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Benghazi: A Dereliction of Duty
Townhall.com ^ | October 25, 2012 | Bob Beauprez

Posted on 10/25/2012 1:13:33 PM PDT by Kaslin

Dereliction

1. Willful neglect, as of duty or principle.

2. a. The act of abandoning; abandonment.

    b. A state of abandonment or neglect.

Within two hours of the attack on the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012, that resulted in the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, an email was sent to the White House and State Department.

That first email was sent at 4:05 PM-ET (10:05 PM in Benghazi) and specifically mentioned that the Libyan group called Ansar al-Sharia, an al-Qaeda affiliated group, had claimed responsibility for the attacks. Fox News confirms that the addresses on the email included "a variety of national security platforms, whose addresses have been redacted, including the White House Situation Room, the Pentagon, the FBI and the Director of National Intelligence."

Two more emails were sent within the next two hours.

Internal government email sent Sept. 11 about ongoing attack on U.S. Consulate in Benghazi as published by Fox News

Yet, no action was taken to mobilize special operations forces or the significant military resources available in the region. The next morning, the President referred to the attack and other events against U.S. installations by radical Islamists as "bumps in the road."

In the six weeks since the assassinations in Benghazi, more questions than answers have emerged.

Why did the President and his administration deny any link to Islamist terror groups for weeks, promoting instead a false "spontaneous event" explanation?

Why did the Obama administration reject numerous requests for additional security by Ambassador Stevens and others for months before the attacks?

Why was the Embassy request for an extension of the 16 member Special Operations Security Team to remain in Libya to protect the Ambassador denied just a month before the attack?

And many, many more. 

But to that list we must now add: Was there a dereliction of duty? Was there a willful neglect of duty, an abandonment of Ambassador Stevens and his staff? If so, why?

Here's a detailed timeline published by Reuters of the email exchanges on that fateful night of September 11:

The first email, timed at 4:05 p.m. Washington time - or 10:05 p.m. Benghazi time, 20-30 minutes after the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission allegedly began - carried the subject line "U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi Under Attack" and the notation "SBU", meaning "Sensitive But Unclassified." 

The text said the State Department's regional security office had reported that the diplomatic mission in Benghazi was "under attack. Embassy in Tripoli reports approximately 20 armed people fired shots; explosions have been heard as well."

The message continued: "Ambassador Stevens, who is currently in Benghazi, and four ... personnel are in the compound safe haven. The 17th of February militia is providing security support."

A second email, headed "Update 1: U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi" and timed 4:54 p.m. Washington time, said that the Embassy in Tripoli had reported that "the firing at the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi had stopped and the compound had been cleared." It said a "response team" was at the site attempting to locate missing personnel.

A third email, also marked SBU and sent at 6:07 p.m. Washington time, carried the subject line: "Update 2: Ansar al-Sharia Claims Responsibility for Benghazi Attack."

The message reported: "Embassy Tripoli reports the group claimed responsibility on Facebook and Twitter and has called for an attack on Embassy Tripoli."

While some information identifying recipients of this message was redacted from copies of the messages obtained by Reuters, a government source said that one of the addresses to which the message was sent was the White House Situation Room, the president's secure command post.

Other addressees included intelligence and military units as well as one used by the FBI command center, the source said.

It was not known what other messages were received by agencies in Washington from Libya that day about who might have been behind the attacks.

Intelligence experts caution that initial reports from the scene of any attack or disaster are often inaccurate.

By the morning of September 12, the day after the Benghazi attack, Reuters reported that there were indications that members of both Ansar al-Sharia, a militia based in the Benghazi area, and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the North African affiliate of al Qaeda's faltering central command, may have been involved in organizing the attacks.



TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: absentpresident; benghazi; emptychair; foreignaffairs

1 posted on 10/25/2012 1:13:51 PM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

As the parent of a Marine, I now doubt the politicians in the government will rescue him if he needs it. I am VERY glad he is a Marine, because I have more faith in the non-college educated Grunts with him than I do the Ivy league leaders ordering them to go to war.


2 posted on 10/25/2012 1:20:03 PM PDT by huldah1776
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To: Kaslin

The fact that 0 has not yet been impeached shows that the media are complicit, the American public has its head up its a$$, and the Republicans are a bunch of wimps.


