Opinion: Republicans Focus On Conspiracy Theories Instead Of Solutions For America
Republicans are spinning all sorts of conspiracy theories about General Petraeus' unfortunate personal decisions. Revelations surrounding the affair have prompted the tin foil hat crowd on the right to find all sorts of conspiracies about why the news that CIA Director David Petraeus was having an affair with his biographer was released after the election.
One theory holds that IF ONLY REPUBLICANS HAD KNOWN, ROMNEY WOULD HAVE WON THE ELECTION.
There are two problems with this conspiracy theory.
One, it is stupid. Mitt Romney would not have won the election because CIA Director David Petraeus' was having an extra-marital affair. It is an assertion completely divorced from reality – a common position that the right wing entertainment media takes.
Two, it is not true. Republican Members of Congress, including Congressman Eric Cantor, were informed that the FBI investigation was happening earlier in the fall.
But that fact has not stopped the right wing entertainers on FOX and other outlets from making the false claim.
Another theory put forward was that PETRAEUS WAS TAKEN OUT TO STOP HIM FROM TESTIFYING ON BENGHAZI.
General Petraeus did testify on Benghazi . He was not executed or detained. He was, however, forced to resign his post because he made a major mistake in judgment. At no point was there a suggestion that Petraeus would be unable to testify before Congress.
But the right wing nuts went nuts screaming that this was part of the administration's cover up.
Republicans will also regret the demand that Petraeus testify because he made it clear the administration, including the intelligence agencies, handled the Benghazi information in a professional, not political, manner.
Now a Republican Member of Congress has decided, based on no evidence, that HOLDER AND OBAMA DISCUSSED THE INVESTIGAION PRIVATELY BEFORE THE ELECTION AND ARE LYING ABOUT IT.
Mike Rogers, GOP Congressman from Michigan, is obsessed by his personal belief that Attorney General Eric Holder must have told President Obama about the investigation before the election.
Rogers said "I'm not sure that the president was not told before Election Day. The attorney general said that the Department of Justice did not notify the president, but we don't know if the attorney general...(told Obama)."
He wants Holder to come before the intelligence committees to discuss it. "We could resolve this very quickly with a conversation in the intelligence spaces if he did have that conversation with the president."
If Republicans are truly focused on improving their electoral standing after the November 6 electoral defeat they should focus on real issues instead of grandstanding for the Tea Party base. Most Americans hear this non-sense and cannot understand why the GOP is making a big political deal about Obama because his CIA Director was having an affair with his biographer.
After all, we just had a big election about the economy and taxes. The GOP focus is just another tone-deaf political move.
About Bill Buck
Bill Buck is a Democratic strategist, President of the Buck Communications Group, a media relations and new media strategies consulting business based in Washington, DC, and Managing Director of the online ad firm Influence DSP. He has over twenty years of international and national communications experience. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CBS Local.
