"Politicians fascinate because they constitute such a paradox; they are an elite that accomplishes mediocrity for the public good.” George Will
April 9, 2014
By: Linda Case Gibbons
It’s sweeping the country, but not in a good way.
"Being insulted.” It’s become a national disease.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is always insulted about something and, of course, there’s always a lot for her to be insulted about.
Most recently she was insulted when Patricia Smith wanted to know how her son, Sean, died in Benghazi. And she was really insulted when Congress asked her that very same question.
This week protesters organized by "The Difference Matters,” threatened to protest at the 17th Annual Western Healthcare Leadership Academy in San Diego where Clinton was slated to give the keynote address.
The demonstrators, comprised of families of Benghazi murder victims, didn’t want her there because of her role in the Benghazi scandal, and she was so insulted that they were annoyed that she simply cancelled.
Former IRS official Lois Lerner was insulted when asked about IRS targeting of conservative groups that she took the Fifth when testifying before Congress. In fact she was so insulted, she took it twice.
Former CIA Deputy Director Mike Morrell was insulted when he was called before a Congressional committee this month to answer questions about the heavy editing he did on the 2012 Benghazi Talking Points. Editing that was all wrong.
Testy and aggressive, Morrell bristled when Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) asked him about the "significant, substantive changes to the talking points” he made, "for the White House.”
He defended the decision he made to overrule the top CIA officer in Libya in favor of the analysts in Washington. Turns out the analysts were wrong. But, he said, it had nothing to do with politics.
He told the committee that he removed all references to "Muslim,” as in terrorists and "Al Qaeda,” as in terrorists, from the Talking Points, so as not to incite the Muslim community.
Given the circumstances and the deaths of four Americans, it would seem it was already too late for that, but he’s the CIA professional.
And, he said, it had nothing to do with politics.
Former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice is a member in good standing in the Insulted Club.
Appearing on at least five Sunday news programs after the terrorist attack on Benghazi, she touted the wrong Benghazi Talking Points on behalf of the White House and blamed a "hateful and offensive ” Muslim video for a "spontaneous” attack in Benghazi, then was insulted that we were insulted at her lack of information and her gall.
Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Sebelius was insulted after she lied about the Obamacare law, changed the Obamacare law, and didn’t know any of the details about Obamacare when asked by a Congressional committee.
Millions lost healthcare and she was insulted.
She didn’t like looking foolish, or uninformed, or incompetent, but she also wasn’t embarrassed, contrite or apologetic either. She couldn’t spare the time to do her job or prepare answers for her hearings before Congress and she was insulted that anyone expected her to.
When representatives of Congress, you know, the folks who represent you and me, wrote the president, calling for her resignation, her reply was, she doesn’t work for those folks.
Uh, yeah. She does. They all do.
"Insulted” has become the prevailing attitude in our government officials and mediocrity in job performance the name of the game.
The best role model we have for "Insulted” is Attorney General Eric Holder. Actually he’s pretty good for "Mediocrity,” too.
Holder has been insulted from the day he sat down behind his desk as head of the Department of Justice. And it always showed.
This week he and Obama decided to bond with the black community. They do that from time to time when they need something.
This time it was Al Sharpton’s National Action Network Conference in New York. Holder chose this sympathetic audience to whine about how poorly he is treated by Congress. Congress actually asked him questions and they actually expected him to answer!
They ask him about Benghazi. They ask him about Fast and Furious. And he’s insulted. He doesn’t ever answer any of the questions or produce the documents they request, but he’s insulted they asked.
"Look at the way the attorney general of the United States was treated yesterday by a House committee,” he said. "What attorney general has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? What president has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment?”
Did Holder ever hear of Attorney General John Mitchell? President Nixon? Attorney General Alberto Gonzales? President Bill Clinton? Attorney General Janet Reno?
So he, as usual, figures it’s a race thing. Not a performance thing. He railed about the "unprecedented, unwarranted, ugly and divisive” attacks on him and added in that he was insulted for the president, too.
You’d never know it, but these people are civil servants, in service to Us, the American people.
Congress, who represents Us, asks the questions we want to ask. And all our elected officials and those appointed must do is do their jobs. And then, as in any other job in the private sector, they will be asked to report on their jobs.
But they don’t perform, nor do they report. And for this all of the "formers” are rewarded.
Hillary gets to run for president. Susan Rice is appointed National Security Advisor to the president. Morrell left the CIA in 2013 to join a Washington, D.C. consultancy co-founded by Hillary Clinton. Lerner had a lengthy paid vacation after her testimony and then retired with a nice pension.
But we know none of this is about what it seems to be about. No, it’s all about politics. And it’s certainly about the November 2014 elections.
Race has always worked, so Holder’s out there working the crowds with Al Sharpton at his side. Voter ID laws always worked, so Obama’s working on that one in front of Sharpton’s group. And for good measure, Obama pulled out that old turkey, the questions swirling around his birth certificate.
With the removal of Sebelius as the pseudo-face of Obamacare, with Holder waving the victim and race card to other black people and Obama unearthing his "Birther” nonsense, it’s easy to see that the clear goal is to distance Democrats from all the lousy work they have done…or not done. They’re desperate.
But I have to say, I’m insulted.
