I like the way Meade puts it over at the Isthmus forum:
What difference, at this point, does it make?
2007 troop surge in Iraq?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Yellowcake uranium in Niger?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Asking for a Florida recount in only select counties instead of statewide?...What difference, at this point, does it make?
Claiming weapons of mass destruction as a reason for using military force?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Having sexual relations with that woman?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Trading arms for hostages?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Allowing the Shah of Iran into the United States to undergo surgical treatment at the New York–Weill Cornell Medical Hospital?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Covering up a third-rate burglary?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Lying to Congress and the American people about an incident in the Gulf of Tonkin in order to escalate military involvement in Vietnam?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Ordering an invasion of the Bay of Pigs?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Bombardment of Fort Sumter?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Allowing slavery to continue in the Louisiana Territory ?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Destruction of tea belonging to the East India Company?... What difference, at this point, does it make?
Posts
121 comments:
I didn't see the entire context of Clinton's testimony but I saw that part. I thought it was wrong. It does make a difference if we're going to figure out how to avoid that kind of a debacle.
How can it not make a difference?
Valerie Plame "outed" What difference, at this point, does it make?
20 Dead School children in Newton, CT - What difference, at this point, does it make?
Closing the terrorist prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - What difference, at this point, does it make?
This very careless slip of the tongue will become legendary! It is truly astonishing how the cultist are celebrating her "takedown" of the Senator!
Hey, she's just channeling Bart Simpson. Lay off her!
Where I went to school, and when, that would not be a method to win friends and influence people.
Thomas Jefferson, slave holder. What difference, at this point, does it make?
"This very careless slip of the tongue will become legendary!"
It's not a careless slip of the tongue. It's the talking point the administration started using immediately after the attack. I've heard it over and over again. Clinton showed up planning to say exactly that, in various formulations, and that was the one that sounded the worse. But that was completely the talking point. Something happened in the past and we should move on. Only idiots dwell in the past.
I suspect that they were saying what happened happened, let's move on even before the individuals had died. This is a lost cause. They are doomed.
This war is lost.
George W Bush (allegedly) tanked the economy - What difference, at this point, does it make?
Obama - "America fell short."
What difference does it make?
We may find out, but our kids & grandkids will bear the brunt of finding out.
Good, hard, and very, very bloody.
My favorite so far:
Hillary! in 2016
What difference, at this point, does it make?
It's a good thing America didn't fall short in WWII, even tho we were late.
Paging Niall Ferguson.....
Penalty, or Tax?
What difference, at this point, does it make?
Barack Obama, first black president. What difference, at this point, does it make?
I think Greg Gutfeld's assessment of Hillary's attitude yesterday on The Five was pretty good. He used the analogy of a guy running over your dog with his car and proclaiming "I accept responsibility for this, but let's move on and figure out ways on how to stop me from doing this again."
I was kind of thinking like that when I posted this on Facebook earlier:
I'm going to start looking for opportunities to quote Hillary Clinton's question, "What difference at this point does it make?"
Welcome to McDonald's, may I take your order?
"What difference at this point does it make?"
Ma'am, do you know why I pulled you over?
"What difference at this point does it make?"
1040, line 76
"What difference at this point does it make?"
Separate, but equal?
What difference, at this point, does it make?
A fetus is property.
At this point, what difference does it make?
Man-made global warming, at this point what difference does it make?
I'd pay for some pubbies to say that on the Sunday news shows and watch heads explode.
Obama re-armed Al Qaeda.
What difference does it make?
Hiroshima was a savage act.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
The mother told the doctor to abort a live baby during delivery.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
Hitler & co gassed many Jews.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
I guess it would make a difference if Ron Johnson took the time to go to the hearing and look at the tapes and listen to what intelligence had to say, but I guess he was too busy for that and instead concentrated on the Republican spin.
Jay is a cocksucker.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
Hiroshima was a savage act.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
The mother told the doctor to abort a live baby during delivery.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
Hitler & co gassed many Jews.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
Obama magically had sealed court records unsealed against his opponents to win a US Senate seat - What difference, at this point, does it make?
