Rand Paul vs. Hillary Clinton on Benghazi: Campaign 2016 Begins?

In what might be a preview of the presidential election campaign of 2016, Sen. Rand Paul grills Hillary Clinton in her Senate appearance to answer questions about Benghazi and weapons that might be leaving Libya (and says he would have fired her had he been president over the matter):

The video:

Comments

[Jeff]

PWNED.

[Jeff]

(in before war on women)

[Bruce Majors]

"I did not blow...my duties to know what was going on and to keep my employees from being murdered."

[Briggie]

Definitely wonder how the original sentence was going to end.

[R C Dean]

Too early in the season for a real shot at the Academy Award she is obviously hoping for with that performance.

[John]

It is amazing how Obama is so awful he makes your forget how awful the Clintons are.

[An0nB0t]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BEPcJlz2wE

Never forget, never...I forget how it goes.

[DarrenM]

It is amazing how Obama is so awful he makes your forget how awful the Clintons are.

It makes you wonder how bad the next guy will be.

[Bruce Majors]

"The Road to Serfdom" predicts they only get worse

[Todd Gilbert]

Doesn't make me forget how bad Bush was.

[John]

You leave Hillary alone. She was fighting a terrible toe fungus and still agreed to testify. And she felt horrible having to see those corpses knowing it might hurt her political career. So that should totally excuse her leaving those people to die. Rand is just a big meanie.

[Bruce Majors]

Yes she can't remember anything after that bullet to the head on that Bosnian air strip, when she lept in front of Chelsea to save her.

[Peabo]

Chris Crocker has a video to make.

[Guy Incognito]

He should have thrown rotten vegetables right in her stupid face like they did in Egypt.

[Bright Bulb]

Uh, sorry but the President is responsible, not the SecState... so Rand would need to fire himself if he were President.

[OldMexican]

Re: Bright Bulb,

Uh, sorry but the President is responsible, not the SecState

I'm still waiting for Barry to graciously step down...

Wouldn't you agree?

[Bright Bulb]

But then we get Biden as President.

[Hyperion]

At least that would provide us with never ending comic relief.

I prefer that over the smug jug eared jerk with his nose stuck up in the air.

[BarryD]

4 years of non-stop gut-busting laughter! What could go wrong?

[Mechafenris]

Of course the truth may be instead of watching it all go down on (we aren't sure if Obama was eating popcorn at the time) Rand Paul may have actually told the State Dept. to get their collective shit together and protect the Ambassador.

There's something to be said for NOT behaving as stupidly as Obama.

[Bruce Majors]

She said she accepts responsibility

[Troglodyte Rex]

What exactly (or even inexactly) does that entail?

[BigT]

It means she has a sound bite for 2016 showing how responsible she will be answering the phone at 3 am.

We should put our money where our mouths are:
https://secure.randpac.com/

[Drake]

Rand Paul is tossing out the red meat, but I have some real questions:

Why 2 General officers relieved that day? Why was Ham arrested when he activated his Special Ops group?

Why hasn't anyone talked to any of the survivors yet?

Why was the Ambassador there that day (instead of at the actual embassy)?

What kind of op was the CIA running down the street?

Why all the bullshit?

[johnl]

This is really strange. If there were no calls from Washington over this, then why was Ham relieved? I'm rooting for another middle aged Arab hottie from the Korean embassy, but I don't think that's it.

[GILMORE]

Why 2 General officers relieved that day? Why was Ham arrested when he activated his Special Ops group?

Why hasn't anyone talked to any of the survivors yet?

Why was the Ambassador there that day (instead of at the actual embassy)?

there are a few answers sourced in this skim

the short of it - and i believe the truth - is that the US and Saudis were financing a program to send weapons and fighters to syria via turkey. the link with Beladh (sp) is proven. the cia guys were liasing with compliant (and less so) jihadist groups in lybia and funneling ehyptians and others. the most damning detail would be the SA-7 missle transfers... which i suppose is what rand paul was trying to get tabled

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/a.....-benghazi/

What kind of op was the CIA running down the street?

[Isaac Bartram]

Why was the Ambassador there that day (instead of at the actual embassy)?

