CBS’s Bob Schieffer has emerged as an unlikely hero for the pro-Benghazi scandal side , grilling Obama administration officials on the talking points presented shortly after the September attack.
On Sunday’s “Face the Nation,” Schieffer grilled Obama senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer who continued the dodgy narrative presented by the current administration.
Pfeiffer balked most of Schieffer’s questions, leading the host to accuse the current administration of taking “exactly the approach that the Nixon administration took” and scolding him, asking: “Why are you here today? Why isn’t the White House Chief of Staff here to tell us what happened?”
Pfeiffer blamed Republicans for politicizing the issue , stressing that the president is focusing on bigger issues.
“We’re not going to let that distract us and the President from actually doing the people’s work and fighting for the middle class,” he said.
Schieffer responded:
“You know, I don’t want to compare this in any way to Watergate. I do not think this is Watergate by any stretch. But you weren’t born then I would guess, but I have to tell you that is exactly the approach that the Nixon administration took. They said, ‘These are all second-rate things. We don’t have time for this. We have to devote our time to the people’s business.’ You’re taking exactly the same line they did.”
Pfeiffer continued to be evasive, to which Schieffer offered his most pointed criticism of the current administration.
“It’s my, I’ll just make this as an assertion: when the executive branch does things right, there doesn’t seem to be any hesitancy of the White House to take credit for that.
“But with all of these things, when these things happen, you seem to send out officials many times who don’t even seem to know what has happened.”
He also compared Pfeiffer’s Sunday talk show rounds to Susan Rice’s ill-fated appearances last September, which in many ways began the “Benghazi scandal” proper.
“The bottom line is what she [Rice] told the American people that day bore no resemblance to what had happened on the ground in an incident where four Americans were killed.”
He then ended with a pretty decent question, all things being equal.
“I mean I would, and I mean this as no disrespect to you, why are you here today? Why isn’t the White House Chief of Staff here to tell us what happened?”
Watch the video of Bob Schieffer grilling Dan Pfieffer below, via NewsBusters :