"What difference, at this point, does it make?"
Obama's and the Dems' answer when confronted with the U.S.Constitution.
Barack Obama said we wasn't coming for your guns. What difference, at this point, does it make?
Barack Obama said he wanted a balanced approach to deficit reduction. What difference, at this point, does it make?
I an excellent phrase to sum up this whole administration.
I foresee a Saturday Night Live skit!
You're misrepresenting the context of her statement. She was saying that the inconsequential argument was what the administration was saying in the days after 9/11/12.
"What difference at this point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator." That inherently means identifying the cause, but not squabbling at this point to score political points because the administration wasn't prepared to come out and say it was an act of terrorism immediately after the event. (Note, the second sentence of course means not dwelling in the past, but analyzing it.) Clinton also said in her testimony that the administration was wrong in the way they explained what they knew. Perhaps you simply can't fathom the idea of admitting one was wrong (since you have averred that you have only been wrong once).
Some people will say those in the administration were trying to avoid the issue before the election. Others will say that the administration was rightly avoiding devoting resources to getting people out of there and not doing an immediate forensic analysis of what happened at the event. I think most people can agree, if they think about it, that there are internecine government agency aspects here (State vs. CIA vs. DOD) that prevented the administration from vociferously defending itself as it might have and Republicans from going after the administration as strongly as it might have (case in point, the general milquetoast "hammering" of Clinton yesterday).
In the end, you can read a statement in context, Althouse, or you can read it as you like it. The danger with the latter is that such a reading largely only appeals to your acolytes in your self-created Amazon Affiliate echo chamber :-/
P.S.: "I suspect that they were saying what happened happened, let's move on even before the individuals had died. This is a lost cause. They are doomed." Are your tenses wrong? I believe that indicates insincerity and bullshitting, in your book. If you meant these tenses, well, your logic is fucked up, as usual.
Let's not forget the sentence that preceded this one in Clinton's testimony: "Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill some Americans?" But it wasn't guys out for a walk who spontaneously decided they'd go kill some Americans. It was a planned terrorist attack by the Libyan affiliate of al Qaeda. The attempt by the Administration to obscure that damning fact was the reason they latched onto the video story in the first place, and Clinton's spin is just more of the same.
roesch/voltaire said...
I guess it would make a difference if Ron Johnson took the time to go to the hearing and look at the tapes and listen to what intelligence had to say, but I guess he was too busy for that and instead concentrated on the Republican spin.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
2016; what difference, at this point, does it make?
The US Constitution is dead.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
It must be said
2 - 1
What difference, at this point, does it make?
The argument appeals to a sensible impulse. At long last, can't we put aside this petty squabble and pay attention to what really matters? But it presupposes agreement on what is petty and what really matters. Hillary's attention and competence on consulate security was always questionable. We all knew she'd lie about what happened and why; she's trying to say that it doesn't matter, because squirrel.
Heh, I think that this is going to be one of the great 'SQUIRREL' lines of all time.
Hrrmrmrmmrmmmm,
Doesn't "What difference, at this point, does it make?" = "Because, shut up"?
Ann,
I think you are slowly shifting your philosophy to the right. No, not Republican, but just conservative.
It's just the liberal/progressive shtick is so, transparent, right?
But then, What difference, at this point, does it make?
Ron's Johnson? What difference, at this point, does it make?
A point of order:
It really doesn't work to make an assertion of fact and then ask, "what difference, at this point, does it make?"
It really only works if it is in response to a binary question of mutually exclusive options.
Is Obama really a socialist or just a pragmatic opportunist?
What difference, at this point, does it make?
Did the Obama administration intend to lie about the video being the cause of Benghazi, or was it just a panicked, bungled attempt to coverup something that spun out of control?
What difference, at this point, does it make?
Did President Obama order everyone to stand down from rescuing those under attack, or did a subordinate wrongfully assume that authority?