The story I saw was that he was there for a feel good photo-op the next day at the opening of a new wing at the local hospital that "we" had given the people of Benghazi.

But the question is one that needed to be asked. A lot of this has to do with people's confusion about words like "embassy" and "consulate".

[TakinThyBacon]

Welcome to America, are you new here?

[Ryan60657]

I like Rand Paul a lot, but I don't care for Senators that use the Q&A to grandstand with holier-than-thou diatribes, rather than using their time to ask meaningful questions. 2:30 until his first question is asked.

[crazyfingers]

He probably figured the questions are going to be sidestepped anyway so what's the point.

[robc]

Which she did.

[Bruce Majors]

Notice her smirk, her refusal to make eye contact with him as he talks, her looking through her notes. She is a heinous cunt.

[TheZeitgeist]

Notice her smirk, her refusal to make eye contact with him as he talks, her looking through her notes. She is a heinous cunt.

Bill noticed the same things on their first date, when he was getting his first blowjob. He knew they were meant for each other forever after that, knew for his line of work he indeed would need a most heinous cunt.

[Bruce Majors]

http://bighomocon.blogspot.com.....b.html?m=1

[Penis Carrot]

Come on, she isn't heinous.

[Guy Incognito]

She took her failure very personally as it might have affected her personal chance to be the next Party-Appointed Bush-Clinton Duarch.

[anon]

Right, that's why it took her 3 months to rehearse that line.

[anon]

Sorry, didn't read the entire comment.

[Guy Incognito]

'S awright, my Esoteric Wisdom cannot be gleaned from mere cursory glances.

[TheZeitgeist]

Thee uh, "cuntcussion" will come in handy should she ever need to "I do not recall, Senator" as they say in the bidness.

[Bruce Majors]

This whole shindig was an audition before the Democrats there to prove that though the con artist in the White House beat her n 2008 she is ready to lie, spin and evade as needed in 2016.

[Mr Whipple]

Sounds to me like she is saying,

I accept responsibility, but it's not really my fault.

Typical minimization tactic used by defense attorneys, and criminals.

[johnl]

"I accept responsibility" doesn't mean what you think it means when Reno or Clinton says it.

[Pro Libertate]

If I'm accepting responsibility for a disaster, I'm also submitting my resignation.

[robc]

THIS.

With responsibility comes...uhhh...responsibility.

[Pro Libertate]

That word must mean something different to them.

[Pro Libertate]

With great power comes little responsibility.

[Gray Ghost]

Hell, it worked for Janet Reno; why wouldn't Hil think it'd work now?

My guess as to, "Y u no sendz blk helicopters to get our guyz?" was that Obama or his handlers didn't want to replicate his impersonation of Jimmy Carter too closely with a repeat of Desert One. I.e., if they sent in the QRF, got it shot down by those SA-7 (or -14s or some other Stinger-skis), it'd be enough of a televised fuck up to swing the election over to Romney. And that just couldn't happen.

A dead ambassador, particularly one whose death you can blame on some inflammatory film maker, isn't as bad. E.g., where was the election fallout when Cleo Noel got whacked in the Sudan?

[Bruce Majors]

Hillary becomes a Hayekian, admits a central government planner cannot process all the information in the 1.4 million cables it receives annually.

[The Late P Brooks]

Did a paid professional political "image consultant" tell her she needed to look like a middle school librarian for that hearing?

[anon]

Bullshit. I'd probably fuck most middle school librarians; a middle school librarian Hillary is not.

[An0nB0t]

At this point, she looks more like a microfiche librarian who specializes in genealogy research.

[Bruce Majors]

She actually looks like an old friend of mine, one of her appointees, Claire Lucas. I'd show you but the photos have been scrubbed from the net
http://bighomocon.blogspot.com.....b.html?m=1

[Blueman]

Those are actually the hottest.

[TakinThyBacon]

Middle school librarian? I was thinking she looked more like buddy the elf

[Lord Humungus]

but there were forms! And stuff!

