Here at the shebeen, we are going to be dipping in and out of Hillary Rodham Clinton's appearance before lopheaded Javert Trey Gowdy on Thursday morning. This is not because we have any illusions about this being the end of Benghazi, Benghazi!, BENGHAZI! There's too much money and too much base-pleasuring involved in keeping whatever this is supposed to be alive. But this is the Democratic presidential front-runner being tasked with appearing before yet another committee "investigating" whatever it is they've gotten around to investigating at this point.

I arrived just as Elijah Cummings, Democrat of Maryland, was beginning his questioning of HRC. I have become something of a Cummings fan because he has so clearly had more than enough of this bullshit. He was having a merry old time hanging Darrell Issa, the previous chef charged with whipping up this nothingburger, out to dry. But the highlight of the early testimony was the fact that, having donned his kangaroo suit, Gowdy did pretty much the same thing.

"Even after an Accountability Review Board and half a dozen congressional investigations, these and other questions still lingered. These questions lingered because those previous investigations were not thorough. These questions lingered because those previous investigations were narrow in scope and either incapable or unwilling to access the facts and evidence necessary to answer all relevant questions."

Susan Brooks, a Republican from Indiana, brings out two piles of e-mails that she says are the e-mails concerning Libya. One pile is for 2011. The other is for 2012. The 2011 pile is much bigger. Congresswoman Brooks is very troubled by piles. (So was Napoleon, now that I think about it.) "I can only conclude from your own record that there was a lack of interest in Libya in 2012," Brooks began. "Let's deal with this pile, first."

If you're playing the Benghazi Committee Drinking Game, and "Huma Abedin" is one of your cues to take a shot, you're already passed out on the couch. And there was a lovely moment when HRC mentioned the name of Sid Blumenthal and Brooks did everything but whip out a crucifix and a string of garlic.

Dear god, democracy can't take much more of this.

Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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