Posted on 11/01/2012 2:24:58 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice got it half-right last week when, asked about the Obama administration's conduct of events before, during and after a terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, she said it would all take a while to sort out because of "the fog of war."
True, as far as it goes, but there's also the fog of political expediency to consider. It will prove thicker and more difficult to penetrate.
If Americans ever get a full, official accounting about what happened in Benghazi, it won't be until after Election Day -- and absent a Mitt Romney victory, not then, either -- because the Obama administration does not want the facts to be known.
It's a certainty that people in the administration know exactly what happened and why. They know which orders they gave to whom and when. They are well aware of precisely who knew what, who did what and who decided not to do what.
And they would very much like to put off telling the American people any of it for just as long as possible.
In their view, with a presidential election now just days away, the less said the better about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stephens and three other Americans during a terrorist attack.
Slowly, though, the story is trickling out for Americans to piece together on their own.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta have accepted some portion of the blame -- whether appropriate or manufactured. That's what good political soldiers do.
Clinton asserted that any problems with the assignment of security at the consulate were her responsibility, and bowed hastily out of the spotlight.
Panetta didn't do as well.
Asked why no help was provided to Americans dying under siege in Benghazi, he offered a patently ridiculous argument: "The basic principle is that you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on, without having some real-time information about what's taking place."
That undoubtedly provided a sour laugh for veterans and members of the armed services, who have an almost unbroken history of finding out what's really going on only after their boots hit the ground.
But Panetta's pathetic excuse did nothing to deflect suspicion from the Obama administration, which has done its best for weeks to obfuscate rather than clarify what happened in Benghazi. Nor did Panetta manage to shield from accountability a president who leads his administration from behind.
A camera-equipped drone and other surveillance aircraft on station above Benghazi provided ample opportunity to know what was going on, as did radio communication from American defenders on the ground and emails coursing through State Department servers. Do we really think no one bothered to watch or listen?
Of course not. Americans are left to conclude that a well-informed person or people decided to leave an American ambassador, his staff and their tiny contingent of defenders on their own against attackers armed with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. People who had clearly heard their pleas for help made the conscious, callous decision not to act.
The decision-makers had time. The president got his first briefing about an hour after the incident began. The attack, involving two separate assaults on the consulate and a nearby annex, lasted about five hours.
The decision-makers had options. Some air assets were less than an hour away. They chose not to employ them.
Maybe Obama can shift the blame on this one, as he has tried to do with every broken promise and every failed policy since Jan. 20, 2009.
But if the Americans on the ground and under fire in Benghazi were deemed expendable, someone in this administration should be able to explain why.
Someone in this administration should have to answer the question posed by the father of former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods: "It just didn't make sense that you'd have a long, drawn-out battle, and that no help would have been sent. . . . Why didn't this happen?"
The answer should include someone paying with his or her job.
Since the administration prefers not to share the facts with people who go to the polls in a few days time, Americans would do well to avail themselves of the surest, quickest route to a clean sweep of everyone potentially responsible.
They should fire Barack Obama on Tuesday.
Correction: Kevin O’Brian = Kevin O’Brien, The Plain Dealer’s deputy editorial page editor.
Finally. This coming from a rag that supports o’treason. Perhaps they’ll change their stance this Sunday? Hoping, hoping.
The answer should include someone paying with his or her job. ......Correction: The answer should include someone paying with his or her FREEDOM.
Plus transcript:
"This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," October 31, 2012. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated."
Wow - this from the Plain Dealer??? The NYT of the midwest!
Slowly, the drip of information increases. I hope it increases a lot in the next couple of days.
I guess Greta’s show last night, about the leaked cable sent to Hillary Clinton by Amb Steven’s about one month before his death, can’t be buried until after Tuesday’s presidential election.
What in the Sam Hill is half-right about “she said it would all take a while to sort out because of ‘the fog of war’”?
All ‘sorting it out’ takes is honest answers from the folks involved! Did or did not the president issue an executive order to to ignore pleas for help on 9/11/12? No fog there. Yes or no.
Did or did not this administration reduce security at Benghazi prior to 9/11/12 despite recommendations to the contrary? Yes or no.
The WHYS may be foggy, but the actions are not. But the whys can’t justify the actions.
oh, if anybody mentions “bunker” to Obama, he relexively runs for the golf course..
My heart goes out to those in the military who are the hardest hit by this. Especially those in the SPECOPS community. I have friends who have and are currently serving and they are absolutely demoralized. Through his total inaction, Obama has hurt the military far more than anyone in history.
Honor, integrity, and service mean everything to those who go beyond bootcamp, beyond pulling triggers, to attain the ranks of our special forces. They have given everything, sacrificed everything, just to serve. This is such a disgrace, such a slap in the face to those that have served and those who willingly sacrifice for this country. The number one thing on the minds right now of our troops is whether they will be abandoned by this president when things get rough. His inaction is proof that he is not fit to serve as Commander of our Armed Forces.
The ‘Rs’ control the House of Rep.
You can bet your bottom dollar that a Nancy Pelosi or ANY other Dem would not be sitting back ‘seeing what develops’ and let 2 mos (about) pass before ‘doing’ something LOUD and CLEAR, especially with an election looming - they would do something if for nothing else than to ensure THEIR jobs are safe.
Again, the spineless R’s, led by BOEHMER and McConnell are doing nothing...don’t give me the ‘behind the scenes’ BS etc, WE ARE DOING THE BEHIND THE SCENES work, It is their ‘job’ to put this at the forefront and keep it there.
Now they let BO ‘off the hook’ with everything for the last 3 months being blamed on ‘global warming’ and ‘THE HURRICANE’.
These idiotic R’s are going to screw around and not only loose the presidency but also the Congress....
The Libs are smart by pushing this ‘early vote’, as one never knows what ‘screwup’ is going to be outed etc.
Finally, ALL of these idiots get away with the premise ‘I accept responsibility’ (falling on ones sword) think that is the ‘end of it’ — doesn’t work!!
If you are still ‘alive’ after Falling on Ones Sword, YOU SCREWED UP FOR THE SECOND TIME.
Out of the spotlight but NOT out on her ample ass.
Bitch!
Obama has hurt America more than anything since Pearl Harbor. But his part in hurting the rest of the world is substantial too.
And of course, he’s just the spear tip of a great, treasonous and deadly force.
I see the transcript. I’m looking for the actual State Department cable. Why doesn’t FOX News release it?
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