Rand Paul: Clinton Has ‘A Valid Point’ On Details Of Benghazi

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM



IGOR BOBIC 5:54 PM EST, WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23, 2013

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who said Hillary Clinton should be relieved as Secretary of State, indicated on Wednesday afternoon he agreed critics were focusing too much on the particular details of a deadly attack in Benghazi, Libya, and not enough on how to prevent similar incidents from occuring again.

In a testy exchange with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier today, a visibly riled Clinton forcefully insisted the Obama Administration did not mislead the public.

"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?" Clinton said. "What difference, at this point, does it make? It our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator."

Paul concurred.

"I think she has a little bit of a valid point," he said in an appearance on CNN. "It's not so important whether or not it was movie or what it was. I think what's important, though, in going forward is it not happen again and I think the review board still doesn't get it. I think that we need to have a military commander. We need a Department of Defense in charge of security for embassies in a war zone and nobody has recommended that and I think that's where the ultimate failure is. She has a point about the movie and all of that."

-30-

Read more: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/rand-paul-clinton-has-valid-point-on-details

---

backpedaling like crazy

[Bluzmann57]

1. Too little, too late

Rand Paul can kiss America's collective asses. As can Johnson.

[roguevalley]

25. someone got stung. idiot.

[politicaljunkie41910]

30. As Clinton testified to, the State Dept. was juggling a number of threats at that time and expected

the real threats to come from Egypt and other hot spots, and certainly not Benghazi, so they were juggling a lot of thoughts at that time about where they should commit/divert resources. Rand Paul doesn't get this because only the do nothing Congress has the time to sit around and hold hearings about nothing. The rest of us aren't so lucky to have taxpayers paying us $170K a year to produce nothing.

[titanicdave]

2. Teabaggers

made total horse's asses out of themselves.........

[MADem]

3. I am guessing he HEARD from his constituency.

I wouldn't be surprised if he also heard from some of the nitwits who bankrolled his ass, because he came off like a stupid, pissy buffoon--I guess he is learning that when he gets diarrhea of the mouth it gets all over his own dumbass self.

[southernyankeebelle]

4. Well the republicans thought they were going to make minced meat out of Hillary Clinton.

It sure didn't look like it to me. I think there is a bit of a backlash.

[graham4anything]

5. Rand is scared of Ashley Judd and the women's vote when he runs for reelection

[Blue4Texas]

6. Paul just toning down his tune when it didn't play

[amuse bouche]

7. Rand has

this little fantasy of being President and firing Hillary.

Unfortunately for him, he said it out loud, in front of cameras and the nation

[catbyte]

11. That was the most hilarious part of the day. Paul's presidential fever dream.

[truebluegreen]

8. Too late, Crazy Right-Wing Whack Job....

you already showed yourself as a Crazy Right-Wing Whack Job on National TeeVee.

Good luck walking that back.

[Scairp]

9. I hate this guy

He is a certifiable moron and a four star asshole and has no business being dogcatcher, let alone a U.S. senator. It's just galling that the state I was born in and spent my early years growing up actually elected this complete eijit. It's so embarrassing. Perhaps if Ashley Judd does run and wins Kentucky will be redeemed. There is always hope.

[MrYikes]

10. I just get frustrated knowing that we PAY these idiots. nt

[Hatchling]

12. Right.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who said Hillary Clinton should be relieved as Secretary of State,

ANd he' clain she's stepping down becasue he said so, not becasue she was already planning to.

[catbyte]

13. His time would be better spent figuring out his f'ed up spawn than spewing

bellicose cheap partisan talking points. What an ass.

[tblue37]

18. Rand IS the f'd up spawn. RON is the f'd up daddy. nt

[catbyte]

20. True that. The rotten apples didn't fall far from the f'ed up tree.

[Botany]

14. Idiot "We need a Department of Defense in charge of security for embassies ... "

And where do the marine guards come from Rand?

[raidert05]

16. They

Are under the direct control of the State Department not the DOD at embassies.