[CampingInYourPark]

Cue the media to ignore the subject and turn it into a story about how vicious Rand Paul is in 3...2...1

[CampingInYourPark]

And right along with them are very own Reason staff making it a story about 2016 politics in 1...2...3

[Ronulanus]

It is about 2016 politics when Hillary's bullshitting so she can prepare for the Clintons' Excellent White House Adventure 2016 ?

[Government Hack]

Bill and Hill's Excellent Adventure?

[The Late P Brooks]

"That never would have happened if Libya had the sort of common-sense gun control safety regulations this administration advocates.'

[shamalam]

+ 1 AR15

[Kaptious Kristen]

Smirk. Fuck her.

[Tman]

Yeah, that kinda pissed me off. She was ignoring Rand and smirking at him while he was talking about how her failure of leadership cost the lives of four Americans.

It's all a big fucking game to her and she, much like her boss, cares about nothing but her own political ambitions.

There has been absolutely ZERO results from our supposed "investigation" in to the Benghazi disaster other than exposing the sheer incompetence and pass the buck philosophy that infects this entire administration from top to bottom.

Cheers to Rand for calling her out and saying what we are all thinking.

I enjoyed his analogy with 9/11 and how no one ever took responsibility or got fired for incompetence.

[Bruce Majors]

Every Republican, indeed every Congressperson, should have asked her the same questions.

[CampingInYourPark]

"Sen. Dick Durbin on Misinformation: 'I Have Five Words: Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction'"

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2013.....struction/

Shorter Dickless Durtball: Booooooooosh!!

[sam the man]

haha dickless durtball is actually what we call him in his state

[The Late P Brooks]

Fuck her.

Go ahead.

Just don't ask me to watch.

[OldMexican]

Re: The Late P Brooks,

Just don't ask me to watch.

The line must be drawn somewhere...

[Hyperion]

Why are we wasting time with this? They are not going to do anything to her. If she made an outright confession that she gave direct orders for security to stand down so that folks at the embassy could be murdered, they wouldn't do anything about it. Who's going to prosecute her for anything?

[Lord Peter Wimsey]

We are wasting time on this because it makes Rand Paul look good and it makes lefty types wet their panties and start screaming about the "war on women."

[Bruce Majors]

What about the war on gays? They let a gay ambassador be gang raped and murdered. Did he know something about fast and furious part 2 they didn't want to get out?

[ChrisO]

I guess Congress might as well just stop holding oversight hearings for the next four years, if that's the case.

Instead, I think holding oversight hearings is one of the most important things the GOP can do as the opposition party. It's their job to bring out this stuff publicly, even if it's clear that Obama and his minions won't do anything about it.

[Hyperion]

I guess Congress might as well just stop holding oversight hearings for the next four years, if that's the case

If we're looking for results, they might as well. It's just a show anymore, that's all. This administration is above the law, and they know it.

[ArbutusJoe]

Good point...She could admit she was doinking Ayman al-zawahiri and they would give her a pass, Republicans and Dems alike. Why? Because what matters is the continuity of the ruling class, whether ping or pong.

[Alan Vanneman]

Why are there so few women who are libertarians?

[hamilton]

Oh god, here we go.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Why are there so few women who are libertarians?

Because Mary Ruwart is more than enough woman for all of us.

[Hyperion]

Why are there so few women who are libertarians?

Do you ever read the comments here? That is all.

[lap83]

Why are there so few men who are libertarians?

[sam the man]

ayn rand never existed

[Bruce Majors]

There are more and more all the time.

[Brett L]

Ugh. Just heard on the TV in the reception area of my office as I walked to the pisser:

Anchor: "Hillary Clinton has had, by all accounts, a stellar tenure as Secretary of State"
[I run for bathroom, clogging sinuses with vomit. Passing back to my office I hear]
Commentator: "With all the lives at stake, I don't think this sort of grandstanding by Sen. Paul is appropriate"

Guess the network.

[Pro Libertate]

What? What the heck has she done that's stellar, even from the leftwing perspective? Near as I can tell, they're saying that she's "stellar" for being Hillary Clinton while SoS.

Our foreign policy and the execution thereof is a complete joke. It's even worse than it was under Bush, which is saying something.