What difference, at this point, does it make?
Meade, you rock. That was an awesome post over there.
And no, this isn't sarcasm. I'm serious. You said exactly what needed to be said.
jd:
Nice try. That's a nice spin. The problem is the overall freakout. The resort, to a bizarre and unserious strawman; "guys out for a walk."
That was Mrs. Clinton's choice. It was her response, to a perfectly good -- indeed, inevitable -- question about how she can account for the Susan Rice spin.
I actually wouldn't have minded if Mrs. Clinton had thrown Susan Rice under the bus, and with her everyone in the White House who made the detailed calculation to send her out to the Sunday interview shows with those talking points. Mrs. Clinton can do that, but she'll have to be careful about her own comments on the 'offending' video.
I just think that this is, or was, a good opportunity to drive a wedge into the Obama Administration. We can't save the four Americans who were killed. We can only investigate, try to figure out what happened. And try to prevent it ever happening again.
But we can also try to exact a political price, and that is eaxctly what I'd like to see happen. I want to see Mrs. Clinton, or Ms. Rice raked over the coals. They can figure out who it should be.
Blue Bonnet margarine vs. butter?
No différence!
If the Obama admin didn't understand how damning was the explanation for the difference that it makes, then why did they conspire with Candy Crowley prior to the second presidential debate to fix the debate?
Get the transcript.
Blatant collusion between the media and the Obama admin to suppress damaging information.
Reminds me of this, for some reason.
Meade- I wish we could know how many librul heads exploded while reading your comment!
And isn't Clinton, as Sec of State, supposed to be our Top Diplomat? Is that how Top Diplomats react in high pressure meetings?
jd said...
You're misrepresenting the context of her statement. She was saying that the inconsequential argument was what the administration was saying in the days after 9/11/12.
Oh good lord. Of course if someone makes a mistake it's important to understand why it happened and to figure out how to prevent that mistake from occurring again. But that alone does not excuse a person from culpability and it does not render all discussion around the error itself inconsequential. If simply "accepting responsibility" for a mistake and "moving on" after that were enough I guess a person could commit a murder and tell the judge "Yeah, that was my bad, but let's move on and figure out ways to stop a murder like that from happening again".
I love Meade's list.
What's especially absurd is that she said in virtually the same breath that she and the admin are dedicated to finding out what happened so as to prevent its happening again.
This, right after tearing into someone for basically asking the question "What happened?"
I love Meade's list.
What's especially absurd is that she said in virtually the same breath that she and the admin are dedicated to finding out what happened so as to prevent its happening again.
This, right after tearing into someone for basically asking the question "What happened?"
Hillary should have taken a page out of her husband's book:
"With all due respect, Senator Johnson, I prepared for your question and I worked on it until pretty late last night. But I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I'm gonna say this again. I did NOT have anything to do with that story that woman, Ms. Rice, tried to sell to all the Sunday talk shows. I never told anybody to lie - not a single time. Never. These allegations are FALSE. And I need to go back to work... for the American people. Thank you."
Worked for Bill.
@nonapod. You misunderstand a simple logical premise. Reread what she said in the context of the exchange and you'll figure it out.
Sorry the soundbite that has been truncated to your tastes is more appealing than what she fully said in response to Sen. Johnson's questions :-/
"What difference at this point does it make?!"
In honor of Hillary's testimony, they should erect a "Statue of Limitations".
Nice post.
Yet...What difference, at this point, does it make?
Just remember....You didn't build that!
I know I sleep better knowing the SOS knows what's going on.
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Deny, obfuscate, toss out red herrings, and when all delaying tactics have been exhausted push the "it's old news" line. Vintage Clinton. It only fails when too little time has passed between the scandal and the public accounting.
If Bill Murray taught us anything in Meatballs, it's that "It just doesn't matter."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3S_k1dRbXY
War's a coming on many fronts.
jd offered: You misunderstand a simple logical premise. Reread what she said in the context of the exchange and you'll figure it out.