3 posted on 10/25/2012 1:23:09 PM PDT by I want the USA back
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To: I want the USA back

The republicans want the voters to do their jobs for them.

First of all, they should have objected to this Kenyan running? Then there wouldn’t be a need for them to do much else.


4 posted on 10/25/2012 1:31:16 PM PDT by Terry Mross
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To: Kaslin

If I was six hours in to what would be an eight hour firefight, I would be expecting that the cavalry was inbound at any moment, that I wouldn’t have long to wait........

Three weeks later.....


5 posted on 10/25/2012 1:37:41 PM PDT by allmendream (Tea Party did not send GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism)
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To: Terry Mross

Maybe if they STRENUOUSLY objected like in A Few Good Men / s.


6 posted on 10/25/2012 1:51:06 PM PDT by allmendream (Tea Party did not send GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism)
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To: huldah1776

BUMP!


7 posted on 10/25/2012 2:10:15 PM PDT by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: Kaslin
Priorities vs Solemn legally binding oaths.

To support, protect and defend the Constitution of the USA.


vs


“I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”

page 261 “The Audacity of Hope.”


Impeach NOW!

8 posted on 10/25/2012 2:24:16 PM PDT by rawcatslyentist ("Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one," Jeremiah 50:31)
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To: Kaslin
"Yet, no action was taken to mobilize special operations forces or the significant military resources available in the region."

I don't think this is correct, not that the White House had anything to do with it. I'm way, way out of the loop, but as far as I know (knew), this is how it happens.

When an embassy pushes the panic button and announces it's under attack and the ambassador is hiding in a safe room, some things happen automatically. One thing is that Tier One rescue forces immediately move as close as possible to the crisis location, just in case the NCA (national command authority) decides to use them.

My understanding from open sources is that a Delta unit in Germany moved to Sigonella, in the middle of Sicily. This happens automatically within the military. They don't wait for the NCA to say, "What about Delta?" and then begin to move them from Germany. This protocol has been around for at least 30 years. You move the rescue force as close as possible, IMMEDIATELY, just in case.

So early on, Delta was (or may have been) staged on Sicily, about 600 miles from Benghazi.

But is appears that Obama couldn't pull the trigger, and went to bed while the ambassador was still missing, and lost from American control.

This is just unbelievable, and unforgivable.

Only the POTUS can authorise U.S. forces crossing an international border on a hostile mission. Nobody else. But Obama went to bed, and put out the "do not disturb" sign, to rest up for Las Vegas.

Bastard. Traitor. Coward.

9 posted on 10/25/2012 2:59:00 PM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Kaslin
How it might have looked in the situation room as the Whitehouse watched real time the killing of our Ambassador to Libya.

Why no photo-op releases of this event Mr. Resident?

10 posted on 10/25/2012 5:09:41 PM PDT by FreeAtlanta (christian.bahits.com)
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To: I want the USA back

Until you have documentation of what happened, and Congress is still being stonewalled, you cannot do articles of impeachment. It must be clearly laid out. Of course, Obama and Holder, Panetta, etc. all know this. Once he is booted out, there will be none because it is not done. PERIOD. Sorry, but that is that. Should he be re-elected, then we can demand his impeachment by holding our Congress people’s feet to the fire. Should he be? YES! but, there is no time right now, as Congress will be recessing for the election. It is a lengthy process. Wish it weren’t, but there you have it.


11 posted on 10/25/2012 5:31:25 PM PDT by Shery (in APO Land)
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To: FreeAtlanta

They’re busy photoshopping it now, hopefully they’ll do a better job than they did in the one you posted.


12 posted on 10/25/2012 7:18:42 PM PDT by skeeter
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To: Travis McGee

bump


13 posted on 10/26/2012 6:18:50 AM PDT by cyn
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To: Travis McGee

bump


14 posted on 10/26/2012 6:18:50 AM PDT by cyn
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To: Kaslin; All
October26, 2012 - Glenn Beck: New Explosive Benghazi Allegations: CIA Operators Told to ‘Stand Down’ During Attack & 3 Urgent Requests for Military Back-Up Were Denied
15 posted on 10/26/2012 12:04:20 PM PDT by Larousse2 (The price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance. ~ Thomas Jefferson)
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