Update [2012-10-17 04:30am EST by Oui]
President Barack Obama took responsibility and control over the issue last night and slammed apprentice Willard Romney on using dead Americans for political gain. A game changer and thanking CNN moderator Candy Crowley.
Decisive Moment in Debate on Terror Act in Libya
HEMPSTEAD, New York (Buzzfeed)— Barack Obama turned his administration’s worst foreign policy disaster into a dramatic victory in Tuesday’s debate when Mitt Romney sought to stretch the criticism of the Obama Administration’s handling of the incident.
“The day after the attack, governor, I stood in the Rose Garden and I told the American people and the world that we are going to to find out exactly what happened. That this was an act of terror and I also said that we’re going to hunt down those who committed this crime. And then a few days later, I was there greeting the caskets coming into Andrews Air Force Base and grieving with their families. And the suggestion that anyone on my team would play politics or mislead when we’ve lost four of our own, governor, is offensive. That’s not what we do. That’s not what I do as president. That’s not what I do as commander-in-chief.” h/t Mac G
I was a lone voice at the pond warning the Democrats to get on the same page on the Benghazi Ansar al-Sharia raid or risk an election liability. Romney jumped the gun and got beaten back by Washington and the pundits. This should have given the Obama administration enough time to get their facts right. None of this happened. Five days after the Benghazi raid U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice vented an opinion that was flatly erroneous. More troubling are the statements made by VP Joe Biden in the debate with Paul Ryan. Biden’s remarks have become a target for easy bashing by Romney, fellow Republicans and the pundits. This sad series of events has given Mitt Romney an opportunity to advance himself on issue of foreign policy. Issue has gotten so much bad publicity for the Obama campaign, Hillary Clinton came forth with a mea culpa …
Clinton: I’m responsible for diplomats’ security
LIMA, Peru (CNN) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 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. [Video]
“I take this very personally,” Clinton said. “So we’re going to get to the bottom of it, and then we’re going to do everything we can to work to prevent it from happening again, and then we’re going to work to bring whoever did this to us to justice.”
With criticism growing, Vice President Joe Biden said during last week’s vice presidential debate that the White House did not know of requests to enhance security at Benghazi, contradicting testimony by State Department employees that requests had been made and rejected.
More below the fold …
The US consulate in Benghazi was indefensible for such a violent raid as it was a temporary location without a secure perimeter. The official US embassy in Tripoli had no such weakness and would have been a safe place for Ambassador Stevens. It was the local security analysis that allowed him to travel to Benghazi on the 10th of September and stay for a few nights. Benghazi has a number of militias who were involved in a security arrangement with the national administration of Libya. However, the unrest had been increasing for several months and as a result the insecurity for all foreigners traveling or staying in Benghazi, the heart of the uprising and opposition to Gadhafi. Perhaps Ambassador Stevens felt secure because he was seen as a hero of the uprising and his support for the Libyan people. For elemnts loyal to the global jihad of Al-Qaeda he had become a target and prize fora n assassination as a reprisal for the US raid in Abbottabad and the succesful assassination of its top leadership by drones in Pakistan and Yemen.
Paul Ryan and his budget cuts on State Department funds for our diplomats and embassies world-wide. Contrary to this article, I do believe pressure on budget was part of Lamb’s decision how to provide security for the Benghazi mission. Another problem was the reluctance of the Libyan government to approve more foreign security forces within their sovereign territory. However as we have seen in the uncovered documents of the US mission in Benghazi, Libya was unable to provide adequate security. The bad choice for an joint British-Libyan private security corporation was an indication there was political pressure from Libya.
Another great worry is the revelation by Republicans during the Congressional hearing of a CIA footing within the Benghazi mission.
- Think Progress – What Everyone Should Know About The Benghazi Attack
- NY Times – Deadly Attack in Libya Was Major Blow to C.I.A. Efforts
- [The U.S. and] Our Allies May Be Arming the Next Osama bin Laden
My recent diaries on US policy on Syria and its civil war:
- Libyans Killed Its Best Ambassador, Chris Stevens – A Tribute
- American Citizens Ordered Out of Tunisia and Sudan; Benghazi Security Questioned
- US Administratons’ Failure to Distinquish Strands of Islam
