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Dem. Rep. Launches Brutal Attack on GOP, Apologizes to Officials During Libya Hearing: ‘You Have Been Used as a Ruse’

Dec. 20, 2012 2:51pm
Democratic Congressman Gary Ackerman Apologizes to State Department, Blasts GOP During Benghazi Hearing

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.)

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) used a House hearing on the deadly Benghazi, Libya attacks to slam his fellow members of Congress and to apologize to testifying State Department officials whom he said have been “used as a ruse” for partisan attacks.

“I want to first start by apologizing to the deputy secretaries because you have been used as a ruse,” Ackerman said during the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. “You are being used as foils to the conflicting intentions of some people on our committee and others in Washington for partisan political purposes and are not here really to explain how we can work together more cooperatively as Americans to make things better.”

Ackerman, who did not run for re-election in November after announcing his decision to retire, said he fears Congress has become a “partisan bickering bunch of grousing old people trying to exploit whatever we can to our political advantage.”

“We’ve become people who want to exploit any kind of national calamity to the political advantage of our party,” Ackerman said. “And the public is sick and tired of it. As they should be.”

He suggested Republicans reexamine their approach, saying, “the voters didn’t reject your policies, they rejected your attitude.”

He said the political discourse has become poisoned, particularly as directed toward President Barack Obama with people who “refer to him in such vile terms. Trying to take down and disqualify an admin as being illegitimate.”

“Trying to quibble around here on this particular [Benghazi] issue of the narrative rather than how we work together to make things better, to quibble over somebody said a particular word or didn’t use the right word, rather than figure out how to avoid the mistakes that might been made to not lose American lives in the future,” he said.

Ackerman also spoke up in defense of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was originally slated to testify herself before the committee before sustaining a concussion after fainting during a stomach virus.

“Derogatorily looking at the secretary of state who has worked herself to the bone to the point of dehydration and exhaustion…does a disservice to the job she has done in the name of all of us,” he said.

Ackerman said he personally has disagreed with presidents, but once policy has been set try to make it work “because the failure of a president is the failure of a nation.”

“We’ve come here to either play defense or offense and defend our point of view rather than do what’s right in the name of our country,” he said.

–

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Comments (82)

1 2
  • RaydocX
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 4:07pm

    IF they are being used ‘as a ruse’ it is by the ADMINISTRATION, which may have been running guns illegally, and chose not to support their own people, potentially lying to them about expected support, and has since made a ridiculously obvious effort to impede investigation and avoid answering reasonable questions.

    This is Democrat controlled government in action… sacrifice the pawns without hesitation or remorse, and then lie lie lie, obfuscate, misdirect.

    the Democrat congraessman can feign outrage, rather than BE outraged, because his exalted position leaves him ‘safe’ from such callous treatment… or so he believes. We’ll see what he thinks after taxes are raised, gun laws are forced through, ‘climate’ legislation is demanded, and when even the 47% wake up to what a nightmare this President– his president– has made of the nation.

    Report this comment

    RaydocX  
  • nostromo
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 4:03pm

    So did I read something about how this guy said some people want to exploit tragedy for political purposes? Gee, for a minute I thought he had come to his senses about Obama, but no such luck.

    Report this comment

    nostromo  
  • Tri-ox
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 4:01pm

    LOL. Hey, Ackerman – SHUT UP.

    Meanwhile, back on Earth … Have Susan Rice, Hillary Clinton and obama been arrested and charged with TREASON yet?

    Report this comment

    Tri-ox  
    • monitor
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 4:22pm

      treason
      1. the offense of acting to overthrow one’s government or to harm or kill its sovereign.
      2. a violation of allegiance to one’s sovereign or to one’s state.
      3. the betrayal of a trust or confidence; breach of faith; treachery.

      The definition obviously fits.

      Report this comment

      monitor  
  • Canada_Goose
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:58pm

    3 months after Benghazi (4 dead), no one is still saying that it was the You Tube video, or that there was a protest outside the embassy. Everyone pretty much accepts that this was a planned terrorist attack.

    9 years after the Iraq war (4,804 coalition military; over 110,000 civilian deaths), Liz Cheney, Mr. McCain, Ms. Rice, Mr. Fleischer et. al. are still contending that they believed Iraq had WMDs, aluminum tubes for centrifuges, mobile weapons labs, nuclear weapon programs, biological stockpiles etc. etc. etc. Some still believe the weapons were shipped out of the country to Syria.

    So cheers Mr. Ackerman, I think you’ve made your point well.