[Brett L]

My thought, exactly. I was thinking, "name her top two accomplishments."

And I came up with nothing. Oh, wait. Failed to negotiate a renewal of stationing troops in Iraq. Number two is probably, not even kidding, failed to get us bombing Mali directly.

[An0nB0t]

What, cabling her intention to use embassies as espionage hotbeds doesn't merit mention?

[GILMORE]

noting = it was not an embassy, not a consulate, not a diplomatic facility = it was a building used by the CIA for low key meets

[nicole]

I'm going to guess CNN.

[Brett L]

Nope.

[nicole]

Darn. What are "all the lives at stake" though? I mean, you probably don't know. But WTF is that supposed to mean?

[Brett L]

I haven't the faintest. I believe all the lives at stake in Benghazi were already lost, but I could be wrong about that.

[Cytotoxic]

MSNBC

[Brett L]

You win.

[SIV]

Shit! My money was on Faux News!

[H. Reardon]

What the hell kind of business would have that on the TV in their reception area?

[Penis Carrot]

A comedy club?

[ChrisO]

Getting criticized on MSNBC should be considered a badge of honor. I doubt Rand is losing any sleep over it. Besides, there are infomercials that get higher ratings than that motley operation.

[a better weapon]

NBC. Specifically, Andrea Mitchell?

Honestly, we need more than just one guess. ABC and CNN came to mind instantly too.

[The Late P Brooks]

What the heck has she done that's stellar, even from the leftwing perspective?

She has towed the hell out of the drug war lion.

Poor thing.

[XM]

I really hope Rand Paul runs for president. I hope his dad isn't TOO involved in his campaign, because the media (predictably) will blame the son for the father's missteps. Why did you have to manage that newsletter, Ron?

[Heroic Mulatto]

XM, the media would do that even if Ron Paul publically disowned his son.

[Ronulanus]

Exactly. Besides, Rand's better off with all of Ron's support. 😉

[XM]

True, but even Obama kept his distance from his pastor and other radical association. His handlers did a real good job on that. Ron Paul is retired, but he still has so baggage.

It's probably best for the Paul family (taking the advice from Reason) to figure out who to address the newsletter controversy or the fact that RP did not return contributions from some fringe groups.

[XM]

"figure out how"

[Hyperion]

In order to win, he has to stand up and say 'I promise free birth control and abortions for all, and more free shit to anyone who doesn't feel like getting a job... oh, and a free cell phone and a pony.

There it is. Outside of that, he can't win.

[sam the man]

or he could actually offer a free market alternative(which mitt romney was clearly not).

[GILMORE]

Wow, more harsh treatment by the Conservative Media...

"In Benghazi hearing, Clinton chokes up, angrily rejects GOP jabs"

...."With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest? Or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they'd go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make," Clinton scolded Johnson, raising her voice. "It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator."

...

That's a pretty slick twist there = "It's our job to figure out what happened..."

"Well, OK Hillary = what happened?"

"Didn't I just tell you, 'What difference does it make??'!!"

The American mission in Benghazi was trying to "track down and find and recover" weapons like missiles that can bring down an airplane, she said.

"Track down" weapons? Oh, right. Total. Coincidence =

Three days after the attack in Benghazi, "a Libyan ship carrying the largest consignment of weapons for Syria?docked in Turkey," with a cargo that "weighed 400 tons and included SA-7 surface-to-air anti-craft missiles ...

http://www.businessinsider.com.....ts-2012-10

In March 2011 Stevens became the official U.S. liaison to the al-Qaeda-linked Libyan opposition, working directly with Abdelhakim Belhadj of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group..

[GILMORE]

... Abdelhakim Belhadj, whom was connected to the 400 ton shipment of weapons. And who had a history with the CIA (not a happy one). And the last meeting Ambassador Stevens ever had was with his Turkish counterpart in the weapons deal.

I am not a conspiracy theorist. I personally think this whole thing is clear as day, and am appalled that all politicians do is snipe at each other rather than actually bother to address the most damning facts.

[Juice]

WWE, man.

[GILMORE]

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.?

[BrooklynChick]

She has a PHd in double speak.