[Dawson Leery]

15. Rand Paul is UNFIT FOR COMMAND!

Rand Paul is not Presidential material. Today he came across as a typical Neo-Con. He is a fraud. We know it and will make sure everyone else does too.

[catbyte]

21. Yet another Chickenhawk moron

[SunSeeker]

35. Hey, joining the military would have disrupted his bong hits for Aqua Buddha. nt

[tblue37]

17. Uh-huh--and how will we PAY for that when you get the federal

budget shrunk to the level you want, Rand?

That's why we end up having to rely on local security in the first place. We don't have the money to pay for our own security--and the Republicans keep cutting the budget requests from State that would help beef up security.

[AAO]

19. Both Paul's suck, but Rand is a fascist jerk

[Ken Burch]

22. Why does he want her "relieved" when she's already leaving?

Does he think that, if nobody's SoS, that they'll send in Condi as a temp?

[blue_heron]

23. they miscalculated

they rolled over Susan Rice, having private meetings and then coming out in front of the cameras and blasting her. good for hillary to have this live, so everyone could see what a$$e$ they are, and she completely blew them away

[alp227]

24. My google search of RP's statement = dead SILENCE from The Blaze, Breitbart, PJ Media, etc.

[alcibiades_mystery]

26. Dude must have checked some flash polls in Kentucky

It's bad enough he's got the Teabagger label stuck to him. Then he had to go up and Ricky Lazio Hillary Clinton, shoving the "agreement" at her? And Ashley Judd waiting in the wings?

[brush]

27. What is with these repug senators and reps?

They all keep asking why there were no Marines there in Benghazi. How comethey don't know that Marines provide security at embassies not consulates. They don't seem to know that. or that the facility in Benghazi was a consulate and not an embassy. And they're "grilling" someone.

[John2]

28. I'm not

taking any description whether Paul wants to call it an embassy or consulate if he truly believed it was an actual War zone. They are all part of the U.S. Government and the Government does keep secrets from us if you ever know the meaning of classified. Libya does not have an elected Government after the outing of Gadaffi. I doubt the CIA would be operating freely and gathering intelligence on groups if Libya did. And the only Diplomat killed was actually Stevens. The others were working for or attached to the CIA. They work in secret. Stevens was working with those Militias also before Gaddaffi was overthrown. The Government usually does not tell us everything under the disquise of National Security and that is where the Republican's Hypocrasy come in. This is just a charade to see what sticks on the opposite Political Party. It is all just a tap dance for power. And I would add they didn't come close to damaging her. She did make the Republicans look small and petty. Even John McCain looked petty. The Republicans need to circle their wagons and have another meeting. Newt was right if Hillary runs.

[Matariki]

29. "the movie"??? What the hell is he talking about?

"whether or not it was movie or what it was" --- is that even a comprehensible sentence or am I missing something obvious?

[maddiemom]

31. Rumours were originally that it was set off by a movie that supposedly offended Islam.

[Matariki]

34. Oh yeah. Thank you.

I forgot about that.

[Beacool]

32. I know that Paul is a doctor.

So he must have some level of intelligence, but at the hearing he sounded like an idiot. The arrogant fool actually thinks that he could ever be in a position to fire Hillary???? In his dreams. ROTFLMAO!!!

He then acknowledges that she could be correct, but he calls the video a "movie"? Go back to practicing medicine, doctor. As a senator you're a complete failure.

[SunSeeker]

36. Last I heard, he wasn't even Board Certified.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/14/rand-paul-not-board-certi_n_611018.html

The dude is an eye doctor, but he can't even get board certified in Kentucky....

Rand graduated from Duke Medical School, which blows my mind. His dad Ron Paul went to Duke Med School too...maybe he got his son Rand in as a legacy, like how pappy Bush got Dubya into Yale.

[Beacool]

37. Oh, I see.

Was he another C- student like Bush Jr.?

[Paladin]

33. Vapid, entitled, libertarian shit-for-brains. Enjoy the backpedaling. (nt)