    Report this comment

    Canada_Goose  
    • DZ-015
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 4:38pm

      Canada Goose Egg: No evidence has come forward that the video story was actually based on properly gathered intelligence data. Such data did exist for the WMDs in Iraq scenario. Furthermore, Hillary Clinton herself believed that scenario, and democrats insisted on having a re-vote on the intervention resolution so they could go on record as supporting it. One issue surrounding Wadi-gate is not bad intelligence, but an administration deliberately lying to the American people, and now trying to stonewall the investigation into that incident. Of course, the fact that there were four people killed due to a lack of security and no attempt to help them elevates this to Watergate heights and beyond.

      Report this comment

      DZ-015  
    • Canada_Goose
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 4:57pm

      Mr. Patreus and Mr. Clapper apparently signed off on the You Tube story.

      But you’re missing the point; If they intended to lie they didn’t come up with a very good lie and have pretty much discarded it completely.

      The Bushies are still clutching on to their lie.
      As far as Mrs. Clinton, her Iraq vote cost her the presidency, so she paid a very heavy price.

      Report this comment

      Canada_Goose  
  • jimmymac1
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:57pm

    New York needs to be cut off and set adrift. Those morons can’t live among humans.

    Report this comment

    jimmymac1  
  • Nevermind
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:51pm

    bannedfromCNN

    As the official Obama sycophant troll on this website, we excuse your ignorance.
    *********
    And as a partisan hack that gets their info from a drug addict sports jock , i thank you for contributing to my daily humor. The truth is out there for all to see , there was a hearing on Cspan that had to be cut short due to a GOP Senator diclosing CIA locations in Bengazi.

    If you couch ramnbos on the right would actually serve perhaps you would knwo what the military was doing and hwo it actually operates. I am a war vet from the 1st gulf war and as soon as this happened i was on this site saying it was a CIA op and was correct. Learn somethign before you speak, or end up just looking stupid and losing elections.

    Report this comment

    Nevermind  
    • LIBSALWAYSLIE
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 4:15pm

      NEVERMIND, you should know all about looking stupid, you lying POS

      Report this comment

      LIBSALWAYSLIE  
    • Max jones
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 4:23pm

      C.I.A.? At whose behest? For whose benefit? Do C.I.A. operatives take an oath of stupidity, or is that just a side effect of inexperienced leadership? If truth is going to be looked at as a crippling disease…turn the lights out….we are done!

      Report this comment

      Max jones  
  • sgtstubbs
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:40pm

    These people have used the doublespeak words for the past 33 years and the great unwashed have given it standing ovation in the printed word. Hence many newspaper have had decreased readership and have had to cut printed to 4 days a month. The truth can stand on its own feet an lies die quickly.

    Report this comment

    sgtstubbs  
  • bannedfromCNN
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:39pm

    Obama lied – Americans died.

    Report this comment

    bannedfromCNN  
  • One of the Quiet Ones
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:32pm

    What about the response to the reports of the repeated calls for support and stories of laser pointers to target the attackers? Where did that all disappear to? Was it a bunch of c-@p? In any case this points to why we shouldn’t have a gun ban. If the government will just elect to not defend it’s own diplomats and employees how can we count on it to defend us all of the time. It can’t. I should have the right to do that with firearms per the 2nd amendment. You really only get at a if you look at it from different perspectives and resolve the views rather than making everything different.

    Report this comment

    One of the Quiet Ones  
  • oldduffer
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:31pm

    Has worked herself to the bone? Maybe the funny bone that supports his brain. Conservatives are given bad raps because of the RINOs. We elected quite a number of conservatives and the old Republican regime can’t get it through their thick skulls that it’s what we want. Next time we throw a bunch out including b#ner they may get some smarts. Republicans in government spent as much time telling the dems to get hosed as they do apologizing and knee bending they might get the respect they think they deserve.

    Report this comment

    oldduffer  
  • Fitzzz
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:29pm

    Before anything can be fixed, you need to be truthful
    and it seems that Obama, Clinton & Rice have not been truthful and honest

    Lets use that as a starting point

    Report this comment

    Fitzzz  
  • Nevermind
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:23pm

    This man is 100% correct and what he said needed to be said, problem is the folks on the right wont listen . This Libya thing was a CIA job whihc i have said on here the day after it happened. Most are kept out of the loop as to what the CIA is doing for very good reasons , yet the GOP wants to make a big deal out of it. Thats the reason 24 CIA agents were flown out int he days following , thier cover was blown and lives were in danger.

