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A SHOW OF EMOTION

Hillary Clinton Critics Say She Got Emotional to Avoid Benghazi Questions

A new conspiracy theory emerges

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by Lisa Fine

Staff Writer t

Image: AP

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's much anticipated Senate testimony did not put an end to her critics' claims that she is avoiding answering to Congress about the attack on Benghazi, Libya. Now, a new theory on the right has emerged that Clinton became emotional to dodge difficult questions.

In her opening remarks to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Clinton choked up while talking about how four Americans were killed in a Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya. At one point in the hearing, she had a a heated exchange with Sen. Ron Johnson, R-WI, where she said, "What difference does it make?" about his claims that the Obama administration initially misled the American public saying the attack stemmed from a protest over an anti-muslim movie. The administration later called it a terrorist attack.

"I'm not sure she had rehearsed for that type of question," Johnson said to Buzzfeed. "I think she just decided before she was going to describe emotionally the four dead Americans, the heroes, and use that as her trump card to get out of the questions. It was a good way of getting out of really having to respond to me."

Conservative talk show hosts took aim at her showing of emotion, claiming it was planned, as if she had studied method acting in her spare time. Rush Limbaugh called it "part of the script." Fox News host Sean Hannity said the Johnson exchange was evidence of Clinton's plan, even theorizing that it was probably staged by James Carville, the political strategist for former President Bill Clinton. "This anger, this outrage, I can tell you was not spontaneous," Hannity said.

Before Wednesday's hearing, critics had claimed Clinton faked an illness, which they called the "Benghazi flu," a concussion and a blood clot to avoid testifying.

Via Buzzfeed and Talking Points Memo
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Comments (view in Forum)

  • Brownie
    !
    I don't know about that i saw a lot of republicans cry. When they got caught cheating on their wives and was brought out for hiding the fact they were gay.
  • u
    Hireman
    !
    I wouldn't say the Dems hold this exclusive. I've seen the Reps cry too. However, we've also seen Hillary Clinton feign emotion and blatantly lie before. Think about her failed presidential bid.
  • methinks
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    @woodtick57 Yeah...because he's proud to hold the job of Speaker. Last I checked, Boehner was the one in charge when these four guys died.

  • View all 19 replies >

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    tomincali
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    she also dodged the hearing then had a "fall" suffered a "head injury" and had nice debriefing making sure she knew what she was ordered to say. get called on something and "nut up" to throw attention off the facts.
  • o
    woodtick57
    !
    So you think that was faked? how did she get a hospital and several doctors to go along with this conspiracy?

    Try Reynolds Heavy Durty tin-foil...it might help...
  • methinks
    !
    When someone lashes out like that, it's usually a sign they're hiding something and trying to deflect away from it.
  • Zazziness
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    @methinks Possibly. Or they are angry that politicians are so busy being partisan that they are missing the big picture.
  • jessejaymes
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    @Hireman As the sites most non biased moderate and one who would not vote for Hilary under any circumstances I say she OWNED the tea party clown. That idiot needs to sit back, watch and learn. He's is no match for the likes of Hilary Clinton.
  • drpeeper
    !
    Her screaming response was akin to saying "We don't care how 911 happened- we just won't let it happen again". Nothing more than political grandstanding for her most ardent fans to cheer.

    She's a dime a dozen political hack ruling elite. Nothing more. Yawn.

  • View all 45 replies >

  • DerivePI
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    @Bobolinsky - clearly a violation of property rights. They have the right to shut off the electricity and remove their meter, but they have no right to install a different meter over the property's owner. Its stupid and I feel sorry for the electric company having to deal with those people, but its their right.
  • o
    woodtick57
    !
    @DerivePI

    it wasn't the property owners meter in the first place.

    how is this a violation of property rights. if htey don't want electricity, they don't have to have the meter...

    the wireless meters just make it easier and cheaper for the company to get the reading...thus bringing your electricity costs down...

  • View all 18 replies >

  • o
    woodtick57
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    Is Johnson saying he wasn't man enough, or have the call of duty enough to ask the questions he felt were needed just because hillary got emotional/ isn't that pretty much saying he isn't up to the job he was hired to do?
  • mimi57
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    I did NOTHING...NOTHING !!! and she did nothing...including heightening security
    for the Ambassador in Benghazi, even after he pleaded several times and predicted his own death. He was scared, and knew if he didn't have more security he was going to be killed, the embassy was bombed two months prior.
    It was 9/11...why was there no security?! Four brave men died, and it could have been prevented. I agree with Rand, she should have been fired.
  • o
    woodtick57
    !
    you need better news sources...Stevens never asked for more security in Benghazi. his requests were for the Embassy.

    the embassy wasn't bombed, the embassy is in Tripoli.

