off this should be the clearest sign yet that this is about politics, not seeking the truth- but we all knew that anyway.

[zbdent]

2. Years ago, there was a Republican who changed her name to

"Monica Monica" to try to win office.

How much do you want to bet that there will be a Repug (bagger) changing his name to "Benjamin Gazzie" for a run for office?

[tarheelsunc]

4. People will only get tired of this if Democrats stand up and systematically refute this BS. eom

[DonViejo]

5. I think you're very correct, tarheel...

at this point, I'm beginning to lean in the direction that the President needs a "Benghazi" address to the nation. A well scripted address but, he may need to do it. At least, that's what I've been thinking about today. Fwiw.

[CBHagman]

7. The birth certificate release didn't shut up the birthers...

...and I suspect a formal address on Benghazi will be similarly received.

The people who want to make this an issue are interested in keeping it in the headlines and using it for negative campaigning, not for finding the truth, no matter how loudly they insist the contrary.

Part of their shtick involves calling into question the report given by the Benghazi accountability review board -- the same accountability review board whose vice chairman was the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen.

[url]http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/12/202282.htm[/url]

[quadrature]

20. suggestion: clean up the loose ends ...

Last edited Mon May 13, 2013, 05:15 AM - Edit history (1)

1) who gave the 'stand down' order to the
special forces team in Tripoli?

2) there are persistent rumors that Stevens was
involved in buying missiles from the militia,
with the intention to transfer the missiles to Syria
via Turkey(*). The cover story, that Stevens
was in Benghazi to open up an 'America Book Club',
is difficult to believe.
(*) If that story is made-up fiction, the author
deserves some sort of prize.

[Cha]

6. Yes, they're using the bullshit witchhunt to try and win elections

The real scandal is republicons refused to give more funds for Embassy security.

GOP Rep: I ‘Absolutely’ Voted To Cut Funding For Embassy Security

http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/10/10/985191/chaffetz-absolutely-funding-embassy-security/

Tweets on Benghazi..

LOLGOP @LOLGOP

REMINDER FOR THE GOP: The same people telling you Benghazi is a huge scandal told you Romney would definitely win.

Rafalca Romney @RafalcaRomney

The REAL #Benghazi scandal is that Republicans have wasted months and millions of dollars on a partisan witch hunt. pic.twitter.com/mG7qDPe9RB

The Hill @thehill

Rand Paul tells supporters in Iowa that Hillary Clinton does not deserve presidency due to Benghazi http://j.mp/10pn3kt by @peteschroeder

http://theobamadiary.com/2013/05/11/rise-and-shine-497/

There's that "3 other Americans" .. again. They are Sean Smith, Glen Doherty, and Tyrone Woods. RIP

And, what about this?..

Benghazi -- The Selective Memory of Republicans, and the Media

OK, this is what I want to know. Did everyone in the free world all of a sudden forget that it was not the Obama administration but the protestors on the ground in Libya who actually first stated that the reason they were protesting was because of the anti-Islam video, Innocence of Muslims?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dee-evans/benghazi-protests_b_2133162.html

thanks DV

[quadrature]

8. 2nd terms tend to be unpleasant.

it is just the way it is.

I hope President Obama is enjoying
the honeymoon period,
as it will end soon.

[Sunlei]

10. and why is that? care to add how there will be an 'end'?

[quadrature]

11. several reasons why 2nd terms are bad -->

political IOUs come due.

trusted aides leave, and are replaced
by less desirables

..................
how will it end?
the incumbent tries to run out the clock

[Sunlei]

12. not with President Obama, he's the best Pres. America has had in decades.

He is no slacker or quitter.

[BlueDemKev]

18. Because after a president is re-elected...

...it is known fact when he will leave office. As time goes by, politicians know that he won't be around much longer to "repay" a favor or fear too many of his "threats."

PRESIDENT: "If you vote for my plan, I'll do this for you."
CONGRESSMAN: "You're going to be gone in seventeen months. You won't have a chance to fulfill your promise to me."

[CBHagman]

13. There really wasn't much of a honeymoon period to speak of...

...though with Bill Clinton there was no real honeymoon at all.

By the summer of 2009, the media was giving star billing to the angry constituents at town hall meetings, and after that came the tea party. So the squeaky wheels have been dominating the press, at least, for years now.

That said, Obama won a second term, and it wasn't even a close race, regardless of the constant insistence from the media (excepting Nate Silver) that it was.

[quadrature]

15. annual budget cycles are things of the past.

nowadays, budgets , really spending authorization,
are for a week or month.

as such, the post-election honeymoon-period
is now a week or so

[Sunlei]

9. noticed the way republican scammers set up Susan Rice on sun am tv.

The old republican breibart scams. This ones a big failure too Rs.

[treestar]

14. They're already at a point of Benghazi fatigue

With all but the most rabid right wingers. I don't see how they can push this - they'd have to find something, and they clearly haven't.

[DonViejo]

17. They're not all that fatigued from the issue...

Republicans Fundraise Off Benghazi ‘Coverup’

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/republicans-fundraise-off-benghazi-coverup?ref=fpb

[NHDEMFORLIFE]

16. They are so pathetic it is laughable

Talk about a one-trick pony. This is all they know how to do. When the issues are all at odds with your positions, change the subject by beating scandals into the ground.
They impeached Bill Clinton and sent his approval ratings towards 60 percent by the end of his term!
Taking my liberal bias into account, I still feel very confident that if they try to ride this horse into the mid-terms, it is great news for us!

[Arkana]

21. Charles Babington is one of a handful of known GOP shills at the AP.

He and Ron Fournier and Liz Sidoti followed the McCain and Romney campaigns and they pretty much print anything anti-Obama as fact.

[JoePhilly]

22. The GOP has lots of free time given they don't do governing.

I mean, once an elected official is in office, they usually spending their time governing ... passing laws intended to improve life in America.

The GOP is against that entire idea.

Which means they have lots of time to investigate nonsense.

[Beacool]

24. Oh, gee..............

It'll be Benghazi 24/7 for the next 3 years.

[quadrature]

28. you forgot the IRS and AP scandals

24/365 for the next 3 years,

Benghazi, IRS and AP,

you won't be able to tell the
Special-Prosecutors and
the Unidicted-Co-conspirators
apart without a scorecard

[Beacool]

29. Of the three, the IRS scandal has more legs.

The IRS has some "esplainin" to do, as Ricky would say to Lucy. If the shoe was on the other foot and Left leaning groups were being audited under Bush, we would be screaming bloody murder. On the other hand, I don't see how this is Obama's fault unless he directed them to perform the audits and I'm sure that he didn't. He's not Nixon.

Benghazi has now become a scandal about talking points, big deal. The AP issue will also probably fade away.

[freedumb]

25. Benghazi will be a political buzzword as long as conservative republicans exist.

that's how these worthless ass motherfucking piece of shit cocksuckers operate. plain and simple.

Nixon had Watergate... but Jimmy Carter was Jimmy Carter, so everything is equal!

Reagan sells missiles to Iran, so he can fund the death squads in Nicaragua... but Clinton got a blowjob, so everything is equal!

W starts a fake war and kills thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people... but an ambassador died while a democrat was president, so everything is equal!

as long as conservative republicans exist, they will fuck up the world for everyone else; as a result, they will continue to manufacture democratic controversies to make it look like democrats are capable of the same exact things. tit for tat. childish bullshit. typical conservatism...

[VirginiaTarheel]

26. Please refrain from using homophobic terms

[freedumb]

27. not sure where i did but ok