Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is preparing for high political drama on Thursday when she testifies before the House Select Committee probing the 2012 terrorist attacks that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya. Clinton was secretary of state at the time of the attacks and her testimony could have an impact on her White House hopes for 2016.

Republicans on the committee are expected to grill Clinton about the terror attacks that took four American lives, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, on September 11, 2012.

But Clinton has tried to put the focus on the committee by seizing on Republican comments that the Benghazi panel is targeting her politically. The Clinton campaign put out an ad that included a now-infamous clip of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy talking about the Benghazi probe in an interview with Fox News.

Given Clinton’s presidential aspirations, the political stakes for her appearance are huge, said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell. "And I think the optics [appearance] of it could really be damaging to Hillary Clinton, regardless of what comes out of that hearing," he said.

Read more from Jim Malone at Voice of America

Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California still appears to be on track to become the next speaker of the House. He did himself no favors this week, however, with some comments on the Benghazi investigation and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

McCarthy has been in apology mode the past few days after he told a Fox News program that since House Republicans had created the special committee to look into the 2012 terrorist attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, Clinton’s poll numbers have dropped.

McCarthy added, “Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened had we not fought and made it happen.”

The Clinton campaign, congressional Democrats and even disenchanted Republicans quickly jumped all over McCarthy’s comments.

Clinton is scheduled to testify before the panel on October 22 and it is seen by many as a key test of her presidential campaign. 

But Republican strategists still expect the House committee to grill Clinton about her handling of the aftermath of the Benghazi attacks.

“I think the optics of it could really be damaging to Hillary Clinton regardless of what comes out of that hearing,” said strategist Ford O’Connell.

But is there a danger Republicans could go too far?

“Oh, absolutely. They can overplay their hand.” He quickly added, “The Clinton camp likes to say that so far they [Republicans] are overplaying their hand on the email [controversy]. But so far, it’s working.”

Read more from Jim Malone at Voice of America

When they step onto the debate stage in Boca Raton, Fla., on Monday for their third and final debate, President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney will be talking about foreign affairs even as they make one last push to win over a national audience more concerned about the economy and jobs.

Monday's debate will be a tiebreaker of sorts for the two presidential candidates. Romney clearly dominated their first meeting on Oct. 3, and while Republicans insist Romney also held his own in their second standoff last week, most analysts credit Obama with finally showing the energy and assertiveness his supporters have been demanding.

Now running virtually even, Obama and Romney will both be looking for a breakaway moment in a debate that effectively shifts the conversation away from the race's main focus. Instead of talking about the economy, they will be asked about global affairs.

Obama may have given Romney additional ammunition on the issue when, during an appearance on Comedy Central's "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" last week, he described the four American deaths as "not optimal." Obama drew an immediate rebuke from the mother of one of the men killed.

"The whole 'optimal' comment removes the likability factor here" for Obama, said Republican strategist Ford O'Connell. "What Romney is really trying to fight to overcome here is the perception that Obama is strong on foreign policy."

Read more from Susan Ferrechio at The Washington Examiner

Something smells rotten in the state of Denmark. From CNN's Elise Labott:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday tried to douse a political firestorm over the deadly assault on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya, saying she's responsible for the security of American diplomatic outposts.

"I take responsibility," Clinton said during a visit to Peru. "I'm in charge of the State Department's 60,000-plus people all over the world, 275 posts. The president and the vice president wouldn't be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals. They're the ones who weigh all of the threats and the risks and the needs and make a considered decision."

But she said an investigation now under way will ultimately determine what happened at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, where Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed on September 11.

[Clinton] added, "What I want to avoid is some kind of political gotcha or blame game."

Clinton's statement of responsibility was "a laudable gesture, especially when the White House is trying to avoid any responsibility whatsoever," the Arizona senator said in a joint broadside with Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire. However, they added, "The security of Americans serving our nation everywhere in the world is ultimately the job of the commander-in-chief. The buck stops there."

Stevens, State Department computer expert Sean Smith and security contractors Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods died in the Benghazi assault, which State Department officials now say was the work of dozens of armed men.

Ford O'Connell and Democratic strategist David Dimartino join Fox News' Chris Stirewalt on Fox News Live's "Power Play w/Chris Stirewalt" to discuss the Obama Administration's questionable handling of the terrorist attack in Libya that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, and what role the issue could play in the remaining weeks of the 2012 Presidential Election.