What manner of man, woman or child could watch live video of American heroes under violent attack for seven hours without sending aid easily within their power?  What kind of government could allow the personal representative of the President of the United States of America to be killed before their eyes?  What kind of personal honor would allow multiple individuals to boldly lie about such an event and blame it on non-related activity halfway around the world?

If you have not yet heard of the Benghazi Consulate Attack, please read The Blaze review of Glenn Beck’s Wednesday television show before you vote for president.

Beck noted that America has had three major scandals in the White House: Former President Richard Nixon’s Watergate, the Iran-Contra scandal with former President Ronald Reagan and former President Bill Clinton’s sex scandal with Monica Lewinsky.  But in those cases, “as the old catchphrase goes, When Clinton lied, no one died,” Beck said. In Benghazi, four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in a horrific manner.

Beck went on to discuss Tuesday night’s explosive report that revealed 300 to 400 national security officials received emails detailing the Benghazi terrorist attack as it was happening on 9/11, raising fresh questions about the truth behind the Benghazi attack.

The emails show that the Libyan radical Islamic group Ansar al-Sharia claimed responsibility for the attack just two hours after it began via social media. White House officials told CBS News that an unmanned Predator drone was sent over the U.S. mission in Libya, providing Washington with a live feed to the chaos that unfolded.

“Everyone had these emails, everyone,” Beck said, holding a hard copy of the emails in his hands. “These emails were accompanied with video and links to be able see everything live as it was happening. It makes it very, very clear. This was a terrorist attack conducted by a terrorist organization. There’s nothing in here about a YouTube video.”

Beck explained that if the administration was really working off the “facts,” the White House would have never mentioned the anti-Muslim YouTube video.

But one of the most disturbing developments involves the Obama administration’s response to the assault, according to Beck.

“Why would he choose not to send in a quick response force?” he asked. “Why were they not dispatched to Benghazi? Why were people in the situation room standing around watching our people get killed. Help could have been there within the hour.”

Click here for the story with links and video from The Blaze.

The hottest new issue video is a mini-documentary following Irina, a 23-year-old liberal Jewish New Yorker who voted for Obama in 2008.  The film features exclusive interviews with leading journalists and politicians from the United States and Israel including Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz, NYC Mayor Ed Koch, Senator Joseph Lieberman and others.

Irina, the YouTube posting notes, has grown increasingly concerned about the policies of the Obama Administration as she has learned more about the President’s policies across the Middle East and towards Israel in particular.  Irina has come to realize that "when the chips are down," the President may not "have Israel’s back" as he says.

“I don’t know how many people realize this, but today, Israelis are lining up for gas masks and cleaning out their bomb shelters,” Irina begins.

American politicians have been united for generations in “leaving politics at the water’s edge” and in general loyalty to Israel, but that level of honor has appeared to fade in both parties over recent decades.  

Click here to view the YouTube video, Absolutely Uncertain.

Welfare spending has grown substantially over the past four years, reaching $746 billion in 2011 — or more than Social Security, basic defense spending or any other single chunk of the federal government — according to a new memo by the Congressional Research Service.

The steady rise in welfare spending, which covers more than 80 programs
primarily designed to help low-income Americans, got a big boost from
the 2009 stimulus and has grown, albeit somewhat more slowly, in 2010
and 2011. One reason is that more people are qualifying in the weak
economy, but the federal government also has broadened eligibility so
that more people qualify for programs.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, who requested the Congressional Research Service report, said it underscores a fundamental shift in welfare, moving away from a Band-Aid and toward a more permanent crutch.

“No longer should we measure compassion by how much money the government spends but by how many people we help to rise out of poverty,” the Alabama conservative said. “Welfare assistance should be seen as temporary whenever possible and the goal must be to help more of our fellow citizens attain gainful employment and financial independence.”

Overall, welfare spending as measured by obligations has grown from $563 billion in fiscal 2008 to $746 billion in fiscal 2011, or a jump of 32 percent.