    The Obama administration has had hearings already and reports haev been out for weeks wiht timeline and actually what happened. Now when the right were in control and we had the biggest national security failure in US history how long did it take the right to investigate? I will answer that, 442 days for it to start and the report came out in 2004. 3 years after the event happened !

    All the fake outrage from the right is boring and the American peope have realized it. Unless you all change 2014 will be even funnier than 2012

    Report this comment

    Nevermind  
    • Forgivenman
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:34pm

      The goal of the operation is the issue. Supporting the overthrow of a Syrian dictator with a radical muslim brotherhood backed resistance is not a smart idea.

      Report this comment

      Forgivenman  
    • bannedfromCNN
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:36pm

      As the official Obama sycophant troll on this website, we excuse your ignorance.

      Report this comment

      bannedfromCNN  
    • Max jones
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 4:17pm

      The man is 100% fool. He’s caught in the quicksand that surrounds this administration. Bah Rahk will crawl over every single sychophant to get his head above water. We can only hope the pit is deeper than the stack will reach……the way its looking, it may be bottomless. Don’t get sucked in, There’s no way out.

      Report this comment

      Max jones  
  • BasketFullOfPuppies
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:19pm

    First off, I WANT the president to fail. What he wants to do to this country, is not in the best interests of this country.

    Secondly, when Americans die due to the STUPIDITY of people in government, I want those people fired, whether they be desk clerks, secretaries, or presidents.

    Report this comment

    BasketFullOfPuppies  
  • cdn1979
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:17pm

    give em hell ackerman!!! it’s about time someone reported the truth being told. republicans are just making every single event a political football. its gross and insult to the USA.

    Report this comment

    cdn1979  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:26pm

      Yeah… and they should tax the hell out of people because of Sandy Hook.. but that’s not politicizing anything.. not when the Obamessiah does it. The GOP should just let this drop and tell the families of the dead seals, .. tough cookies, people, the State and their Priests have deemed them to be sacrifices for the cause.. not “optimal” sacrifices as Gaybama says, but sacrifices none the less.

      Report this comment

      Cavallo  
    • SciPro
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:29pm

      http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/51346 are you one of those who just loves destruction and lies … A sure path to freedom’s destruction. We all need to know, what really happened, because someone needs to be fired!

      Report this comment

      SciPro  
  • Hickory
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:17pm

    Everytime a Democrat speaks…………. he lies.

    Report this comment

    Hickory  
  • Forgivenman
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:16pm

    Pay no attention to the administration behind the curtain!..nothing to see here..move along and be good little surfs. The facts are a figment of your imagination. (Can he actually be that clueless?)

    Report this comment

    Forgivenman  
  • thibx
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:13pm

    it’s a good thing you are retiring because the country does not need idiots like you in office. it’s people like you that’s whats wrong in this country.

    Report this comment

    thibx  
  • elosogrande
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:09pm

    Just another dried up old buffoon who doesn’t care if people die. He just cares about who gets the blame. Was he one of the “Bush lied, and people died” a–holes?

    Report this comment

    elosogrande  
  • Moozmom
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:08pm

    I see a guilty person, blaming those questioning him for an administration, both Republicans and Democrats, so mired in guilt they should all be fired.

    Report this comment

    Moozmom  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:02pm

    .
    Who knew turds could talk?……….

    Hope his car breaks down and he gets rescued by a horny gay biker gang……..

    Report this comment

    SpankDaMonkey  
  • MistaB
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:00pm

    This D!CK should say that to the faces of the families of the 4 dead Americans!! And then be slapped on the back of that bald head!

    Report this comment

    MistaB  
  • ResistSocialism
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 2:57pm

    Yea doing what’s right in the name of our country. Now that is funny Mr. Ackerman. More hate and silliness from the left.

    Report this comment

    ResistSocialism  
  • Top_Contributor
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 2:56pm

    Mr. Ackerman is correct. However, Blaze fans aren’t interested in actual truth, they’re just interested in their brand of truth.

    Report this comment

    Top_Contributor  
    • ResistSocialism
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:02pm

      Look within and you shall find the answer your question

      Report this comment

      ResistSocialism  
    • Cavallo
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:08pm

      Yeah, it was the video, right? That truth?

      Just why can’t the GOP just go along with the lie? Top and Ackerman must be right, we should just swallow the BS hook, line, and sinker like a Gay-Dog-Eating-Marxist supporter. Just allow ambassadors and Navy Seals to be murdered without consequences because that is what Ackerman’s Messiah chose for him. Who are the people to question the human sacrifices that the Obamessiah assigns?

