# With trepidation, Benghazi **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 2, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535 "2014-05-02T20:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 35
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/681 "2014-05-29T04:45:13Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > The individual congressional committee, as well as the other investigations, didn’t have the backing of U.S. House resolution that had passed 232-186. This Select Committee is investigative in nature and has the scope and tools necessary to force the Obama White House and ol’ Hillary’s ol’ State Dept to tell the whole truth. Actually, I don’t think the House has the votes to pass a Contempt of Congress citation. No Democrats would vote for it…and an awful lot of Republicans know better than to continue this farce. If the hearings don’t turn up a real “smoking gun” fast, then Congress doesn’t have the will to make a major constitutional crisis of it. There’s no Watergate Burglary, let alone a cover-up. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/682 "2014-05-29T05:01:01Z")
doorhinge, an invitation… > **[Is doorhinge dumber than a doorknob?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=724652)** > > I vote “YES”. The dude is a fucking moron. Kind of like Adaher without the talent. Seriously, doorhinge, do you really think that repeating stupid phrases over and over will help prove your point? Examples: Great NJ Lane Reassignment Port... ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/683 "2014-05-29T05:06:30Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > The individual congressional committee, as well as the other investigations, didn’t have the backing of U.S. House resolution that had passed 232-186. This Select Committee is investigative in nature and has the scope and tools necessary to force the Obama White House and ol’ Hillary’s ol’ State Dept to tell the whole truth. Wait… is Select Committee another phrase that you are just going to keep repeating over and over again? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/684 "2014-05-29T10:28:18Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Did you read what you wrote? If you want to provide both sides of a conversation, why do you need to do it in public? You are cordially invited to agree that Issa’s investigation failed to find anything, so another committee had to be specially created in order to take over the job. Those are simply factual statements; how can you disagree? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/685 "2014-05-29T13:04:50Z")
> [@Wolf333](#): > > Wait… is Select Committee another phrase that you are just going to keep repeating over and over again? Ol’ Trey’s Select Committee. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/686 "2014-05-29T14:29:26Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Actually, I don’t think the House has the votes to pass a Contempt of Congress citation. No Democrats would vote for it…and an awful lot of Republicans know better than to continue this farce. > > If the hearings don’t turn up a real “smoking gun” fast, then Congress doesn’t have the will to make a major constitutional crisis of it. There’s no Watergate Burglary, let alone a cover-up. The resolution to create this Select Committee passed 232-186, including 7 Democrats. This Select Committee has more authority and greater jurisdiction than previous Benghazi investigations. Select Committee - > **[Select or special committee (United States Congress)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Select_or_special_committee_(United_States_Congress))** > > A select or special committee of the United States Congress is a congressional committee appointed to perform a special function that is beyond the authority or capacity of a standing committee. A select committee is usually created by a resolution that outlines its duties and powers and the procedures for appointing members. Select and special committees are often investigative, rather than legislative, in nature though some select and special committees have the authority to draft and report le... The PDF for the resolution creating this Select Committee was posted upthread. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/687 "2014-05-29T14:33:50Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Go ahead, make your case. To the extent that I need to, I already did. Again, this isn’t at all about what I said or think you said, it’s about what you actually did say. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/688 "2014-05-29T14:35:21Z")
This is like getting a fishing license, dropping your line in a bathtub and catching nothing, then going out and getting an enhanced fishing license to catch regular panfish plus salmon, and dropping your line in the same bathtub. There are no fish to catch there, give it a rest. There quite simply is no scandal to be found. I don’t care if the pope appoints ten cardinals to join in or you get participation from the Federation Of Planets- there is simply nothing there. Nothing. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/689 "2014-05-29T14:35:45Z")
The select committee has more powers? Do they get to issue double-secret subpoenas? Well, why didn’t you say so earlier!?! ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/690 "2014-05-29T14:36:51Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > You are cordially invited to agree that Issa’s investigation failed to find anything, so another committee had to be specially created in order to take over the job. Those are simply factual statements; how can you disagree? Hahahaha. It appears that Issa’s investigation didn’t find enough evidence to put anyone in prison but it did uncover enough evidence to create a Congressional Select Committee (a step up as far as investigations go) that does have the authority to demand unredacted documents and pressure Obama White House personel and ol’ Hillary’s ol’ State Dept personel to testify, fully and truthfully, under oath. Let the chips fall where they may. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/691 "2014-05-29T14:39:09Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > To the extent that I need to, I already did. Again, this isn’t at all about what I said or think you said, it’s about what you actually did say. Make your case. It’s not like we’re busy or anything. Take your time. