Hillary Clinton may not be much at administering the State Department, but she’s certainly a pro when it comes to expressing outrage at her own persecution. For the woman who is supposedly the world’s most powerful feminist, her sense of victimhood remains surprisingly strong. That’s never been more true than in her new book, Hard Choices, which points out that she – not the four men who died in Benghazi, Libya, on the night of September 11, 2012 – is the victim.
The Clinton camp reportedly leaked the 34-page Benghazi chapter of Hillary’s latest tome to favored outlet Politico. The portions quoted by Politico demonstrate an offputting self-pity and a false righteous indignation utterly at odds with Clinton’s actions as Secretary of State.
According to Politico, Clinton writes, “Those who exploit this tragedy over and over as a political tool minimize the sacrifice of those who served our country.” Of course, the sacrifice of those who served our country wouldn’t have been necessary if Clinton had done her basic duty in protecting diplomatic facilities overseas. And when it comes to politicizing Benghazi, it was the Obama administration that repeatedly lied for weeks to the American people about the source of the attacks to continue portraying President Obama as tough on terror during election season.
Hillary goes on to attack anyone who asks questions about her behavior during Benghazi, writing, “I will not be a part of a political slugfest on the backs of dead Americans. It’s just plain wrong, and it’s unworthy of our great country. Those who insist on politicizing the tragedy will have to do so without me.” Except, of course, for the “political slugfest” in which she engages by ripping the motives of her opponents.
Hillary does pretend to take responsibility for Benghazi, but blames it on the heartbreaking human stakes of every decision we make.” She then says she did everything she could by waiting a week-and-a-half to begin an investigation from an Accountability Review Board led by handpicked allies, who promptly exonerated her and refused to even interview her. And she dismisses congressional oversight as politically motivated: “Many of these same people are a broken record about unanswered questions.”
Questions that Hillary does not answer, of course. Questions like: Where were you? Why did you reject security? Why do you continue to insist that a YouTube video was to blame for the terrorist attacks?
Hillary has reportedly hired former National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor to spin Benghazi. This is the same man who explained on national television that he didn’t know how talking points on Benghazi were manipulated, since “dude, this was like two years ago.” His dismissive tone is perfect for Hillary’s upcoming 2016 campaign, given her own dismissal of the State Department spin after the Benghazi attacks: “What difference, at this point, does it make?”
And indeed, it makes no difference what Hillary writes. Her indignation is a substitute for her lack of record. Emotion substitutes for decency. “As Secretary I was the one ultimately responsible for my people’s safety, and I never felt that responsibility more deeply than I did that day,” Hillary writes. But of course, that’s a lie. She never felt responsibility – which is why she sees herself as the real victim of Benghazi.
Ben Shapiro is Senior Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News and author of the New York Times bestseller “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America” (Threshold Editions, January 8, 2013). He is also Editor-in-Chief of TruthRevolt.org. Follow Ben Shapiro on Twitter @benshapiro.