Why Republicans keep missing the giant Benghazi scandal right before their eyes

The Obama administration's Middle East policy is a disaster. So why aren't we talking about that?

President Obama and Hillary Clinton after the Benghazi attack in 2012.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Jason Reed)

It's better to be ruled by a wise Turk than a foolish Christian. That old bit of wisdom is an apocryphal quote from Martin Luther, but it was much on my mind watching the House Select Committee on Benghazi grill Hillary Clinton, as she cleverly outmanned Trey Gowdy and friends.

Sure, the committee extracted some interesting details during its 11 hours of interrogation. The most damning was that Sidney Blumenthal, the legendary fixer for the Clintons, had more direct access to the secretary of state during a crisis than America's ill-fated ambassador to Libya. He also passed on intelligence, surely none of it spoiled by his business interests.

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Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is the founder and editor of The Slurve, a newsletter about baseball. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, ESPN Magazine, Slate and The American Conservative.