BENGHAZI-GATE:  Frank Miele reminds us that the 1972 re-election of Richard Nixon was due, in part, to an elaborate cover-up of the Watergate break-in that occurred 5 months earlier, in June 1972.  But eventually, Nixon’s involvement was discovered and the American people demanded justice and accountability.  Says Miele:

And now here we are again, with a popular president who may very well win re-election despite the seriousness of the accusations made against him (though certainly by a much smaller margin that President Nixon did). The nation is divided and polarized, just as it was in 1972, and some people cannot bring themselves to think the worst of President Obama, no matter how damning the evidence is.

But one thing is certain. Just as Nixon could not escape the whirlwind of Watergate merely by winning an election, neither will Barack Obama avoid the judgment of history and the American people for what happened the night of Sept. 11, 2012. And as Nixon discovered to his chagrin, sometimes the sword of that judgment is terrible and swift.

Let’s hope the American people see the need for change, even if the full facts of Benghazi-gate aren’t made known until after the election.

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): Some related thoughts from Ann Althouse:

A Romney victory would give us the benefit of leaving the Benghazi scandal in the past. It will still be important to investigate, but it won’t — like the Watergate scandal, after the Nixon re-election — cripple a sitting President.

Another reason for Obama to go.