HILLARY AT THE HELM: "I don't have time to stay home and bake cookies!"

It is a given for those who accept managerial positions that they will work extended hours, receive late-night calls and sacrifice personal plans for unanticipated problems.  As an administrator in higher education, there were numerous times that, at the last minute, I had to give up football tickets to games at my alma mater, owing to 4 AM emergency calls from campus security, and because of  weekend altercations and drug overdoses in student housing.

Far be it from me to compare the responsibilities of "deaning" to those of positions of great trust at the highest levels of our nation's government; but, when I learned that, on the evening that all hell broke loose in Benghazi, the person who headed our Department of State did not return the crisis-generated call of of our second-ranking diplomat in Libya, I was appalled.  Then, too, on that same evening our commander-in-chief was off "strutting his stuff" at a Las Vegas fund-raiser. Evidently. the arduous duties in Nevada could not be precluded by events in Libya that would take the lives of Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans.  Just a couple of weeks ago, I could not help thinking about Benghazi and associated lapses in communication, when I heard that the president of the United States had taken time from his hectic schedule to phone his congratulations to a young basketball player who had publicly declared his sexual orientation.

In the days that followed 9/11/2012, State Department and administration "spin-doctors" would focus on weaving an intricate web of deception that zeroed in on an obscure Egyptian-American and his even more obscure video, "The Innocence of Muslims."  Thus, as per the illusory version that was set before us, we were to believe that spontaneous eruptions caused by the video resulted in irate Muslims hurtling themselves in two waves into the consulate compound.  Since the president had been basking for some time in the glory of Osama bin-Laden's downfall, the possibility that the attack could have been engineered by an organized terrorist group was just not politically acceptable.  In other words, it seemed that politics had trumped the security of American citizens.

Later, in reacting to questions having to do with the origin of the notorious "talking points,"  Secretary Clinton would say,"What difference does it make?"   Eric Nordstrom, who had served as security officer in Libya, testified last week that it does, indeed, make a lot of difference, with these words:  "It matters to me personally and it matters to my colleagues - to my colleagues at the Department of State.   It matters to the American public for whom we serve. And, most importantly, it matters to the friends and family of Ambasador Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, who were murdered on September 11, 2012."

Well, it matters to me, too! It matters to me that our leaders and policy makers did not immediately get involved with what was going on in Libya.  It matters to me that there were units in Tripoli and Bosnia that, if given the go-ahead, could conceivably have arrived in time to render aid to fellow-Americans under fire.  It matters to me that an elaborate fairy tale was concocted instead of an effort made to get at the truth of what was happening.  It matters to me that the president could not pull himself away from his celebrity admirers out west to stay at home and keep abreast of a catastrophic situation.  And, it matters to me that candor and character were not on display by those from whom we certainly expect and should demand it.

I know that members of the Hillary Fan Club have short memories, but let's take a quick stroll down Hillary's memory lane.  Do you recall how back in Arkansas she improbably turned a $1,000 investment into a  take of $100,000, after only 10 months of commodity trading?  And, then, there was Whitewater and the temporarily missing billing records having to do with Jim and Susan McDougal's  S & L.  Please don't forget the $100,000 payout for a 12-page report for an obscure education organization.  And, many folks have wondered for a long time about Hillary's association with Rose Law Firm political crony Webster Hubbell, whose tenure as an associate attorney general was cut short by indictments eventually leading to sentencing and imprisonment.  And, finally, I can't overlook the truth-stretching that took place during the presidential campaign of 2008, when Mrs. Clinton told a sham story about coming under hostile fire in Bosnia. And  this lady has served as a senator from New York and has headed up our Department of State?

Dear readers, don't the memories of four brave Americans deserve better?  Doesn't our American Republic deserve better?  Don't we as Americans deserve better?  Surely, we cannot conclude that, at this stage of the history of the Republic, we must be led by the feckless and the opportunistic!  Hopefully, soon, Hillary will  have the luxury of time to pull out those cookie recipes from the bottom drawer in her kitchen.