I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, now that the 2012 election is over – and Benghazi-gate was useless in defeating President Obama – Fox News is suddenly making it all about Hillary Clinton, a potential 2016 nominee. Last week, the Communications Arm of the GOP was sneering that Clinton’s concussion, which caused her to cancel testifying in Congress about Benghazi, was faked. Today, Fox helped hype a Republican effort to embarrass Clinton by blocking John Kerry’s confirmation as her replacement as Secretary of State until she testifies.
Today's chapter in the zombie Benghazi “controversy” began with the curvy couch crew on Fox & Friends joining their Republican pal, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in her outrage over a report that the four State Department officials who resigned over Benghazi may have been re-assigned to new jobs. Of course, there was no attempt to find out whether there are certain procedures the State Department has to follow in order to actually fire somebody, what those procedures are, whether the four had fit the criteria or even whether or not anyone had been demoted or what kinds of jobs the people were going to return to.
Instead, guest host Kelly Wright all but urged Ros-Lehtinen to blast the Clinton State Department. He said, “I know you are not happy about the news of this at all. How do you describe it?”
On cue, she said, “This is unbelievable. The American people should be outraged at this because it is pathetic. It’s disgraceful. It is purposely misleading. It is a ruse, smoke and mirrors. I mean, this is so wrong for the State Department to do.”
The discussion went on in predictable Fox News fashion until, suddenly, Wright brought up this little nugget:
Congresswoman, …we understand that some Republicans may try to block voting on or confirming the nomination for the Secretary of State in John Kerry until Hillary Clinton actually testifies before the Committee on what took place in Benghazi, what her role may or may not have been. What do you say to that?
Ros-Lehtinen: Correct and I think that they’re right to do so.
Never mind that Clinton is already expected to testify and that any Committee could subpoena her, if attorney and Fox News host Greta Van Susteren is to be believed. But at least some Republicans are willing to block the nomination of a Secretary of State – who would otherwise be easily confirmed - in order to tarnish the sitting SOS over a faux scandal. It never seemed to occur to Wright to even question such a plan.
I’m tempted to say, “Let them try it!” because since most Americans don’t see a scandal in Benghazi, they’re even less likely to see a rationale in blocking a cabinet appointment over the wildly popular Clinton’s delayed testimony in a non-scandal. But this kind of craziness ultimately harms everyone. I’ll bet that even the right-wing nut jobs will realize they have little to gain from going through with such a plan.
Still, somewhere in GOP land, Roger Ailes and his meme-making pals are frantically rummaging through Benghazi papers and declaring, “There must be a Watergate in here somewhere!” And this phony-baloney issue will remain undead in the meanwhile.
Above is the exchange about blocking Kerry's nomination. You can view the entire discussion on FoxNews.com.
