Shot:
Although the issue may resonate with some voters, pushing it too hard is politically risky for Republicans, said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who is running for re-election this year.
"If we're playing politics with Benghazi, we'll get burned," Graham said on CBS's "Face the Nation."
Chaser:
The House will be out of session all of August and is expected to adjourn by early October so members can campaign for re-election.
That leaves 3½ months for the Gowdy committee to do its work and prepare a report for the House, if it is to have any impact by Election Day.
I know that Graham, despite his warning, doesn't actually believe that the GOP's
new House Select Committee on Benghazi will backfire. At this point, Benghazi conspiracy theories are just too ingrained on the right for them to actually see straight on the subject. But when November rolls around, and the GOP's Benghazi obsession has served as a reminder for why they are not ready to function as a governing party, he can look back at those words and say to himself: "I told you so."