The CRS numbers tell a complex story of American taxpayers’ generosity in supporting a varied social safety net, ranging from food stamps to support for low-income AIDS patients to child-care payments to direct cash going from taxpayers to the poor.

Read more: Welfare spending jumps 32% in four years – Washington Times.

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) today released a new oversight report, “Wastebook 2012” that highlights more than $18 billion in examples of some of the most egregious ways your taxpayer dollars were wasted in 2012. This report highlights 100 of the year’s countless unnecessary, duplicative and low-priority projects spread throughout the federal government.

“The problem in Washington is politicians are very specific about what we should fund but not specific about what we should cut. As a result, we are chasing robotic squirrels and countless other low-priority projects over a fiscal cliff,” said Dr. Coburn.

“This report also exposes the folly of across-the-board-cuts or sequestration. There is no question we can find hundreds of billion dollars of waste in our budget.  Yet, by not going through the budget line by line and setting priorities we are protecting ridiculous programs like caviar promotion and climate change musicals while cutting vital programs.  Until Congress has the guts to cut specific programs we will never get our debt under control.  As these examples illustrate, it is not nearly as hard to make those choices as many politicians claim.  Instead of spending federal dollars to help golfers imagine a smaller hole we should be trying to shrink the hole in our budget,” Dr. Coburn said.

Examples of wasteful spending highlighted in “Wastebook 2012” include:

•    Tax loopholes for the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL) and Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) – professional sports leagues that generate billions of dollars annually in profits ($91 million in taxes)
•    Moroccan pottery classes (part of a $27 million grant from U.S. Agency for International Development)  
•    Efforts to promote caviar consumption and production ($300,000)
•    Robotic squirrel named “RoboSquirrel” (part of a $325,000 grant from the National Science Foundation)
•    Promotion of specialty shampoo and other beauty products for cats and dogs ($505,000)
•    Corporate welfare for the world’s largest snack food producer, PepsiCo Inc. ($1.3 million)
•    Government-funded study on how golfers might benefit from using their imagination, envisioning the hole is bigger than it actually is ($350,000)
•     “Prom Week,” a video game that allows taxpayers to relive prom night ($516,000)
•    Oklahoma’s layover boondoggle, a scarcely used airport in Oklahoma receiving nearly half-a-million in taxpayer dollars only to transfer funds elsewhere in the state ($450,000)
•    The 2012 Alabama Watermelon Queen tour paid for in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “to promote the consumption of Alabama’s watermelon through appearances of the Alabama Watermelon Queen at various events and locations” ($25,000)

To read the full report: click here.

View a complete list and summary of Wastebook 2012 projects: click here.

Wastebook 2012 Storybook with illustrated highlights: click here.

Watch Wastebook 2012 premier on ABC World News: click here.

Vice President Joe Biden and Republican contender Paul Ryan clashed over abortion and religious freedom during their debate and of the statements, Biden defended the administration against claims that the government is forcing Catholic organizations to violate conscience with the enforcement of the controversial contraception mandate.

On Friday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement, fact-checking Biden’s commentary and railing against the notion that institutions will be free and clear from the mandate’s clauses.

In a statement published on the bishops’ web site, church leaders sought to clarify Biden’s words about the regulation and its impact on faith-based institutions. Contrary to what Catholic leaders have been fighting against — even taking to the courts to try and prevent — Biden said during the debate that hospitals, schools and other religiously-affiliated groups — won’t have “to pay for contraception.”

“With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear. No religious institution—Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital—none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide,” he said. “That is a fact. That is a fact.”

The USCCB has come out strongly against Biden’s statements, claiming that they are not based on “fact.” Here’s the statement that the church put out in response to his proclamation:

    "This is not a fact. The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain “religious employers.” That exemption was made final in February and does not extend to “Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital,” or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.

    "USCCB continues to urge HHS, in the strongest possible terms, actually to eliminate the various infringements on religious freedom imposed by the mandate."

Click here for video and more from The Blaze.