Sorry the soundbite that has been truncated to your tastes is more appealing than what she fully said in response to Sen. Johnson's questions :-/
I'm not seeing that, after watching again, jd. Could you be more specific?
We've been at war for over forty years. Only fools deign it, only fools believe Afghanistan and Iraq were different wars, same war different fronts. Many more fronts will open thanks to Obama's incompetence in north Africa.
@jd I understand perfectly what she said. She said at this point it's irrelevant why it happened. She cleverly changed the subject because she wasn't comfortable addressing the question (that being why did the administration pushed the video story) and thereby abdicating responsibility for the mess.
Following the Hildabeast's lead, Lurch has gone all watery in his Senate hearing.
Waiting patiently for, "What difference, at this point, does it make?".
It's a very valid statement; the election is over.
The efforts to show the people Benghazi, Fast and Furious, Solyndra (et al), voter fraud, the economy...failed to achieve the desired effect.
Nobody is going down for Benghazi, or anything else. By winning this election, Obama and all those he favors are bulletproof.
Yup and now we're gonna find out why it matters. I'm sorry for my descendants.
It's pretty interesting watching the leftists desperate to defend Clinton. It's true she isn't the most at fault, but if that mattered to them they'd be asking why Obama isn't answering these questions himself. I have yet to see a single point on that topic.
Their strategy is one dodge on top of another, until the clock runs out. You'd think they'd be embarassed supporting the effort to cover up events leading to 4 American deaths. But when weighed against the opportunity to spend $3,000 for $300 worth of birth control they seem to conclude the truth about the dead doesn't matter very much.
Revealing.
What difference did it make? Perhaps the difference between truth and obfuscation at the very highest levels of elected governance; a preventable difference between life and death for the 4; and an exacerbated difference of opinion which could be settled fact that won't go away soon.
lmao.
You "good" righties think you're shaming the left into behaving. In reality, you're playing their game.
Hint: what sort of person would think this story means nothing?
Answer: an evil person...or an extremely stupid one. Neither of whom will be convinced by your fulminations. They will only mock you, change the subject, and in the end, win---wherein we all lose.
Should've held your frame like real men, instead of collapsing like women. Too late now, bitches!
Enjoy the decline!
She is claiming: 1) " The Memory Hole" privilege belongs to Big Brother.
2)What's gone into the memory hole stays in the memory hole.
3)Justice has now perished from the earth. Deal with it.
No wonder Big Brother wants our guns and ammo confiscated NOW.
"What difference at this point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator." That inherently means identifying the cause, but not squabbling at this point to score political points because the administration wasn't prepared to come out and say it was an act of terrorism immediately after the event."
Right. She wants to figure out how it all happened, but she doesn't think she or anyone else in this administration should be expected to actually discuss what or how anything happened.
Bad things just keep happening in this administration. I wonder why that is? Shut up, she explained.
How much evil can an entity cause, or ignore, or condone, before the entity collapses in its own vomit?
Thank you ma'am. May I have another?
Where are the families of the dead? I'd sit my ass down in the fucking White House until I had answers to all my questions. I'd make these cocksuckers arrest me. They'd have to send me to Gitmo to shut me up.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
Is right up there with:
Shut up, he explained.
@Valentine Smith:
Duh. "True" believers, like INga the Obama Whore, O Ritmo, And the Fag, and Garbage Pail would only be too happy to allow their loved ones to die to protect and/or cover up the sins of Obama.
So those "true" believers are probably smiling at the murders of their family members, happy that Sen. Clinton is pretending nothing happened. All for the glory of the party, comrade! Forward! Seig Heil, Mein Obama!
Where are the families of the dead?
Where are the survivors? Someone told me they were CIA and would never be named. But, of course, it was a consulate and therefore some of them had to be State!
One Jew to the next waiting in line for the "showers".
"What difference at this point does it make?"
Just released video of Hillary's testimony.
James Earl Ray while being captured at London Heathrow Airport,
"What difference at this point does it make?"
