John McCain, speaking in 2005 in support of the nomination of Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State, notwithstanding the fact that Rice had previously testified (wrongly) that there were indeed weapons of mass destruction in Iraq:
So I wonder why we are starting this new Congress with a protracted debate about a foregone conclusion. . . . I can only conclude we are doing this for no other reason than lingering bitterness at the outcome of the elections. . . . We all have varying policy views, but the President, in my view, has a clear right to put in place the team he believed would serve him best.
And yet, now he says he will do anything to block a possible nomination of Susan Rice for Secretary of State, claiming she somehow lied about Benghazi:
[Susan Rice is] not qualified. Anyone who goes on national television and in defiance of the facts, five days later — We’re all responsible for what we say and what we do. I’m responsible to my voters. She’s responsible to the Senate of the United States. We have our responsibility for advice and consent. (on CBS News)
I will do everything in my power to block her from being the United States Secretary of State. She has proven that she either doesn’t understand or she is not willing to accept evidence on its face. (on Fox and Friends)
In case you are keeping score at home, the number of United States citizens killed in Iraq, a war based on several false premises, currently totals more than 4,488. And more than 33,000 have been wounded. The number killed in Benghazi: 4.
