I listened to Hillary!’s little outburst in front of Congress yesterday – her “What difference does it make?” outburst, and I thought “Madame de Torquemada just set feminism back 50 years”. She could not have played the “stop picking on me, I’m a girl” card any more blatantly.
James Taranto:
[WI Senator Ron] Johnson pressed her about the administration’s conflicting explanations for the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which killed the ambassador and three other Americans. “With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans,” said the secretary snappishly to the senator. “Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night decided to go kill some Americans? What difference at this point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator.”
So it’s “our job to figure out what happened” but it doesn’t make a difference what happened? Huh? What would we do without rhetorical questions? We suppose we’d answer them, as Commentary’s Jonathan Tobin does:
“The answer to her question is clear. An administration that sought, for political purposes, to give the American people the idea that al-Qaeda had been “decimated” and was effectively out of commission had a clear motive during a presidential campaign to mislead the public about Benghazi. The fact that questions are still unanswered about this crime and that Clinton and President Obama seem more interested in burying this story along with the four Americans that died is an outrage that won’t be forgotten.”
Tobin has more faith in the media-addled American attention span than I do – but we’ll certainly do our best.
Especially if she runs for president in 2016. As we watched this exchange, it occurred to us that Mrs. Clinton was back in a familiar role, and an ironic one for someone who is supposed to be a feminist icon. Once again, she was helping the most powerful man in the world dodge accountability for scandalous behavior.
I’m trying to imagine the outrage in the media had Ronald Reagan (or his SecState, George Schultz) said “what difference does it make?” after the Marines were blown up in Beirut.
Hillary’s bit about the 3AM phone call was one of the best lines in the 2008 Democrat primary. About Obama, it’s been resoundingly true. But I’m guessing that if a President Clinton got awoken by a 3AM phone call, “what difference does it make?” is not the answer the country’ll need, either.
This seems like a good time to remind SITD readers and commenters of Dog Gone’s ignorant and self-righteous remarks on SITD following the Benghazi attacks:
http://www.shotinthedark.info/wp/?p=30407&cpage=1#comment-105254
As to the cause of the death of a promising young honor student (ala Tom Wolfe) named Trayvon Martin; what difference, at this point, does it make?
I wonder how that would have went over? Although it’s probably a more appropriate response since that event hasn’t seen the light of camera since the election.
I also wonder how the loved ones of the Bengazi victims responded to the remark? Wouldn’t you think someone would have checked with them?
She can always blame it on the head injury. I didn’t see the video of this exchange. Was she wearing a neck brace when she said it?
The Clinton Dictum: A lie is a terrible thing to waste.
Hillary’s quote is destined to become a benchmark allegory for leftist incompetence, but I have the feeling that “Christmas in Cambodia” Kerry will break new ground in shameful failures.
Hillary contradicted her own words. She not only missed the 3AM call, she missed the 4AM call, the 5AM call. She let four lives go to voice mail.