Rice was told what to quack and she quacked. She's always been a good loyal foot soldier for Democratic presidents. We'll see what Petraeus has to say before Congress, as it were.

For all of their oh-so-Serious Concern about what went on in Benghazi on Sept. 11, when the Senate Homeland Security Committee held hearings today, several Republican Senators who have been so vocal in their criticisms of the Administration (including Sunday talk-show darling John McCain) couldn't be bothered to show up. Still carping and bitching - but apparently, not interested in finding out much more info......

For those baffled by the bulls*&t coming from the Republicans, let's go back to what Amb. Rice actually said in that long ago interview that has now passed into the realm of myth (bolding is mine):

GREGORY:  The images as you well know are jarring to Americans watching all of this play out this week, and we’ll share the map of all of this turmoil with our viewers to show the scale of it across not just the Arab world, but the entire Islamic world and flashpoints as well.  In Egypt, of course, the protests outside the U.S. embassy there that Egyptian officials were slow to put down.  This weekend in Pakistan, protests as well there.  More anti-American rage.  Also protests against the drone strikes.  In Yemen, you also had arrests and some deaths outside of our U.S. embassy there.  How much longer can Americans expect to see these troubling images and these protests go forward?

 

MS. RICE:  Well, David, we can’t predict with any certainty.  But let’s remember what has transpired over the last several days.  This is a response to a hateful and offensive video that was widely disseminated throughout the Arab and Muslim world.  Obviously, our view is that there is absolutely no excuse for violence and that-- what has happened is condemnable, but this is a-- a spontaneous reaction to a video, and it’s not dissimilar but, perhaps, on a slightly larger scale than what we have seen in the past with The Satanic Verses with the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.  Now, the United States has made very clear and the president has been very plain that our top priority is the protection of American personnel in our facilities and bringing to justice those who…

 

GREGORY:  All right.

 

MS. RICE:  …attacked our facility in Benghazi.

Did you catch that? Gregory was asking about all the protests across the Islamic world, and Rice said that was in response to the video. As far as we knew then, and still know now, that's true.

GREGORY:  Well, let’s talk-- talk about-- well, you talked about this as spontaneous.  Can you say definitively that the attacks on-- on our consulate in Libya that killed ambassador Stevens and others there security personnel, that was spontaneous, was it a planned attack?  Was there a terrorist element to it?

 

MS. RICE:  Well, let us-- let me tell you the-- the best information we have at present.  First of all, there’s an FBI investigation which is ongoing.  And we look to that investigation to give us the definitive word as to what transpired.  But putting together the best information that we have available to us today our current assessment is that what happened in Benghazi was in fact initially a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired hours before in Cairo, almost a copycat of-- of the demonstrations against our facility in Cairo, which were prompted, of course, by the video.  What we think then transpired in Benghazi is that opportunistic extremist elements came to the consulate as this was unfolding.  They came with heavy weapons which unfortunately are readily available in post revolutionary Libya.  And it escalated into a much more violent episode.  Obviously, that’s-- that’s our best judgment now.  We’ll await the results of the investigation.  And the president has been very clear--we’ll work with the Libyan authorities to bring those responsible to justice.

 

GREGORY:  Was there a failure here that this administration is responsible for, whether it’s an intelligence failure, a failure to see this coming, or a failure to adequately protect U.S. embassies and installations from a spontaneous kind of reaction like this?

 

MS. RICE:  David, I don’t think so.  First of all we had no actionable intelligence to suggest that-- that any attack on our facility in Benghazi was imminent.  In Cairo, we did have indications that there was the risk that the video might spark some-- some protests and our embassy, in fact, acted accordingly, and had called upon the Egyptian authorities to-- to reinforce our facility.  What we have seen as-- with respect to the security response, obviously we had security personnel in Benghazi, a-- a significant number, and tragically, among those four that were killed were two of our security personnel.  But what happened, obviously, overwhelmed the security we had in place which is why the president ordered additional reinforcements to Tripoli and-- and why elsewhere in the world we have been working with governments to ensure they take up their obligations to protect us and we reinforce where necessary.

And here's the meat of the criticism, what Republicans repeatedly lie about. Rice didn't say that the attack was incited by the video. She said that there was a protest, but that other extremists showed up, heavily armed, and used the protests as cover to attack the Benghazi consulate. Which as far as we know is what happened. She also repeatedly stated that the investigation wasn't completed and what she was presenting was the preliminary assessment from the intelligence community.

But now we have these two impotent clowns, McCain and Graham, running around accusing Rice of lying. Huffing and puffing about how they'll never let her get appointed Secretary of State. Missing briefings about Benghazi in order to hold press conferences complaining about how he can't get any information about what happened at Benghazi. I just want to be sure everyone here knows that Rice isn't the one who's been lying, it's been the Republicans since the interview happened.

Republicans know nothing and learn nothing. I expect they'll need to be completely shut out of majorities in all branches of government before that changes. But until them, the simplest approach is to immediately assume they're lying. It's probably the best rule of thumb that we have in current American politics.

You know who DID show up at a Benghazi-attack hearing?

Former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus!

And as usual, one of the Republicans on the Committee is trying to - somehow - make political hay over it (what a surprise)!

The only problem is that Rep. King's carping (on the same Susan Rice nonsense BD has been flogging) doesn't seem to jibe with what ex-Director Petraeus actually said - either today or back in September. But I guess logical contradictions AOKIYAR - nobody expects their cavils to make sense?