Why Benghazi is really a "Phony Scandal"

As a famous Prime Minister of Israel (or was it a long ago forgotten Foreign Minister?  oh well, at this point, what difference does it make) once said about the Palestinians - the Republicans never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.   This Fall the House Select Committee on the Benghazi massacre will hold long drawn out hearings on an isolated event that occurred over eight or so hours the night of September 11th into the early morning hours of September 12, 2012.

Four American heroes were left undefended to die in the two separate attacks at two separate U.S. compounds at the hands of Islamic jihadists, or possibly by some unfriendly Arabs out for a walk who decided to kill Americans.  Whatever description as to identities of the culprits in this murderous rampage you choose to believe, the fact that our National Security/Military forces were caught unawares as to the utter vulnerabilities of our diplomats in this hot bed of waring militias, armed to the teeth, constitutes a monumental failure of national policy execution more so than a major Washington political scandal.  In my opinion, the Benghazi debacle is, in its governmental dis-functioning, most closely analogous to the intelligence and defense failures (indisputably on a far different scale) of another lightening military raid on a single day - Pearl Harbor/December 7, 1941.   Certainly, both events are worthy of Congressional oversight to address and remedy the policy failures, and Benghazi has been made the subject of extensive House and Senate reviews.

That said, the public electorate, in this MTV world of short attention spans, will follow, and more importantly care about, only so much of the ongoing messes in Washington, DC before throwing up their hands in disgust, saying a pox on both houses.  Thus, Republicans needed to be selective and focus its limited hold on public support on a true political/Constitutional scandal that resonates with everyone - the weaponization of the IRS to harass, intimidate and punish political opponents of the party in power.

Let's face facts here - as one former mouthpiece for the Administration proclaimed so tellingly - "Dude, Benghazi happened so long ago, who can even remember it now."  Indeed, it did occur years ago in a strange, foreign country which few Americans will ever journey to, much less ever visit the City of Benhazi itself.  Accordingly, it is understandable that most Americans can not envision themselves threatened even remotely by a terrorist attack in Benghazi that started a building fire and ended with mortar fire in one-half of a single day.

The Lois Lerner scandal is much more personal to every American who rightfully fears the awesome powers of the IRS, should that federal agency chose to put you or your family into its enforcement/regulatory targeting priorities, particularly for the First Amendment protected "offense" of supporting small(er) government.  Let's face facts here - Lois Lerner has that lean and hungry look of a vicious predator - and she lives among us all, just not in Cincinnati.  Nothing remote in either time or geography with the IRS' un-Constitutional targeting of conservative groups in stonewalling their valid non-profit 501(c)(4) applications.   Indisputably, the American Electorate understands the core definition of tyranny - corruption of the organs of government through the willful abandonment of the Rule of Law by the political party in power to harass, intimidate and punish those out of power.

Indisputably, the American Electorate understands that this scandal in the weaponization of the IRS threatens the very foundation of our Constitutional Republic, in which everyone is an at-risk, jeopardized stakeholder.  The Select House Investigating Committee that will grab hold of the American consciousness as being vital to the very survival of our form of government has yet to be created.  It is not too late for the Congressional Republicans to right the Ship of State, and agree with Hillary just this once.