Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Los Angeles Wednesday to accept an award named after another former Secretary of State, but it was what she did not talk about that garnered more attention than what she did discuss.
Clinton and the State Department have been largely criticized for their response to the attacks in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 that resulted in four American casualties, including the death of Ambassador. J. Christopher Stevens.
On the same day that Clinton accepted the award, a report by the U.S. Congress faulted Clinton for withdrawing troops from the region despite growing civil unrest and requests from military personnel there. Despite those concerns, Clinton did not address that issue during the event.
"We truly, still today - despite all of our partisan wrangling, and the gridlock that sometimes seems to take hold - we stand up for the rights and opportunities of all people," Clinton said in a speech that centered primarily around policy in Asia and the death of former Secretary of State Warren Christopher.
Clinton seemed to do little to push her political agenda for a possible 2016 presidential run, which came as a surprise to many who have been expecting that rhetoric to ramp up for some time now. She did however talk at length about the importance of the Asian economies for the future success of the global economy.
"I believe the shape of the global economy, the advance of democracy and human rights, our hopes for a 21st century that is less bloody than the 20th century, all hinge to a large degree on what happens in the Asia Pacific," Clinton said.
She also opined on the legacy of the former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, for whom her award was named after. Meanwhile, Congress was having a field day full of accusations aimed at Clinton that could very well derail her presidential hopes.
"I find it stunning that four and a half months after the attack, Secretary Clinton still has the gall to say it wasn't us," Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz said during the House hearing Wednesday that investigated the Benghazi attacks.