    If Stevens, our most knowledgable asset about the political and terrorist climate int eh ares was so sure that the consulate at Benghazi was not safe, why did he go there on 9-11? he could have easily canceled or postponed the trip...
  • Tralee
    !
    Great post, Hillary showed that she was incompetent and not up to the job. I think in the Obama administrations zeal to make nice with every terrorist group and incompetent leader backfired on him. Plus, for political reasons, he wanted to be the MAN who ended all wars and terror attacks. His NPD once again got in the way of reality.

  • View all 40 replies >

  • Zazziness
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    Man. Reading the comments, I just can't decide if the entire GOP is the most paranoid, unlikely-conspiracy-prone boat full of nutjobs the world has seen or if just the far right fringe comments on behalf of conservatives here. The fantasies they spin with nothing but animus to back them up amaze me, especially since by tomorrow they'll be convinced what they just made up is absolute fact.
  • PNWest
    !
    The GOP is morally bankrupt. Not a word about the 3000 dead on 9/11 after Bush was warned at least 28 times. Then this. Dancing on the graves of 4 dead Americans for political purposes. John McCain says that he knew Chris Stevens well, and that on July 7th, Stevens expressed to McCain his “deep and grave” concerns over security in Libya. Yet McCain did absolutely nothing. Why didn’t McCain do something about this information? He certainly knows Hillary Clinton well enough to have sent an email. He knew the House Republicans were holding up funding for security in Libya. Why didn’t McCain say anything?
  • Tralee
    !
    @PNWest Wow, you really crossed over to Never-Never Land with this one. Reality is that while Bush was told of VAGUE threats and VAGUE references to the use of "Planes", that was it. If you were president what would you have done? Hmmmm? Shut down all the airports, all of them big and small and grounded all planes, big to the smallest crop duster, for the duration of the threats? Get real here. Once again the libs. deny and excuse a poor performance by this administration and try to blame someone else, anyone else rather than their poor excuse for a leader. No PNWest, it was not Bush's fault, it was not John McCain's fault, it was not MY fault or anyone else, the one's at fault are the Obama administration and a clearly incompetent Secty. of State. SHE should have known of the concerns and if she didn't she was woefully lacking in the very skills that her job called for and the President, at the very least, should have been prepared for action in that whole area on the anniversary of 9/11. That was just stupidity on his part. So, no, stop with this silly search for someone other than the president and his administration to blame. Enough.
  • PNWest
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    @Tralee Take a chill pill. Stop dancing on the graves of dead Americans for political purposes. You didn't see the democrats politicizing any attacks that happened under GW Bush now did you?

    2002: U.S. Consulate In Karachi, Pakistan, Attacked; 10 Killed, 51 Injured.
    2004: U.S. Embassy Bombed In Uzbekistan.
    2004: Gunmen Stormed U.S. Consulate In Saudi Arabia.
    2006: Armed Men Attacked U.S. Embassy In Syria.
    2007: Grenade Launched Into U.S. Embassy In Athens.
    2008: Rioters Set Fire To U.S. Embassy In Serbia.
    2008: Ten People Killed In Bombings At U.S. Embassy In Yemen.

    http://mediamatters.org/research/2012/09/14/k...

    It is disgusting that you republicans stoop to these kinds of tactics to smear your opponents. This too will fail just like all of the other lies, distortions and half truths that you flung at Obama prior to his reelection. And if you decide to continue then answer me this. If McCain thought that security was such a big deal in July why did he not say A SINGLE WORD about it until after the tragedy - NOT ONE WORD.
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  • View all 30 replies >

  • DARSB
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    Glad this is finally behind us. It was tough to watch Sen McCain - he of the Condoleeza Rice nomination uber support, despite the fictional WMDs - try to assign some blame to Mrs Clinton for being wrong about something. Didn't he used to be a reasonable guy?
  • Tralee
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    Of curse she did, she's used the faux tears before to deflect. I thought she sounded a bit strident though and while it makes not a lot of difference NOW, it sure did at the time. Her selective memory and blank spots either points to a Secty. Of State who was not up to the job or one who was so incompetent that she didn't give the proper orders for what she should and should not be notified of. If you believe she knew nothing, saw nothing and heard nothing, I have a bit of slightly damp land to sell you for a good price, and if she truly didn't know, see or hear anything, then she was totally incompetent and unsuited for the job.
  • Tralee
    !
    @woodtick57 In Mass. or Maine of one of those way north east states when she was running for president, she got all "teary" and played the poor pitiful me being a female card, to deflect some bit of news about her actions. No strong woman would ever do that, no matter how hard it was, running for president is grueling and mean at best, that she felt the need to pay that hand was a sign of weakness. You know, if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.
  • o
    woodtick57
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    @Tralee

    actually, she got "all teary" describing the people she met on the campaign trail and what they said her campaign meant to them. in no way was it in deflection of anything...

    guess the facts are too fun for you!
  • falco_alba
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    Has it ever occurred to anyone that she knew these people that died personally and that maybe she WASN'T faking it? She has a point. It does not matter whether this was a 6 month plan or a spur of the moment reaction to a video. People died. The end result was the same.