Re: AIDS
What difference, at this point, does it make?
"What difference at this point does it make?"
The answer is that it makes all the difference in the world for the future of this country. An incumbent president covered up the truth about the murder of a U.S. ambassador and three other American personnel during the climax of his re-election campaign, even puppeteered his United Nations ambassador to echo the lie on five TV shows, all to cover up the incompetence of the Obama administration's counter-terrorism policies.
Anything that distracted from Obama's re-election message that "Osama bin Laden is dead" couldn't be let out if the president's re-election was to be assured.
Read More At IBD: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/012313-641705-hillary-clinton-testify-benghazi-ambassador-terrorism.htm#ixzz2Ivk8yAkF
Sirhan Sirhan to the judge at his arraignment in L.A,
"At this point, what difference does it make?"
When ask by reporters about JFK's assassination, after LBJ had been sworn in on Air force One, LBJ replied,
"What difference at this point does it make?"
"What does it matter?"
What does it matter whether an attack was a spontaneous public riot or the action of the sworn enemies of the United States of America. Enemies that the US has been at intermittent war with for two decades and which the US and its allies have expended trillions of dollars and the lives of thousands of soldiers in fighting?
What does it matter?
What does it matter to the Secretary of State whether or not the details of an attack on the US have significant geopolitical importance? What does it matter? People die. Soldiers die. Civilians die. Ambassadors die. What does it matter?
Does this mean that we can retroactively remove any of the credit Obama has taken for the death of Bin Laden? After all, what does it matter?
Because of Obama's father's Kenyan citizenship, is Obama a Natural Born Citizen or just an ordinary Citizen with dual citizenship?
What difference at this point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator.
Ann Althouse said...
"This very careless slip of the tongue will become legendary!"
It's not a careless slip of the tongue. It's the talking point the administration started using immediately after the attack. I've heard it over and over again. Clinton showed up planning to say exactly that, in various formulations, and that was the one that sounded the worse. But that was completely the talking point. Something happened in the past and we should move on. Only idiots dwell in the past.
I suspect that they were saying what happened happened, let's move on even before the individuals had died. This is a lost cause. They are doomed.
Forward!
Democrat Governors ask Mark Zuckerberg to cancel his fundraiser for Chris Christie.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
Christie/Paul 2016? oh, my.
IRS audit & laws changed in 3...2....1...
Mark Z. also likes to hunt.
Christie for POTUS?
Pardon me while I vomit and blow chunks.
A bunch of gay men had unprotected sex with anonymous partners and got a virus - What difference, at this point, does it make?
"What difference, at this point, does it make?"
That brings to mind this great movie scene.
Let's not bicker and argue about "who killed whom." This is a festive occasion!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxFrXuly_B0
Yeah, because if you believe she was right to ask "what difference does it make?" to that question, then you cannot believe in such a thing as a question where the answer matters. or something.
Great job convincing everyone of your position, here. Your "refusal to be silenced" that you have righteously declared, really has taken bravery. I am only glad that you haven't had to go to jail for speaking up.
Four months after Pearl Harbor: What difference, at this point, does it make?
Sperm on the blue dress: What difference, at this point, does it make?
So Kerry threw away his medals.
What difference, at this point, does it make?
Terrific post, thanks, Meade.
A couple of points:
* JD says Hilarity was responding to the administration's incorrect blaming of a video for the attack, and that IS the context, yes. But I would argue, as I think I commented here way back, that for the President of the United States and his henchwomen to "condemn" an American citizen to the world for a constitutionally protected expression is actually FAR more hideous than the brutal deaths of four citizens, terrible as they were. The ramifications are enormous. And the Islamists heard it loud and clear. This government will no longer defend or protect us, or our freedoms. That hapless filmmaker is in jail now. Loud and clear.
* Hillary's use of the maudlin, voice-cracking, emotionally righteous tack, soooo feeble female and misguided, should disqualify her forever from office. This is similar to what Ann said in a post about Susan Rice, if you can't criticize a govt. official because she is black (or female), then blacks (or females) can't hold govt. positions.
