Editor’s note – This is a running commentary of Secretary Clinton’s testimony about Benghazi interspersed with a breakdown and analysis of the politics of key players and events.
70 and 37. The only numbers you need to know. Those are percentages. 70% percent is Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (aka HRC, aka Hill-dogg) favorability rating at Secretary of State. Today. That number is from a poll done on 23 January 2013. For political junkies and nerds like me the other number is more telling. 37% is Hill-dogg’s favorability rating amongst current Republican members of the House and Senate in DC. Trust me gang, that is unbelievably high. Think about the last 4 years. She’s not been attacked by conservatives and republicans very much if at all.
She is currently, as I type, testifying on Capitol Hill about the Benghazi disaster. She was supposed to testify over a month ago. She fainted, had a concussion and was hospitalized the week of her scheduled testimony. Several conservatives took to the airwaves to rail about Hill-dogg ducking congress, about how she mysteriously developed Benghazi fever. That charge was advanced on Fox News (color me shocked) by former UN Ambassador/Fox News contributor nut job, John Bolton. The line was then adopted on a lot of Fox programs by a lot of “expert pundits.” Oddly not a single Senator or Congressman from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee would go on Fox and repeat that line.
That in part is due to the leadership of that Committee, John Kerry(D) MA and Bob Corker(R) TN are true gentlemen and statesmen. And they ain’t dumb. A week after Hill-Dog went into the hospital it was discovered she had a blood clot in her head. No apology from Fox, Bolton, et al. Of course why would they, one is a psycho, the other the megaphone through which psychos find a willing audience.
So Hill-dog is sitting in front of Senators and Congress getting grilled. Well, getting grilled by Republicans. Democrats are doing nothing but heaping praise on her. That’s a horrible mistake. Hill-dogg needs to answer tough questions, she can answer tough questions. She’s most likely the smartest person in the current government. The ridiculous platitudes from the Democratic side of this committee are cringe worthy. Hill-dogg is tough, she can take it. America needs all of you to be tough. Ask a damn question Barbra Boxer. By the way Hill-dogg is a term of endearment and related to her toughness and determination. Barbra Boxer (D) CA, is just a mutt, stealing from her constituents.
Hill-dogg ain’t shying away from this either. Her opening statement might as well be her bumper sticker in 2016. “It was my responsibility. This is personal.” Look I’m a fan of the President, but I can’t remember too many times where he has uttered that statement. Hill-dog was saying it the day after it happened. She is still saying it today.
Hill-dogg gettin her testimony on
However the responsibility she is referring to is the attack and the death of Americans at an US Embassy. They were her people, it was her responsibility. She is not and should not take responsibility for the debacle of the quasi cover-up/disinformation strategy perpetrated by the current administration when they sent UN Ambassador Susan Rice on the Sunday shows to tell a very smart population with access to Al Gore’s internet, the attack was just a protest not a terror attack.
Hard to type now as I watch Senator Marco Rubio (R) FL, ask questions. He’s trying to be tough but he is scared shitless. He’s working so hard to be respectful and not anger the Hill-dogg. He knows he’s talking to the reason he won’t be President in 2016.
Which brings us to Vice President Joe Biden (aka crazy uncle Joe). Anyone watching c-span 3 late night before the inauguration heard crazy Joe had attended Iowa’s Inaugural Ball Planning Committee meeting. He also invited the head of the committee from New Hampshire to the Inaugural luncheon. Iowa and New Hampshire, hmmm…. I know they are important but I can’t quite….Oh yeah they are the first two states to vote in the primary in 2016. The winner of those traditionally goes on to win the nomination of their party. Joe may be crazy but he ain’t stupid either. He’s running for President. He knows he’s got a tough road to the nomination. He knows he needs to get out in front quick. He knows Hill-dogg is wildly popular.
After seeing Hill-dogg’s 70% favorability, 37% among republicans, he now knows he has no chance at the nomination should she choose to run.
Senator from Wisconsin, Ron Johnson (R) tries to slap Hill-dogg on a minor point that has no relevance and Ron Johnson paid the price. The committee co-chairman Senator Corker (R) TN, saved Johnson from himself. Hill-dog was actually yelling at him.
If I was Corker I would have said to them ahead of time to ask questions boys but keep it civil. No one is winning an election today. Johnson was trying to make points not find truth and he has a fresh Hill-dogg hand print on his face for his trouble.
Now Jeff Flake (R) AZ, is asking questions. Another statesman showing the chamber how to ask hard, insightful questions while not being a schmuck. Looking at you Senator Ron Johnson.
So Crazy Joe is done really. Which is sad because it would have been fun to see him go the distance. The unintentional comedy would have been epic. But he has nothing to offer the Hill-dogg. Truly no one on the Democrat’s side of the ticket has much for her. It’s her nomination if she wants it.
And that brings us to her challenger. Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is my early pick for the Republican nomination. If he decides to go for it, he should win the nomination and if he does he’ll beat Hill-dogg head to head. She is the smartest person in the government right now. He will be if he becomes President. Google him smart people, but here is a snippet of his bio.
Bobby Jindal and his wife at the White House
Piyush “Bobby” Jindal is an American politician and the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to immigrants from India, Jindal studied biology and public policy at Brown University from 1988 to 1991
Ok John McCain (R) AZ is up now. He is on the attack. Hill-doggs response will be interesting here. McCain and Ambassador Stevens, Killed at Benghazi, were close friends. McCain and Clinton are friends as well, but he is attacking her, calling her answers not believable. I have to agree with him on this point, the questions and platitudes up to now have been much about scoring points and a waste of time, not getting at the truth. McCain’s questions are being delivered with snark and old man attitude but they go right to the heart of the matter.
Hill-dogg is staggered, leaning on the ropes! McCain is landing some old man jabs! First questions she did not directly answer.
McCain backs off. Senator Dick Durbin (D) Illinois is now embarrassing himself by wondering why we have not had a hearing on the WMD’s never found in Iraq. I get his point. A war was fought on a lie. Thousands of our brothers and sisters died over what is now widely considered an illegal action by the Bush Administration. However, Durbin is only trying to give Hill-dogg top cover right now. Still no effort to get to the truth of the current situation by most democrats and some republicans on this committee.
By my score only McCain and Jeff Flake, both R’s from AZ, have asked any relevant questions.
Rand Paul (R) KY, is up now. He is railing like a, forgive me, a catholic school girl in a playground fight. By the way he is running for the Republican nomination for President in 2016. Jindal will make him cry in the first debate. He’s Congressman Ron Paul’s (R) TX kid and believes private business’s should be allowed to keep blacks out if they want to. It’s all you need to know about Rand Paul. Read Rand Paul on civil rights
Her testimony is almost over. Now the Hill-dogg walks over to the House side and faces more questions. Lets hope Congressmen and Women are better at this then our Senators are.
Hey I can hope right.
Watch Hill-dogg go at it with the Congress on C-span around 2pm eastern today.
Jindal 2016!
Unfiltered and Unfettered 