Chairman's Gala
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
U.S. Secretary of State (2009-2013)May 8, 2013BEVERLY WILSHIRE HOTEL | BEVERLY HILLS
Gala to honor Hillary Clinton May 2013 | Los AngelesThe Ready for Hillary Super PAC is planning a rally to greet her, as they have at previous events.
At a gala event on May 8, the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver one of her first addresses on the west coast since stepping down as U.S. Secretary of State earlier this year. Secretary Clinton will accept the inaugural Warren Christopher Public Service Award from the Pacific Council on International Policy, conferred in recognition of her distinguished service to the country
All of this pro-Hillary excitement unfolds against the backdrop of a flurry of anti-Hillary activity in the House of Representatives where today the Oversight and Government Reform Committee heard the testimony of three State Department employees called by Darryl Issa who is itching to pin a bogus cover-up or something else - whatever he can find - on the retired Secretary of State.
Largely ignored by cable outlets today (except Fox News, of course), at least some of the testimony concerned issues that had been adequately addressed in the Accountability Review Board (ARB) report provided to the all interested Congress persons well prior to Secretary Clinton's January 23 testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
State Department officials have repeatedly and consistently stated that under Secretary Clinton's leadership all 29 recommendations by the board had been implemented. Hillary Clinton unequivocally took responsibility for failures on the part of her department.
Andrea Mitchell today had Ambassador Thomas Pickering, who led the board with Admiral Mike Mullen, on her show. Pickering stated that Gregory Hicks, who was second in command to slain Ambassador Christopher Stevens, and remained in Tripoli the night of the attack, had done a fine job and had spent many hours being interviewed by the ARB. He pointed out that the requests from Hicks for four special forces to be sent to Benghazi after the first attack and for a fly over in Benghazi were deemed impractical both by State and by the Department of Defense.
Pickering also stated that he offered to testify before the committee and Issa declined his offer.
Sending the only four special forces out of Tripoli where classified documents are kept would have left the embassy vulnerable when embassies across the region were under siege. There were no classified documents in Benghazi. The primary responsibility of the special forces is protection of classified materials - not personnel. No one could have predicted a second attack in Benghazi. The planes requested for the flyover could not have refueled since there was no tanker in the Mediterranean that night. (See p. 37 of the report)
So, while Issa and company continue to aim at her and miss, Hillary will be receiving a public service award and her fervent supporters will greet her with pleas for her to run in 2016. Meanwhile, husband Bill says she is having a fine time doing what she wants and talk of 2016 is a waste of time. Hillary does not have to do anything at all to get her name in the headers or on her husband's lips, but she has already done so much that regularly she is given awards and honors.
