Hillary Clinton's Falling on Her Sword May Doom President Obama

COMMENTARY | According to CNN, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has "taken responsibility" for the debacle in Libya, thus falling on her sword to protect President Obama and his men. Somewhere, the shade of Harry Truman waxes wrought indeed.

Why this is convenient for Obama is obvious. Contrary to what Harry Truman once said, quoted by Hillary Clinton herself during the 2008 campaign, the buck does not stop at the Oval Office. Obama is now absolved of creating the policy and allowing the conditions that killed an American ambassador and his three companions.

What is less clear is why Secretary Clinton did it. She has just ended any ambitions she might have for 2016. Her Democratic opponents would gleefully remind her of what she said if she were to dare make another run for the presidency.

It is not as if she has any reason to be loyal to Obama. He has treated her with great disrespect ever since the 2008 campaign. Allowing her (or perhaps, when all is said and done, compelling her) to take the fall for Benghazi is not what one does to a loyal subordinate.

It may just be that the need to stop Mitt Romney from becoming president overrides every other consideration, including personal honor and integrity. Secretary Clinton has sacrificed both, likely to no good purpose.

Romney, more in sorrow than in anger, has yet another talking poin! t against Obama. Here is the president, hiding behind his own Secretary of State's pantsuit, trying to evade responsibility and shift blame. Even if Obama was not privy to every security decision that left America's ambassador to Libya naked onto his enemies, the ultimate responsibility lies with him.

What women voters are going to think about the president throwing the most powerful woman in his administration under the bus can only be imagined. USA Today reports that already women are turning away from Obama and are moving toward Romney. That process is likely to deepen and accelerate.

President Obama may think that he has skated by Secretary Clinton falling on her sword for him. But all he may have done is to seal his own fate and doom his hopes for re-election.