Hold the line, America.
April 9, 2014
By: Linda Case Gibbons
It’s sweeping the country, but not in a good way.
"Being insulted.” It’s become a national disease.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is always insulted about something and, of course, there’s always a lot for her to be insulted about.
Most recently she was insulted when Patricia Smith wanted to know how her son, Sean, died in Benghazi. And she was really insulted when Congress asked her that very same question.
This week protesters organized by "The Difference Matters,” threatened to protest at the 17th Annual Western Healthcare Leadership Academy in San Diego where Clinton was slated to give the keynote address.
The demonstrators, comprised of families of Benghazi murder victims, didn’t want her there because of her role in the Benghazi scandal, and she was so insulted that they were annoyed that she simply cancelled.
Former IRS official Lois Lerner was insulted when asked about IRS targeting of conservative groups that she took the Fifth when testifying before Congress. In fact she was so insulted, she took it twice.
Former CIA Deputy Director Mike Morrell was insulted when he was called before a Congressional committee this month to answer questions about the heavy editing he did on the 2012 Benghazi Talking Points. Editing that was all wrong.
Testy and aggressive, Morrell bristled when Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) asked him about the "significant, substantive changes to the talking points” he made, "for the White House.”
He defended the decision he made to overrule the top CIA officer in Libya in favor of the analysts in Washington. Turns out the analysts were wrong. But, he said, it had nothing to do with politics.
He told the committee that he removed all references to "Muslim,” as in terrorists and "Al Qaeda,” as in terrorists, from the Talking Points, so as not to incite the Muslim community.
Given the circumstances and the deaths of four Americans, it would seem it was already too late for that, but he’s the CIA professional.
And, he said, it had nothing to do with politics.
Former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice is a member in good standing in the Insulted Club.
Appearing on at least five Sunday news programs after the terrorist attack on Benghazi, she touted the wrong Benghazi Talking Points on behalf of the White House and blamed a "hateful and offensive ” Muslim video for a "spontaneous” attack in Benghazi, then was insulted that we were insulted at her lack of information and her gall.
Former Secretary of Health and Human Services Sebelius was insulted after she lied about the Obamacare law, changed the Obamacare law, and didn’t know any of the details about Obamacare when asked by a Congressional committee.
Millions lost healthcare and she was insulted.
She didn’t like looking foolish, or uninformed, or incompetent, but she also wasn’t embarrassed, contrite or apologetic either. She couldn’t spare the time to do her job or prepare answers for her hearings before Congress and she was insulted that anyone expected her to.
When representatives of Congress, you know, the folks who represent you and me, wrote the president, calling for her resignation, her reply was, she doesn’t work for those folks.
Uh, yeah. She does. They all do.
"Insulted” has become the prevailing attitude in our government officials and mediocrity in job performance the name of the game.
The best role model we have for "Insulted” is Attorney General Eric Holder. Actually he’s pretty good for "Mediocrity,” too.
Holder has been insulted from the day he sat down behind his desk as head of the Department of Justice. And it always showed.
This week he and Obama decided to bond with the black community. They do that from time to time when they need something.
This time it was Al Sharpton’s National Action Network Conference in New York. Holder chose this sympathetic audience to whine about how poorly he is treated by Congress. Congress actually asked him questions and they actually expected him to answer!
They ask him about Benghazi. They ask him about Fast and Furious. And he’s insulted. He doesn’t ever answer any of the questions or produce the documents they request, but he’s insulted they asked.
"Look at the way the attorney general of the United States was treated yesterday by a House committee,” he said. "What attorney general has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment? What president has ever had to deal with that kind of treatment?”
Did Holder ever hear of Attorney General John Mitchell? President Nixon? Attorney General Alberto Gonzales? President Bill Clinton? Attorney General Janet Reno?
So he, as usual, figures it’s a race thing. Not a performance thing. He railed about the "unprecedented, unwarranted, ugly and divisive” attacks on him and added in that he was insulted for the president, too.
You’d never know it, but these people are civil servants, in service to Us, the American people.
Congress, who represents Us, asks the questions we want to ask. And all our elected officials and those appointed must do is do their jobs. And then, as in any other job in the private sector, they will be asked to report on their jobs.
But they don’t perform, nor do they report. And for this all of the "formers” are rewarded.
Hillary gets to run for president. Susan Rice is appointed National Security Advisor to the president. Morrell left the CIA in 2013 to join a Washington, D.C. consultancy co-founded by Hillary Clinton. Lerner had a lengthy paid vacation after her testimony and then retired with a nice pension.
But we know none of this is about what it seems to be about. No, it’s all about politics. And it’s certainly about the November 2014 elections.
Race has always worked, so Holder’s out there working the crowds with Al Sharpton at his side. Voter ID laws always worked, so Obama’s working on that one in front of Sharpton’s group. And for good measure, Obama pulled out that old turkey, the questions swirling around his birth certificate.
With the removal of Sebelius as the pseudo-face of Obamacare, with Holder waving the victim and race card to other black people and Obama unearthing his "Birther” nonsense, it’s easy to see that the clear goal is to distance Democrats from all the lousy work they have done…or not done. They’re desperate.
But I have to say, I’m insulted.
Hold the line, America.