* I agree with Seeing Red that we will be paying for this administration's choices on Sept. 11, 2012 for generations to come.
I would like to think that in the United States of America it would matter how and why a US ambassador was murdered.
The Repubs on the panel were pitiful. It was like they weren't really trying.
1. Mrs Clinton, what intel did the Prez have at his disposal during the attack? You? The Africa Region Commander? What was known and by whom of the events of those seven hours?
2. Who received the calls for help from the Americans under attack? How was that information disseminated? Were there any discussions at all about sending in assets?
3. Who made the decision not to intervene? Name? Documents?
4. What compensation has been given and or promised to the families of the four murdered Americans?
And that's just a start. Why was the Commander of Africa Region relieved of his command in such an untimely manner? And on and on.
The Republicans were pitiful. A 1L student could have asked better questions and strategized the hearing better.
You don't get to posture till you have gotten the facts. That's like giving the jury your passionate closing argument without presenting the evidence.
That's cos the pubbies would have gone down, too, who knew what when?
"That's like giving the jury your passionate closing argument without presenting the evidence."
But that's all these that you are talking about Senators *have.* A passionate closing argument. That's all any of the faux outraged have.
I may be naive but,what difference, at this point, does it make?
I could have asked better questions and strategized better! So could a lot of non-lawyers.
Because Ann is a huge fan of the "mansplaining" meme, she will surely treasure this.
It's hard to pick the best one. Probably my favorite is: "Take the time McCain spends ranting to reorganize the pages in your binder." McCain. Good Lord, that guy.
I don't get those people's POV in video you linked, Harrogate. Are they the same people who said Biden "destroyed" Paul Ryan in their debate?
chickelit,
The website is certainly run by committed liberals, ideologues. But I do agree that this is how the spectacle looked to everyone who was not predisposed against Hillary going into the hearings. Paul, Johnson, McCain: they really did look like they were ranting for the sake of ranting. And she looked unflapped.
> It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator
What have they done as part of that "job" and when did they start doing it?
I ask because they didn't bother to investigate the scene for weeks.
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Being a Clinton means never having to say you're sorry, or wrong.
Humility is in such short supply throughout this administration.
This post seems like it could be the starting material to a follow-up to "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel.
I found her whole comment self-contradictory. Let me divide it into three parts, but bear in mind this was one continuous statement:
1. "With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk last night who decided to kill some Americans?"
2. "What difference, at this point, does it make?"
3. "It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator."
The problem is that 1 asks what happened, 2 is the statement that it makes no difference, and 3 is the statement that it is her job to figure out what happened. So to restate it:
"What happened? What difference, at this point, does it make? It's our job to figure out what happened."
I just don't see how that makes any sense.
Unless we give it a really wild interpretation:
"What happened? What difference, at this point, does it make [some people may ask]? [It matters because] It's our job to figure out what happened."
But . . . that's not very plausible.
It is also not plausible that the State Dept would have to wait for the FBI to interview survivors (as if its a crime investigation), rather than talk to them directly. We were in the middle of several embassies being under siege. To protect those embassies, they would *have* to know as quickly as possible what happened. How else can you fend off any other upcoming attacks?
The only answer is they knew what those survivors had to say. Either from following them in real time, or talking to them afterwards and not disclosing their answers.
So, at this point, what difference does it make what the administration said? They knew the truth, they just didn't share it.
(Thinks Hillary)
@rob: "Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill some Americans?" But it wasn't guys out for a walk who spontaneously decided they'd go kill some Americans. It was a planned terrorist attack by the Libyan affiliate of al Qaeda.
I would go even further than calling it a terrorist attack. It was a commando raid, not unlike the one that took out bin Laden.
"What Difference...Does it Make?" -- just below "Hillary!" -- will look great on a campaign poster.
"What Difference...Does it Make?" is the new "I'm going to DISNEYLAND!".
LOL - I think I love Meade.
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