Just finished listening to Mrs. Clinton’s House testimony. What a bizarre mixture of callousness:

“Most of the time they [i.e., diplomatic security personnel] get it right”

and sentimentality:

“It’s not just a matter of policy. It’s personal”

and posturing:

“The United States is the most extraordinary force for peace and progress the world has ever known.”

First Ed Royce struck out with some unfortunately vague questions. Next came sychophantic warbling from Eliot Rangel. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen then drew attention to how poorly the State Department spends money and asked why the post-Benghazi review board deigned not to interview Mrs. Clinton (“If they thought that I was relevant, I would have gladly [been interviewed],” the secretary said with admirable sang-froid). Eni Faleomavaega kindly shared a Samoan proverb and thanked Mrs. Clinton for her “exemplary and extraordinary” service, etc., Chris Smith drew parallels between the Benghazi attacks and the 1998 assaults upon the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania back in 1998; during this line of questioning, Mrs. Clinton claimed (nota bene!) not to have received any cables asking for additional security at the embassy. Brad Smith wheezed away, pretending that the secretary has foreign policy credibility; asked by him whether the Libyans have “the will and capacity” to arrest those responsible for the attacks, she responded “yes” to the former and “no” to the latter. Dana Rohrabacher wanted to learn precisely when Mrs. Clinton and President Obama decided that the embassy assault had nothing to do with a cartoonish anti-Muslim video: nothing do there, alas. Gregory Meeks called for spending more money.

I’m sure more is on the way, but the above should give you some idea of how this thing is being handled.

Mrs. Clinton is blaming House Republicans (giving the Libyans more money is “in our best interest”) and lowest-bid contracting laws (huh?) for the Benghazi deaths, making feeble jokes about New Yorkers, eulogizing ordinary Libyans. Procedure, not even theater, unfortunately.

Also: I think Margaret Carlson over at Bloomberg was watching video of the earlier Senate hearing overdubbed with dialogue from Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth.