Let me finish tonight with this.
“What difference does it make?” That’s what Secretary Clinton insisted.
“It’s a sideshow!” That’s what the president said about it today.
But it remains.
Benghazi. The Speaker of the House said he’s committed to it. He’s going to ride it as long as he can.
So what can the President do to protect himself in 2014 when the Republicans are going to use the issue to fight for control of the Congress?
What can Secretary Clinton do with it if she runs for President?
My hunch is that Obama has other fish to fry. He can push Benghazi off a bit to the side. Not off the road entirely… but a bit to the side.
The Secretary isn’t so lucky. Benghazi happened on her watch. I think, assuming she did the right thing here in the wake of the tragedy, she can grab hold of the matter and stand out there before the American people and explain, minute by minute, how she dealt with the matter.
I think she can. Why? Because she really liked Chris Stephens. You can tell that. Because she really does care about her diplomats in the State Department. You hear that about her. And because she is not a callous person.
I know the Clintons had it rough down in Arkansas with their conservative critics. I know they had to deal with Ken Starr and Tom Delay and the rest but she came through it looking pretty good.
I think she can deal with Benghazi… because at its bottom line, she didn’t do a thing wrong.
Chris Matthews