There is a real Benghazi scandal and it’s this: President Obama illegally invaded Libya, overthrew Moammar Gadhafi, and then–due to politics–left a power vacuum that terrorists filled, turning Libya into a hotbed of jihadist groups. The 2012 attack that killed four Americans was a consequence of the disorder and violence the administration left in the wake of its drive-by war.

The useful lesson from Benghazi isn’t about a White House lying (shocking!), but about the inherent messiness of regime change and the impossibility of a quick, clean war.