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 　　WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday in a congressional hearing took responsibility for the security failure in the attack on the U.S. consulate¹ in Benghazi, Libya. But she defended fiercely for the handling by the Obama administration on the attack's aftermath.

　　"As I have said many times since Sept. 11, I take responsibility," Clinton said before the hearing held by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This is probably one of her last appearances in congress before she steps down as secretary of state.

　　"Nobody is more committed to getting this right. I am determined² to leave the State Department and our country safer, stronger and more secure," she said.

　　The deadly Sept. 11 attack in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi last year killed U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. The U.S. State Department has been under harsh criticism for its inadequate³ protection of the U. S. mission.

　　On Dec. 18, the independent Accountability Review Board (ARB) released a review of the Benghazi attack, noting that "management deficiencies" at high levels of the State Department had contributed to the deadly outcome.

　　Following the report, four State Department officials were removed from their posts, including Eric Boswell, assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security.

　　Facing questionings from the senators, Clinton fiercely defended the administration against charges that it tried to cover up the truth surrounding the attack.

　　"With all due respect, the fact is, we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or because of guys out for a walk one night and decided⁴ to go kill some Americans? What difference does it make?" Clinton responded angrily and pounded her fist on the table when repeatedly pressed by Republican Senator Ron Johnson.

　　"It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, senator," she said.

　　Five days after the attack, U.S. Ambassador to UN Susan Rice showed up in a number of American national television programs, characterizing the incident as one arising from a spontaneous protest over an American-made anti-Islam film. Her comments, which caused lots of controversies⁵ and were seen as misleading to the American people, cost her chance to become the next secretary of state.

　　For her defense⁶, Clinton said that Rice's controversial statements were the result of a "typical" inter-agency process and many questions about the attack remained.

　　"We didn't know who the attackers were or what their motives⁷ were," she said. "The picture remains⁸ somewhat complicated."Clinton turned emotional and even choked with tears in her eyes while talking about how she personally felt about the loss of four Americans in Benghazi.

　　"This is not just a matter of policy. It's personal. I stood next to President Obama as the Marines carried those flag-draped caskets off the plane at Andrews (air force base)," Clinton told the senators. "I put my arms around the mothers and fathers, the sisters and brothers, the sons and daughters, and the wives left alone to raise their children."Later in the afternoon, Clinton is expected to continue her hearing on the Benghazi attack before a House committee.

1 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

6 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

7 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。