    Please, let us call the Bush administration in. Grill them to find out how much information they had on 9/11 before it occurred. Figure out if any missteps led to the deaths of 3000 people and two wars. Where is THAT trial?

    Hypocrites. Our government is chock full of them.
  • u
    Buckfan4life2
    !
    The democrats remind of Little Red Ridinghood,the little innocent, underdog type and the republicans are the big bad wolf when actually its the other way around. Its disgusting what is going on right in front of everyones eyes. And don't all you leftwingers get on here and act like its not happening. I used to have a little respect for the woman but no more. Shes no better than her lieing ass husband who looked us straight in the face on TV pointing his finger at us and lied thru his teeth. They have had 4 months to get their story straight and it was still nothing but a bunch of bullshit. I learned nothing yesterday than what I didn't know before other than shes a better actor than her husband. What pisses me off more than anything is that they would rather lie to the American people for 2 weeks about these 4 peoples lives,than to tell the truth all so Obama could be reelected. This is a slap in the face to the families of these 4 brave men. America is becomeing more disgusting every day.
  • o
    woodtick57
    !
    perhaps you learned nothing because you weren't listening to real news sources. the events of benghazi have been out in the open for awhile now. catch up to the real world...
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  • u
    Yank
    !
    Cheny made $100 million? That is odd considering he is worth about $80 million (most from before he was VP). Did you know that his Halliburton stock options were held by a 3rd party and that the $6.9 million proffit made on it while he was VP was all donated to charity?
  • stepped_in_it
    !
    HMMM......same sob was heard to try to "re-kick start" her 2008 Presidential campaign! What I can't figure out is for 2 + weeks after we were told it was a VIDEOS fault.....it caused the whole thing. Now, it was a protest/mob attack? Next it will be global warming? LOL
  • o
    AndrewEvans
    !
    @woodtick57 The bigger question would be is, do you hold politicians and officials responsible for the outcomes of the policy and actions they undertake? What is actually going on and do you hold them accountable for it?
  • o
    woodtick57
    !
    @AndrewEvans

    So your claim of war crimes, which a pretty serious claim, had no backing in reality? Why did you then make such an outrageous claim?

    Yes, politicians do need to take responsibility for their policies. what policies led to this action by terrorists? whose policies were they?
  • o
    AndrewEvans
    !
    @woodtick57

    Have you been paying attention to America's actions in the Middle East and Africa? The amount of evils that have taken place under her watch are staggering. Do your own research. My opinion comes from doing my own research and the examination of facts. I suggest using credible alternative media sources such as www.drudgereport.com and more recently any reality check done by Ben Swann. These are just two credible sources but there are many. If you chose to negate Clinton from any wrongdoing, you're not even listening to her own statements.

    www.youtube.com/watch...

    As the head of the state department though, any wrongdoing by the state department falls under the umbrella of her responsibility. How many people has she held responsible? As a prominent politician and overall voice in America, why doesn't she stand against drone strikes that kill children involving foreign policy she enforces? Why is it that she takes no stance against the well documented recent events involving the United States arming Al Qaeda? If you're going to hold the stance that the enemy of the enemy is my friend, is the enemy of an undeclared enemy more pursuant than the declared enemy who have actually taken American lives? This is such a huge issue and there's so much going on, I do like informing the public of that which isn't being covered in the mainstream canon of suppressed media, but just the same, this is too big for me to outline each allegation without turning this post into something much larger. These recent events are just the tip of the iceberg and is just was is on record while still ignoring the blanket of atrocities committed under her watch.
  • o
    woodtick57
    !
    @AndrewEvans

    and instead of tht long winded post that really said nothing, you could have backed up such a damning claim with facts, as asked for...

    i guess we'll just settle for the title of "rant" for your post...

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  • Dan_Tien
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    What I can't reconcile is the "outrage" about the government lying to the American people about the attack in Benghazi, when lying to the American people is acknowledged to be standard operating procedure for the US government.
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