Sen. Graham Alleges Libya Cover-Up
South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham told Face the Nation Sunday that the Obama administration and the State Department were “either incompetent” or “misleading” in their handling of the fallout from last month’s attack on the Libyan consulate in Benghazi. “They’re trying to sell a narrative, quite frankly, that the Middle East, the wars are receding and al Qaeda’s been dismantled,” Graham said. “I think they have been misleading us, but it finally caught up with them.” The longtime Republican senator went on to say that he believes the president knew “within 24 hours” that the attack had been carried out by terrorists.
Cummings: GOP on A ‘Witch Hunt’
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The White House declined to send a spokesperson to Face the Nation to rebut Senator Graham. So Congressman Elijah Cummings got on the air to call the Republican criticism “a witch hunt.” “This conspiracy stuff is kind of ridiculous,” Cummings said of the cover-up allegations. “I’ve been kind of surprised that they’d go to these lengths.”
Colbert: ‘I'm Not Ralph Nader'
Talking with David Gregory on Meet the Press, Stephen Colbert says he’s not exactly sure how Obama or Romney would govern for the next four years. However, unlike two-party skeptics who believe there’s no difference between Democrats and Republicans, Colbert knows “there’s gotta be a difference between these two men, or we’re all part of a huge, cruel joke.”
Romney’s Real Record on Abortion
After condemning the Obama campaign’s attack ads for “distorting [Romney’s] position” on economics, senior Romney adviser Ed Gillespie was pressed to defend the GOP candidate’s abortion record on Fox News Sunday. Host Chris Wallace asked why recent comments about abortion legislation didn’t seem to square with the campaign’s official stance, but Gillespie was adamant that Romney has been consistently straightforward and conservative.
Gibbs: ‘Stop Playing Politics’ with Benghazi Tragedy
On State of the Union, Obama campaign senior adviser Robert Gibbs spoke strongly against Mitt Romney’s public politicizing of last month’s deadly attack on the American compound in Benghazi, Libya. Gibbs cited the words of the father of slain Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, asserting that Democrats and Republicans should be getting to the bottom of this tragedy together, instead of using it as fodder for rhetorical jousting.
Portman Doesn’t Want to Risk Losing Ohio
He may not have gotten on the ticket, but Senator Rob Portman has been tasked with leading Mitt Romney’s Ohio effort—and as the senator himself said on This Week Sunday, that might as well be as important. “Look,” he told guest host Jake Tapper, “you can probably win the presidency without Ohio, but I wouldn’t want to take the risk. No Republican has.” No pressure, Rob.
Journalists in Campaign Ads: Fair Game?
On Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz asks David Frum and political analyst Steve Roberts whether the campaigns are wrong to use noteworthy television journalists in their political ads, despite protests from the networks. “If the media can show Joe Biden’s notes,” Frum said, referencing close-up shots of the veep’s papers during last week’s debate, “the political campaigns can certainly show the people who ask the questions.”