[Bruce Majors]

She has a forked tongue. Just ask Huma Abedin.

[GILMORE]

The American mission in Benghazi was trying to "track down and find and recover" weapons like missiles that can bring down an airplane, she said.

(still referencing the Yahoo link)

One could then ask, "WTF did the ambassador have to do with a CIA mission to locate and 'recover' heavy weapons"?

i.e. Why would a 'diplomat' be needed in Benghazi in particular? What international diplomatic contacts did he have there?

"Uh....Turkish Consul General Ali Sait Akin"

Turks? What did they have to do with 'locating' weapons in Lybia?

"Uhm"

"Whose *idea* was this whole scheme?"...

[Mechafenris]

Wait... could this be Obama's Iran-Contra? I've missed hearings like that... all the showboating... the buck-passing... the asskissing...

Hopefully there's a Fawn-Hall-esque secretary involved that will up the hot meter, since Hilary looks like a retired lesbian biker.

[GILMORE]

it IS Obama's Iran-Contra, but what totally fucks me off is that NOT ONE person seems to want to know WTF Stevens was doing in the middle of a CIA jihadi-recruitment and weapons smuggling deal. the agency guys were largely *buying back* SA-7 launchers and other arms that either had belonged to gaddafi or supplied to rebel groups BY the CIA... then shipped them via a lybian group to turkey so they could be used in syria. the diplomatic role was stevens was a go between saudi funding, egyptian recruiting, and the turkish anti-syrian efforts. the guardian UK and other british papers have reported on this stuff in detail, yet politicians are all waving their hands going 'derp! we dont know what happened!' yes they fucking do.

[Bruce Majors]

Slick Hilly!

[neoteny]

"Well, we'll just have to win, then."

[Capt Ace Rimmer]

What does any of this have to do with Manti Te'o?

[Bruce Majors]

Is Hillary's girl friend also merely imaginary?

[Rhino]

Clinton basically just said, "Oh you're just being partisan. This isn't a big deal." What a disgrace.

[Rhino]

Clinton basically just said, "Oh you're just being partisan. This isn't a big deal." What a disgrace.

[Bill Dalasio]

Can someone PLEASE give me the case against Rand Paul? I voted for his Dad in the primary. But, I'm actually a lot more excited on Rand's candidacy. There's actually a snowball's chance he could actually win! I mean, what? Does he have a gay relationship with Obama? Was he secretly pushing for socialism in his early life? I'm almost seeing the libertarian square the Republican circle and I'm almost getting my hopes up on politics. Someone give me a reason to settle into my depression!

[Libertarius]

I am an Objectivist, not a pragmatist; however, I can say that Rand Paul is a big step in the right direction.

I sometimes wonder if he has a socon streak, but I'm not a Rand Paul expert by any means.

[TakinThyBacon]

I also like Rand, I think a big turnoff for many is his endorsement for Mittens over his own damn father. But I understand his dilemma, support the "wacky old man" whom republicans ignored into oblivion, and kill any chance of winning the necessary neocon vote in 2016, or support the douche in the hope that will ring in support 4 years down the road..... I get it, it's shitty but that's the sad state the Republican Party is in.

[Bill Dalasio]

But, that was only after Romney locked the nomination.

[Bruce Majors]

The joys of schismatic internecine warfare.

[Copernicus]

I know I'm late to the party but...

FUCK... THAT....CUNT!!!

[Rotwang]

I didn't really start to laugh until Rand said "If I were president..."
Ha! That closest that turd will ever get to the oval office is on a guided WH tour.

[FucktheNannyState]

Dude, that chick looks like some girl I fucked years ago. wtf?

[zacherieshavell]

If you think Cynthia`s story is super..., one week ago my uncle's girlfriend basically also broght in $9179 putting in fifteen hours a week in their apartment and their classmate's ex-wife`s neighbour done this for six months and got a cheque for over $9179 parttime at There laptop. the instructions from this address........ http://BIT40.com

[Todd Gilbert]

Rand Paul just another grandstanding politician. A chance for republicans to dish on a democrat. There wasn't a care at all for real answers. Maybe there is fear they had a hand in something too.

[ygsrf]

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