The conservative Republican commentator sees a media double standard: "When the Abu Ghraib prisoner-abuse scandal broke, there was outrage
among members of the press, Congress, and the public at large. Secretary
of [D]efense Donald Rumsfeld was excoriated — and not just by Democrats
– when he testified about prisoner abuse before the Senate Armed
Services Committee. Numerous Democrats called for his resignation. A
general was demoted and nearly a dozen soldiers were court martialed and
sentenced to prison. The New York Times ran front page stories on Abu Ghraib for 32 consecutive days."
He continues his commentary: "Fast forward a few years. Four Americans are dead because the
State Department provided insufficient security to the U.S. consulate in
Benghazi, despite numerous warnings and pleas for help — including
directly to the secretary of state herself. A false story is promoted by
the administration as to the nature of the attack on the consulate — a
story that just happens to serve the administration’s electoral
narrative. Any outrage about the debacle is not on the part of the
mainstream press — indeed, the New York Times can barely be
troubled to mention it. When Secretary Clinton testifies about Benghazi
before two congressional committees, Senators Johnson and Paul are
excoriated for daring to point out the State Department’s gross
negligence and mismanagement leading to the Americans’ deaths. As for
the others, congressional Democrats heap praise on the secretary. Not a
single person is fired and the perpetrators are roaming free."
Peter Kirsanow Op-Ed: A Tale Of Two Secretaries
