Benghazi: Obama’s Watergate

Published by Eurasia Review 11November 2012

If you have not been paying attention for the past two months, or if you get your news from the Main Stream Media (MSM), then you may not understand the significance of the tragedy in Benghazi (Libya) on September 11, 2012.

In my view, Benghazi is the equivalent of Watergate*, yet much worse. In Benghazi, America’s credibility in the world, and in the Middle East in particular, was irretrievably compromised. As a result, America is in far greater peril than it has ever been before.

The Wall Street Journal**, one of the few media outlets willing to report on this story, succinctly summarized the significance of Benghazi: “The episode reflects directly on his (Mr. Obama) competence and honesty as Commander in Chief.”

Why did Mr. Obama and his Administration cover up what happened at Benghazi? The short answer is – we have yet to be told. Which begs the question, why did the CIA Director, David Petraeus, resign?

Here’s the reason why:

1. CIA Director David Petraeus' affair is at least 5 yrs old. Yet, he was appointed head of the CIA last year (September 6, 2011).

   Ergo, this scandal was in the can, waiting to be opened in a crisis.

2. Bill Clinton's 11th hour push to re-elect Mr. Obama was not an altruistic act of party unity. On the contrary, as the campaign flagged, Clinton's assistance was critical. With the Clintons there is always a quid pro quo.  In this case, Petraeus and the CIA are thrown under the bus for Benghazi rather than Mrs. Clinton and the US State Department. 

   Ergo, Mrs. Clinton’s political career (US Presidential Election 2016) is alive and well.

3. Mr. Obama, or probably someone on his behalf, tried to blackmail Petraeus and we can assume instructed him to lie under oath and take responsibility regarding the calamity in Benghazi. In return, the Obama Administration will keep quiet about his extra-marital affair. Petraeus we can again assume refused to play ball and resigned rather than lay the blame and shame on his agency (CIA).

   Ergo, his legacy and the credibility of his Agency are tarnished and compromised, but not irreparably so.

4. The unfortunate upshot for the United States: more Benghazis and more blood on the horizon.

Watergate was a break-in of a political office in a commercial building and a cover up by the Nixon Administration. Benghazi is an act of war against the United States of America, the murder of a US Ambassador on foreign soil, and a cover up by the Obama Administration. Mr. Nixon was forced to resign his Presidency. We should expect nothing less from Mr. Obama.

Author: Lawrence S. Schneiderman is an International Consultant and Dr. of Public Policy, Vanderbilt University. The views expressed are his own.

* The Watergate scandal was a political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s as a result of the June 1972 break-in at in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement. The scandal eventually led to the resignation of Richard Nixon, the President of the United States, on August 9, 1974, the only resignation of a U.S. President. The scandal also resulted in the indictment, trial, conviction and incarceration of 43 people, including dozens of Nixon's top administration officials (Wikipedia)

** “The Fog of Benghazi,” The Wall Street Journal, 3-4 November 2012, sec. A, p.14, cols. 1-2.