Tag Archives: Benghazi

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Republicans Responsible For Cuts To Embassy Security

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This cries out for attention.   Following Republican attempts to demonize Hillary Clinton for the attack in Benghazi, it turns out it is the Republicans themselves who have been cutting funding for security at embassies and consulates.

According to a piece in “The Hill,” dated September 18, 2012,  “Republicans have sought to cut hundreds of millions of dollars slated for security at U.S. embassies and consulates since gaining control of the House in 2011.”  The story by Alexander Bolton, goes on to highlight specific cuts, saying,  “The administration requested $1.801 billion for security, construction and maintenance for fiscal 2012; House Republicans countered with a proposal to cut spending to $1.425 billion. The House agreed to increase it to $1.537 billion after negotiations with the Senate. “

A piece in the Huff Post, written by Sarah Bufkin in October of 2012 points out that, “Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) acknowledged on Wednesday that House Republicans had consciously voted to reduce the funds allocated to the State Department for embassy security since winning the majority in 2010.”    Chaffetz, is further quoted as saying, “look we have to make priorities.” 

Dana Milbank, is quoted in a piece from MSNBC, saying –

“For fiscal 2013, the GOP-controlled House proposed spending $1.934 billion for the State Department’s Worldwide Security Protection program – well below the $2.15?billion requested by the Obama administration. House Republicans cut the administration’s request for embassy security funding by $128 million in fiscal 2011 and $331 million in fiscal 2012. (Negotiations with the Democrat-controlled Senate restored about $88 million of the administration’s request.) Last year, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that Republicans’ proposed cuts to her department would be “detrimental to America’s national security” – a charge Republicans rejected.”

“Ryan, Issa and other House Republicans voted for an amendment in 2009 to cut $1.2 billion from State operations, including funds for 300 more diplomatic security positions. Under Ryan’s budget, non-defense discretionary spending, which includes State Department funding, would be slashed nearly 20 percent in 2014, which would translate to more than $400 million in additional cuts to embassy security.”

Apparently the Republican strategy is to confuse the issue by transferring blame to others before the American people discover what’s really going on.    When will the mainstream media do a proper job of calling these guys out?

Here’s a video clip from Barbara Boxer in May of 2013.    The lip-sync is off, but you’ll get the idea.

 

Bernie Sanders, Blog, Politics, Sanders Presidential Bid

America’s New Iron Lady

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Okay, it’s official.    After eleven hours of being verbally hammered  by a gang of Republicans one analyst correctly labeled as “Lilliputians,” Hillary Clinton is America’s new Iron Lady.    That’s not to imply she has any philosophical ties to Margaret Thatcher.   It means only that she’s just that tough.

Never thought I’d be writing this, as I abhor Ms. Clinton’s ties to Wall Street and worry about influence being purchased through the Clinton Foundation.  This is simply credit where credit is due.   After repeated implications that she is an outright liar that would cause most of us to come unglued, after senseless backbiting on subjects that have been addressed multiple times, questions that need no answers, Hillary Clinton didn’t appear to break a sweat and gave no ground whatsoever.   She came through it looking thoroughly presidential, even if her voice did give out at one point, garnering even more sympathy for the attempted beating the Republican right continued to deliver.

It was high political drama, but what else is to be expected from a committee consisting of five Democrats and seven Republicans, led by Tea Party aficionado,  Trey Gowdy?   I don’t think we’ve seen anything this prosecutorial and just plan downright mean and angry at a committee hearing since the Army-McCarthy hearings.   Had I been present, I would have been tempted to rise to my feet and yell, “Objection!  Leading the witness!”  A cheap courtroom trick the Republican inquisitors employed repeatedly, except that there would have been no one to object to as there was no judge present to referee this out of control gang of Hillary haters.   Which played to Hillary Clinton’s favor.   As it should.   God knows, she deserves to get something out of this.    And I think she will.

On balance,  the Republicans surely lost more than they gained, looking like a gang of bullies following in the footsteps of Joe McCarthy, demanding dates, times and names in their effort to associate guilt while Ms. Clinton sat calmly by herself, taking blow after blow without batting an eye and giving them nothing.

After all she has given the country,  supporting her husband through a sometimes very rocky presidency, serving in the Senate and then working herself to the point of apparent exhaustion as Secretary of State, Ms. Clinton deserves more respect that she was given from a bunch of brow-beating attorneys,  obviously working in concert for one purpose and one purpose only.   To smear her in any way they could.

Once again, party politics trumps statesmanship in a national capital where speech is money, money is speech, and the revolving door loaded with lobbyists goes round and round.   This is not to suggest that anyone on the committee was bought off.   Not at all.   They were however, obviously basking in the glow of a national spotlight giving them a shot at taking down the leading Democratic  contender for president.   What an opportunity for a group of  relative unknowns to make names for themselves on the national political stage.

I continue to support Bernie Sanders for president, but after last night I like Hillary Clinton one whole hell of a lot more than before this latest Republican inquisition which served to show just how strong and smart this woman truly is.

Bernie Sanders, Blog, Politics, Sanders Presidential Bid

The Benghazi Go-Around Goes Around Again

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As seized by ennui as I am at the very mention of the B-word, I feel compelled to write at least a little something about Hillary Clinton being forced to appear before yet another committee “investigating” Benghazi.   I thought this was the eighth such Republican-inspired investigation but the Los Angeles Times informs us that there have been at least NINE reports already issued on the subject and eight previous congressional “inquisitions,”  so this will be inquisition number nine and report number ten.

Why does “Whitewater” keep popping into my head?

I support Bernie Sanders for president, so I suppose I should feel some satisfaction that the Republican House is doing all it can to discredit Ms. Clinton.   That, however, is not the case.   Not when their actions waste the nation’s time and money and repeatedly replace responsible governance with political hackery.

One can only hope that eventually adults will regain control of the Congress.   If they keep this up there will be no time left to write bills designed to put an end the Affordable Care Act,  that have no chance of being written into law.