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/692 "2014-05-29T14:42:50Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > This is like getting a fishing license, dropping your line in a bathtub and catching nothing, then going out and getting an enhanced fishing license to catch regular panfish plus salmon, and dropping your line in the same bathtub. There are no fish to catch there, give it a rest. There quite simply is no scandal to be found. I don’t care if the pope appoints ten cardinals to join in or you get participation from the Federation Of Planets- there is simply nothing there. Nothing. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. It’s obvious that you do not want this investigation to continue. I want to see what the investigation’s results are. I can’t stop the Select Committee from calling witnesses or subpoenaing documents. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/693 "2014-05-29T14:45:08Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > It’s obvious that you do not want this investigation to continue. I want to see what the investigation’s results are. I can’t stop the Select Committee from calling witnesses or subpoenaing documents. I honestly don’t care. There’s nothing there. The only people who think there is are those who live in the Fox-Rush echo chamber and weren’t about to vote Democratic in a million years anyway. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/694 "2014-05-29T14:55:33Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I honestly don’t care. There’s nothing there. The only people who think there is are those who live in the Fox-Rush echo chamber and weren’t about to vote Democratic in a million years anyway. But isn’t the point of an investigation to learn if something is indeed there? Obviously some things went very wrong. At the very least, we should have as accurate an accounting as possible of what happened so we can avoid similar things happening in the future. I don’t see how you can conclude that this will not be helpful. Then there’s the whole Susan Rice aspect of this. It’s funny how the demands for transparency and the insistence that The White House not lie to the American people are defenestrated now that there’s a Dem president. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/695 "2014-05-29T15:07:02Z")
I guess I’m not overly excited about what Susan Rice said or didn’t say on the Sunday talking head shows. If she was given faulty information, what of it? It was very early in the post-event timeline, better information was not there. Sure, I’d like incidents not to repeat in the future. But we have to recognize that embassy and consulate security is to a large extent the province of the host nation. When the host nation has recently undergone revolution, things get a little dicier. I wonder why this attack on Obama’s watch has been investigated so heavily while the dozen attacks under Bush’s watch did not elicit similar outrage from Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/696 "2014-05-29T15:10:00Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > But isn’t the point of an investigation to learn if something is indeed there? Obviously some things went very wrong. At the very least, we should have as accurate an accounting as possible of what happened so we can avoid similar things happening in the future. I don’t see how you can conclude that this will not be helpful. > > Then there’s the whole Susan Rice aspect of this. It’s funny how the demands for transparency and the insistence that The White House not lie to the American people are defenestrated now that there’s a Dem president. Susan Rice got a raw deal (or the dirty end of the stick). As UN Ambassador, she had no idea what had been happening in Benghazi or what had happened during or after the attacks. She was a spokesmodel. Someone from the State Dept or White House should have been making the Sunday-show circuit. Susan Rice simply repeated the story that the Obama White House fed her. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/697 "2014-05-29T15:11:03Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > But isn’t the point of an investigation to learn if something is indeed there? Not this one. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/698 "2014-05-29T15:14:17Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > But isn’t the point of an investigation to learn if something is indeed there? Obviously some things went very wrong. At the very least, we should have as accurate an accounting as possible of what happened so we can avoid similar things happening in the future. I don’t see how you can conclude that this will not be helpful. If I thought ol’ Trey’s ol’ Select Committee was really inspired by a desire to keep American diplomats safe overseas, I’d be in support of it (and actually take it seriously). I just don’t get that sense from anybody who pushed to have it created. The rallying cry was “they changed the talking points! Smoking gun! SMOKING GUN!!!” I mean, do the words of the UN Ambassador on a Sunday morning talk show somehow affect the security of our embassies? I don’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/699 "2014-05-29T15:14:43Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I guess I’m not overly excited about what Susan Rice said or didn’t say on the Sunday talking head shows. If she was given faulty information, what of it? It was very early in the post-event timeline, better information was not there. > > Sure, I’d like incidents not to repeat in the future. But we have to recognize that embassy and consulate security is to a large extent the province of the host nation. When the host nation has recently undergone revolution, things get a little dicier. I wonder why this attack on Obama’s watch has been investigated so heavily while the dozen attacks under Bush’s watch did not elicit similar outrage from Democrats. I suppose it’s because Obama said his would be a transparent administration. If he had followed his _intention_ of transparency with actual facts and figures when requested, he wouldn’t be facing as much scrutiny as he has. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535/700 "2014-05-29T15:26:53Z")
This whole thing is out of Alice In Wonderland: “There are no charges! Prove your innocence!” If Obama would wear a camera to record his every move, put his every phone conversation on the internet, kept a blog of his every bowel movement and posted pictures of every stool, Republicans would still say he’s being too secretive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535.md?page=34) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-trepidation-benghazi/687535.md?page=36)