Ka-BLAM! When a Scandal Blows Up in Your Face

Someone, someone on Darrell Issa’s Benghazi “Scandal” House investigation committee leaked one of many email messages to ABC last week in a case, built up from nothing apparently, for a panicked  government scurrying about in a massive cover up that built “talking points.” An exchange of emails that developed, over a time, what became “the story.”

That would be nice for the GOP. Finally they have the smoking gun that shows that the Kenyan has no moral compass and the presumed heir-apparent, you know, Bill’s wife, is incompetent and incapable of leading our country now or ever. That would be nice if only it were true.

Because when the White House released the hundreds of emails, emails that were already in the hands of House Republicans, to the press, we all got to see what passes for the truth to Republicans. We all got to see them with their pants pulled down.

They doctored the email messages that they received, then leaked them to ABC. ABC said thank you very much and published them, and the Obama Administration was set into a hand basket and placed on a one way trip to H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks.

Until now that is.

Now we know the truth, and the truth is that the Republican manufactured the whole thing. Here is what Benjamin Rhodes sent to Tommy Vistor three days after the Benghazi attack – what he actually wrote (copy found here):

“Sorry to be late to this discussion. We need to resolve this in a way that respects all of the relevant equities, particularly the investigation.”

“There is a ton of wrong information getting out into the public domain from Congress and people who are not particularly informed. Insofar as we have firmed up assessments that don’t compromise intel or the investigation, we need to have the capability to correct the record, as there are significant policy and messaging ramifications that would flow from a hardened mis-impression.”

          “We can take this up tomorrow morning at deputies.”

But here is what Darrell Issa or one of his henchmen leaked to ABC:

“We must make sure that the talking points reflect all agency equities, including those of the State Department, and we don’t want to undermine the FBI investigation. We thus will work through the talking points tomorrow morning at the Deputies Committee meeting.”

They like the words “talking points” but notice that they do not appear anywhere in the body of the original text. It is, however, found in the title. Issa or one of his henchmen needed to move the title into the text, and change things about to make this look sinister. And notice how all those words got cut out. Who wants to read all those words when we can read “talking points” twice.

ABC got played by Issa or one of his henchmen, there is no other way to put it.

And Americans were played as well. Too bad Republicans, too bad. I hate it when it is this easy to see how corrupt you people are when trying to get to the truth of something.

You should make it less obvious.