When President Barack Obama took office in 2009, the Middle East was enjoying a period of–for them–relative stability. Not anymore.
Since that time, the entire region seems to have burst into flames. Civil wars in Syria and Libya have killed thousands. The conflict between Israel and the radical Islamic terrorists of Hamas in the Gaza Strip have killed thousands more, many of them civilians. And, of course, the barbarians of the Islamic State are persecuting Christians and other minorities, enslaving women, and murdering children.
With all of the chaos currently unfolding in the Middle East, it can unfortunately be easy to forget about one of the first of President Obama’s debacles in that region–the September 11, 2012 terrorist attacks on the U.S. diplomatic mission and nearby CIA annex at Benghazi, Libya.
That may be just how Hillary Clinton wants it, according to a recent report from WesternJournalism.com.
Representative Trey Gowdy’s investigation into Benghazi has largely been held behind closed doors, but that may be about to change, the report says. Among the key figures who may have to testify publicly: then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Gowdy says that he gets “more information in a five-hour deposition than […] in five minutes of listening to a colleague ask questions in committee hearings,” explaining why most of his committee’s work has not yet been in the public eye. His goal is to get the “most information possible,” the report says.
The former prosecutor says he is not putting on a display; he’s looking for truth. “It’s going to be a professional investigation,” he said, “despite folks who may want to see it be something else. They’re going to be disappointed.”
The South Carolina Republican says there is no way the investigation will be complete before the 2014 midterm elections, but that “some of the hearings scheduled to begin after the current congressional break” will be public.
Gowdy is right to pursue the truth over headlines, and his approach to the work makes good political sense, too.
The American people probably do not need to know much about Benghazi to be properly informed in the upcoming midterms, as few individuals running this year are likely to have had much to do with the attack or its aftermath.
The elections of 2016, however, are another matter entirely. Benghazi may be much more relevant to the choices the American have before them then.
