Al Kamen
Al Kamen
In the Loop

A jillion Watergates?

Washington generally exists in a hyperbolic state, but even the most jaded ears had to prick up when Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) declared to the Washington Times that L’Affaire Benghazi is “10 times bigger” than the Watergate and Iran-contra scandals combined.

So, let’s do the math. If Watergate ended in a president’s resignation, plus dozens of criminal convictions, and Iran-contra yielded 11 convictions, and Benghazi is 10 times that serious . . . wait a sec . . . the one . . . then it will result in at least 10 presidents resigning and hundreds of convictions.

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King’s math is complex. After all, he once asserted that the various allegations against the community organization ACORN were “thousands of times bigger than Watergate.”

We’ll need a cosmic calculator for this one: If Benghazi is 10 times the size of Watergate and Iran-contra combined, is that bigger or smaller than Watergate times a couple of thousand?

People died in Benghazi, and that’s a tragedy. What’s less clear is whether what happened afterward is in Watergate territory.

But that “Watergate” label gets slapped on anything these days. In the language of particularly excitable Republicans, it translates to “raises an eyebrow.”

Jon Stewart this year mocked the frequent use of the Watergate phrase by Fox News, running a clip of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) asserting that Solyndra made “Watergate look like child’s play.”

We seem to recall that House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) once said that the “Fast and Furious” gun mess “looks an awful lot like Iran-contra.” He later added a Watergate comparison: “This is like Iran-contra, like Watergate.”

Former congressman Dan Burton (R-Ind.) was fond of his Watergate comparisons, too. He once said the collection of documents on Republicans by the administration of President Bill Clinton could go “beyond Watergate in its seriousness.”

One suggestion? If Republicans want to turn Benghazi into a souped-up Watergate, they might consider a catchier name.

Where the money is

In these days of international financial uncertainty — and occasional panic — it’s good to see the International Monetary Fund folks still know how to party. Really party.

The Saturday night annual holiday blowout for some 7,000 employees and guests features seven “serving stations” for various cuisines and unlimited booze.

We start at the IMF headquarters with 90 minutes of “passed hors d’oeuvres,” featuring the usual stuff: caviar creme fraiche and “local Choptank sweet oyster shooters with tomato jalapeño broth,” “smoked salmon mousse in an edible cone” and, of course, “warm truffle braised short rib tartlets.”

The “Peppermint Patty” and “Poinsettia” passed cocktails help wash it all down and get you in the proper party mood.

But go easy, lest you fill up and miss out on the stunning dinner fare at the food stations, featuring Indian, Thai/
Vietnamese, Mediterranean/ Middle Eastern, Spanish, Mexican and even American food.

The booze stations feature “specialty drinks” such as the “Partridge in a Pear Breeze,” the “Mr. Grinch” and the “Nutty Jester.” There’s also the more traditional margarita.

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