Susan Rice may be defeated, and Hillary Clinton may be leaving Foggy Bottom, but John McCain isn't giving up on the idea that someone, someday is going to answer is questions about Benghazi.

McCain claimed that he wasn't planning to bring up the topic during John Kerry's confirmation hearing, but he had his hand forced by earlier questioners today who suggested that the American people don't really care whether it was a "spontaneous demonstration" or a well-planned and highly coordinated terrorist assault that destroyed the Benghazi consulate. McCain began his question time for Kerry by saying, "I didn't want to bring it up, but since it was brought up I'll respond again." The he spoke for a full seven minutes about the topic, eventually pivoting to Syria, Russia, and Iran, and wrapped up without actually asking a question.

McCain—who was added to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this year, apparently so he could ask people about this—even repeated some of the exact same lines from yesterday's questioning of Hillary Clinton. ("People don't bring mortars and RPGs to spontaneous demonstrations.") But mostly, he just wants it know that he hasn't received the answers he's looking for: "We still haven't gotten the answers and for anyone to say that we don't care what happened is absolutely is false."

In another strange moment, about halfway through his "question," McCain said to Kerry: "While I was hanging on every word that you were saying John, I happened to glance at my apps," then proceeded to read a BBC News story about Syrian refugees directly off his phone. ("We will reap the whirlwind.")

However, the one person McCain didn't ask to give an answer was John Kerry. He finished by simply giving yet another version of what every other Senator has been repeating: "I know this is important to you, John." Perhaps it would have been rude to push Kerry too hard after McCain was the one sitting next to him at the witness table, before getting up and taking his place on the panel.  This was still an overly polite coronation ceremony for one of the committee's own, and one that doesn't even qualify as a road bump on Kerry's path to the State Department.

By the way, this was Kerry reaction, before giving his response.

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Dashiell Bennett