Is Benghazi Becoming A Watergate, Or Iran-Contra, Or Both? -- Victor Davis Hanson, NRO
Benghazi cannot be dismissed with “long ago” or “what difference does it make” exasperation, given it may have the cover-up and civil-liberties aspects of Watergate and the weapon-transfers and foreign-policy implications of Iran-Contra.
1. Can a State Department be credible that on its own accord seeks to alter intelligence synopses, and deny facts to maintain a pre-election narrative? For all the criticism of the State Department under most Republican presidents, at least the tension between State and the administration kept State honest and independent. But Benghazi shows that State has now almost descended into an arm of the 2012 reelection effort, in the manner of the media itself, as we saw in Candy Crowley’s exasperation over the Benghazi dispute in the third presidential debate. In Watergate, intelligence and law-enforcement officials were pressured to change their assessments to reflect pseudo-national security concerns; but in this case, the State Department and/or administration officials themselves willingly refashioned them as the political situation apparently demanded.
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My Comment: Even the Washington Post is beginning to realize that this is a big story .... both covering it and having some of it's more senior reporters now acknowledging that this is a big story. As to Victor Davis Hanson's above analysis .... it is short and to the point .... and I concur 100% with his point #5.