The Benghazi Hearings...

courtesy of flickr

I watched almost all day long yesterday. The more than nine hours where Hillary Clinton was gruelled and questioned and applauded and left at the end of the day somehow still standing and sorta still smiling. If she was more tired of the hearings than I was--then that was something.

The task was to get to the bottom of the Benghazi conundrum. I think there had already been seven hearings to get to the bottom of this sad situation which has claimed our attention for two years. Four people died. Serving us--in a foreign land. The families still grieving, hoped I am sure for some word that would help. They got little from this hearing--perhaps the others also.

But we do know that the four people that died got lost in the shuffle. And this is the tragedy. When the dust had settled last night we had heard about emails and servers and Sidney someone and asking Hillary what did she do when.

Secretary Clinton who had 70,000 people working under her--and responsible for our work in well over more than a hundred countries--was asked about this date and what happened on that night. I don't remember what I did a year ago and I am only responsible for me and mine.

It was obvious that the opposition's out to make sure this woman sitting before them and the TV nation--was a crook and liar and maybe even a traitor. Surely she was not qualified to be President! And she had her defenders who came to her defense to try to help fend off the ugliness and the insinuations that rained down on her head. Behind their defense was the obvious fact that this was their candidate for our highest office--and who was better qualified than Secretary Clinton!

So the hearings were an impasse in many ways. Right and left. Democrats and Republicans. Tea partiers and main-line Republicans. In a way the hearings were a reflection of the whole country. We are a divided people. History tells us that in many ways we have always been divided into camps: north-south, east-west--well-heeled and poverty-stricken. And in between a fledgling middle class.

If Ms. Clinton wins the election next year the climate in Washington will probably be more of the same. If some Republican wins--guess what--it will be more of the same coming from the opposition. Whatever side wins--it seems that everybody loses because in our rigidities--we refuse to do what government is supposed to do for us all--govern.

I was appalled yesterday at the venom and bad manners of those that tried to trap Secretary Clinton.

Is this the only way we can hold a hearing? Have we really no decency when it comes to those that oppose us? Surely there would have been a better way to handle this matter than the shabby way in which it was handled.

Who you vote for next November is your business. You can get on the bandwagon for the Democratic candidate or the Republican's choice. Whoever we choose will be a human being--flawed as the rest of us. But we do need to remember we call ourselves a United States. Right now--this title does not reflect who we are.

I wish we could learn something from those nine-ten hours that were spent in Washington yesterday. The day was really a microcosm of where we are as a country. We can do better than this--regardless of who we elect.

I read a Prayer this morning in the Common Book of Prayer. It sums up what I wish for everyone of us:

"O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth; deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to all stand reconciled before you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

(This piece was not written to tell you who I think you should vote for. That is your business. My attempt was to say that surely we could have had a hearing despite whoever was being quizzed--with respect to people. Denigrating Republicans or Democrats does not help our cause or get closer to the truth of the matter at hand.)

--Roger Lovette / rogerlovette.blogspot.com