Rand Paul: Benghazi Attack “Worst Tragedy Since 9/11″

James Bovard, January 23, 2013

In his questioning of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today, Sen. Rand Paul characerterized the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi as the “worst tragedy since 9/11.”

I’m glad that Rand made it warm for Hillary, but the invasion of Iraq was a much greater tragedy than Benghazi….  as were plenty of other post 9/11 policies.

(I discussed some of Rand Paul’s foreign policy views in a November review of his book, Government Bullies in the American Conservative.)



34 Responses to “Rand Paul: Benghazi Attack “Worst Tragedy Since 9/11″”

  1. Steve Trinward
    January 23rd, 2013 at 1:19 pm

    You forget that many of those happened with Shrub on the throne; as a loyal GOPer, Rand P has to ignore all that … though he coulda cited some of BHO's depredations along the way …

  2. amspirnational
    January 23rd, 2013 at 3:48 pm

    why is it "loyal Republicans" aside from real anti-elitists like RON Paul, always have to be milder on their party offenders than "disloyal" Democrats…eg. Dennis Kucinich?

  3. amspirnational
    January 23rd, 2013 at 3:49 pm

    (Kucinich e.g. wanted Obama inpeached over Libya.)

  4. Tom Mauel
    January 23rd, 2013 at 3:57 pm

    Who cares what Rand Paul thinks. After reading his recent comments outlined at AntiWar by editor Justin Raimondo. Peace advocates will have to look other leaders as spokesmen for the cause because Rand Paul is part of the problem.

  5. Curious
    January 23rd, 2013 at 5:15 pm

    He should have focused on the fact that the US shouldn't have been there in the first place. I think he is grandstanding. He knows government is inefficient. This tragedy is proof of that. He is going to eat crow if/when the US attacks Iran.

  6. Ben_C
    January 23rd, 2013 at 6:46 pm

    Rand Paul obviously intends on making a career out of politics at this point. Perhaps he's jockeying for position as Secretary of Transportation in a potential Rick Santorum Administration; or perhaps he's aiming to become the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee in 25 to 30 years so he can "bring home the bacon" back to 'ole Kentucky…

    Who knows….who cares?

    In my perspective the so-called "Ron Paul" movement died when his campaign manager went to work for Mitch McConnell's re-election campaign and Rand Paul endorsed Mitt Romney two and a half months before the Republican Convention….

    Ron's a great guy, but I think the attempt at reforming the "Republican Party" itself was a waste of political capital and opportunity; as it is essentially a zero-sum game. If it were even successful, it would just ultimately shift interests around in the broader "2 Party System" that has America by the throat… It wouldn't really change the fundamentals all that much…if at all…

  7. heath
    January 23rd, 2013 at 8:18 pm

    It wasn't a complete waste as it spread the word out a little wider being part of the republican system which worked better than campaigning under the libertarian banner where he could be safely ignored

  8. Shirley Hall
    January 23rd, 2013 at 11:37 pm

    What an idiot!

  9. The Buck Stops Here , There , Somewhere « YouViewed/Editorial
    January 24th, 2013 at 5:04 am

    [...] Rand Paul: Benghazi Attack “Worst Tragedy Since 9/11? (antiwar.com) [...]

  10. skulz fontaine
    January 24th, 2013 at 5:54 am

    Sen. Rand Paul is worlds of disingenuous if not outright oblivious to "tragedy." I would venture that Paul likes to hear the sound of his own voice while pandering up a presidential campaign.

  11. omop
    January 24th, 2013 at 6:18 am

    Gossip from the "arab street" crowd is that killling of the American ambassador and bodyguards in Banghazi was more a result of drinking and carousing. But then since no one has publicly admitted and/or been arrested and Broadwell [Petraeus's gal friday] has never been charged and we 're all now in Mali and Hillary has embraced Somalia its John Kerry time.

  12. Steve
    January 24th, 2013 at 7:20 am

    Rand Paul is also backpeddling on his earlier position of zeroing out all foreign aid and especially foreign aid to Israel.

    He's a sell out. He's strapped on a pair of RINO knee boots, folks.

  13. liberal
    January 25th, 2013 at 6:16 am

    RINO? Surely you have that backwards—this makes him more of a Republican, not less.

  14. liberal
    January 25th, 2013 at 6:18 am

    "He should have focused on the fact that the US shouldn't have been there in the first place."

    Damn straight.

    As a liberal Democrat, some of my most sickening experiences in the past six months was arguing on blogs with "liberal hawk" types who backed our idiotic intervention in Libya.

  15. Mike
    January 25th, 2013 at 7:13 am

    At least here is one Democrat not bowing the knee to his Imperial Democrat majesty in the White House. I hate all politicians equally. They're all scum (with extreme RARE exceptions in human history).

  16. Mike
    January 25th, 2013 at 7:15 am

    Where did you see that? (been out of the loop lately).

  17. jtt
    January 26th, 2013 at 8:20 am

    hey Paul, the worst tragedy since 9/11 is the invasion of Iraq.

  18. gsosbee
    January 27th, 2013 at 11:54 am

    The press is not covering the obvious: fbi/cia responsibility for the brutal murder & rape of Ambassador Stevens.

    http://lissakr11humanelife.wordpress.com/2012/09/…

    The army, air force, navy, marines the dod, the dia, nsa, nro,fbi,cia cannot claim ignorance w/o admitting gross negligence and incompetence as was the case also on the 911 attack on USA.
    http://sosbeevfbi.ning.com/profiles/blogs/mankind…

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