      Report this comment

      Cavallo  
    • RightUnite
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:08pm

      Just because you repeat something over and over again does not make it the truth. You need to remove your head from your very special orifice and take a look at what this dumb *zz president is doing to this country… You may not give a flying ph*ck, but those on the right certainly do.

      Report this comment

      RightUnite  
    • Displacedsoutherner
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:11pm

      Here, here, let’s not quibble about a few insignificant people who just happened to get killed, the important thing is that we work with the president see that this doesn’t happen again…or get any blood on his hands.

      The rug is getting way too small to conceal all the stuff BHO and cronies keep trying to sweep under it, doesn’t stop them from trying however. Self-service, thy name is Democrat.

      Report this comment

      Displacedsoutherner  
    • Top_Contributor
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:15pm

      According to most Blaze fans, conservatives are the only ones who tell the truth. What a bunch of baloney. It’s like a big fan club you’re all a part of. Cute!

      Report this comment

      Top_Contributor  
    • searcher619
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:20pm

      Their brand of truth? Seriously..? you may not care about what happened or HOW it happened but anyone with a brain know the deliberate lies and stonewalling are disconcerting given these people are supposed to answer to us yet behave as if WE answer to them. You go on being a good little lemming. Don’t question anything. Go on swallowing the official lies.

      what gets me about people like you is you were probably one of those claiming the Bush administration lied and all that mess. It’s OK for the Obama administration to do this but not for Bush and his administration? It was wrong with Bush did it and it’s wrong when Obama is doing it today. Grow he hell up.

      Report this comment

      searcher619  
    • bannedfromCNN
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:38pm

      Each time the dear leader is brought closer to justice, you libs trot out all the same lies and it is getting tiresome. Have you no shame?

      Report this comment

      bannedfromCNN  
    • RightUnite
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:53pm

      You wouldn’t know the truth if it smacked you upside the head you idiot!

      Report this comment

      RightUnite  
    • Max jones
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 4:11pm

      I’ll give you some truth…..and that is there IS no truth in this administration….none.

      The house they have built, is built on lies, how could there BE any truth in what they say?
      D.C. is a snake pit.

      Report this comment

      Max jones  
  • FriedFish
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 2:56pm

    The old fa@t might change his tune if it was his family that has been used, not protected, killed with nobody taking the responsibility and then being stonewalled on what happened. He should retire he’s just part of the problem.

    Report this comment

    FriedFish  
    • Cemoto78
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:00pm

      The more of these morons like this one retiring the better off this country will be. Seems to me he is using his argument against himself. Talk about a rube

      Report this comment

      Cemoto78  
    • dmvzone
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:01pm

      Agree!!!

      Report this comment

      dmvzone  
    • naughtycal
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:01pm

      Exactly, that old cokksucker is just another example of why America is divided he can’t hold anyone accountable with a D. in front of their name.

      Report this comment

      naughtycal  
    • 1TrueOne55
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:04pm

      Hey Fish he’s retiring at least that’s what the article said.

      Report this comment

      1TrueOne55  
  • Red Meat
    Posted on December 20, 2012 at 2:56pm

    Just another communist Joo. He should have been removed forcibly by the Sargent Of Arms.

    Report this comment

    Red Meat  
    • TIME_2_END_THE_PAUL_CAMPAIGN_IN_12
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 3:05pm

      I bet you’re a real comedian at the David Duke Comedy Roastings” for “Joos” eh?

      Isn’t enough he’s just a Dem@ss ??

      Report this comment

      TIME_2_END_THE_PAUL_CAMPAIGN_IN_12  
    • Satellite309
      Posted on December 20, 2012 at 11:18pm

      SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR COLONEL ALLEN WEST…….PLEASE READ…..

      Dear Sir,
      I am half black and half white like the President. As a member of the black community I THANK YOU for being one of the only blacks in America to speak out against Barack Obama.

      Sir, there are many people on this website, including myself, who want to go to Washington DC and stage protests to demand that Obama STEP DOWN AND RESIGN due to Benghazi. The problem is, we can’t go there to DC all by ourselves acting like a bunch of rag-tag goofballs walking around unorganized, and thus be easy pickings for harsh criticism from CNN and MSNBC.

      Sir, if you happen to read this message, please know that we need a leader to lead us to DC. I nominate YOU. Please consider my special request.

      If you call us to DC for protests, WE WILL COME. WE WILL COME IN THE SAME NUMBERS THAT YOU SAW DURING GLENN BECK’S MEETING AT THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL.

      Thank you, Colonel, for your time. God bless you and may God watch over us all.

      Report this comment

      Satellite309  
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