Posted on 10/27/2012 1:53:09 PM PDT by barryobi
A reader, relying on publicly available information, has reconstructed what we know and can infer about what happened in Benghazi. I haven’t tried to verify all of his facts nor do I necessarily vouch for his inferences, although in general they seem reasonable. But his analysis is, I think, a valuable contribution to our understanding, and I reproduce it here in slightly edited form:
(Excerpt) Read more at powerlineblog.com ...
IMO there would be a lot more to an attack on an ambassador and an embassy. (or any of its properties) An attack on an ambassador, any ambassador, has more significant implications than, say, an attack on a mil base somewhere. An attack on any diplomatic mission property has big implications being American soil. The message such attacks send have enormous national security and foreign relations ramifications.
How we respond (or utterly fail to respond) sends a message back about what the U.S. is made of and how we will respond to other provocations anywhere in the world. The message sent or unsent is a ripple that travels around the globe changing the view of the U.S. everywhere. 0coward has just told the world that he can't be trusted by his closest allies, his own ambassadors. They have to see him as utterly spineless now. And proven so in the open not just backroom opinions.
The point I am driving at here is meant for all the couch potatoes out there who might still doubt that the POTUS had to be notified immediately and had to be involved first hand in every decision and had to be the one to sign off on any and all actions approved or denied for reasons that exceed even the undeniable need for POTUS to sign off on crossing and acting on foreign soil.
The downside of getting it wrong is bigger than merely violating sovereign foreign soil.
I was wondering that myself - is Valerie Jarrett the one who said “stand down”?
Thanks
Not exactly. All correct to my understanding until the end when you make the leap to “Which means that a NO GO from the President was needed to stop the operation.”
Not quite. Yes, the rescue begins, at full speed. Planes, jets and helos are scrambling, commando teams embarking, ships moving into position, all as if they are going full speed ahead to Behghazi.
But on the way, they need to punch the “cross border authority” ticket. No way around it....only POTUS can authorize a cross-border mission with armed forces. Hillary can’t do it and Panetta can’t do it and Dempsey can’t do it.
Only the POTUS.
My belief is that after hearing the “lull” report around 5pm DC time, Obama made a “no cross border military action” decision with Dempsey, Panetta and Hillary in the Oval Office, as reported.
If he was going to “take charge of the crisis,” reports would say he met them down below in the Situation Room, the bridge of the “American Eagle Global War And Diplomacy Machine, INC.”
That is the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. Why did Capt. Kirk meet Spock and the others in the side office, and then disappear, while the Klingons are attacking Earth just below?
I have not seen one report stating that Obama ever went to the Situation Room, where he would have been sucked into the command vortext by proximity to dozens of people reporting new messages, requests, reports etc. Once in there, he would have stayed, just by being pulled into that power vortex, even though it’s not his style.
So he never took the elevator down, but instead hit the button for up, to the family quarters, where he could hide out with his Ipad watching ESPN, while Axlerod and Jarrett ran interference until he was down asleep for the night.
At any rate, he went to bed with a missing ambassador, in Alquedaville, and it sure looks like his “no outside military intervention” standing orders held for the rest of the night while he slept. So the CIA in Tripoli could send what motley crew they had, but all of the other external military QRF then streaming toward Behghazi from all points had to turn around in the end.
Because only the POTUS could authorize them to cross the international border, and he didn’t, or couldn’t, or wouldn’t.
I totally agree with 41, and most folks (reasonably) focus on the 4 dead Americans as the worst aspect, but around the world, AQ just stuck a $#!++Y stick in Uncle Sam’s eye, spit in his face, and kicked him in the balls.
And Obama was such a coward, he couldn’t even sign off on a rescue plan, ALREADY IN PROGRESS!
At the very least, by NOT granting cross-border authority, he doomed the two ex-seals who died hours later, after he went to bed.
And the fact that Obama went to bed (resting up for Vegas) while his ambassador was MIA in AQville, is just utterly DAMMNING!
If the quick reaction force was already in country, then I would agree with you. If not, then it at least used to take a positive order from the Commander-in-Chief to cross the border unless that permission was in a standing order. I imagine the general had half his men coordinating the preparations for that operation and the other half combing through all relevant previous orders (and calling Sixth Fleet to see if the Navy had a loophole) to find something he could plausibly pretend counted as permission to cross that border in order to rescue American military and State Department personnel from armed foreign terrorists.
I saw this at Powerline, I thought it was very well done.
Still digesting it.
On November 4, NatGeo is going to air a propaganda fictionalized movie about the bin Laden Raid that will make Obama the hero. That movie reinforces the idea that only the President can give that go/no go order.
ironic really
bump!
He’s inhuman, Matt. I don’t know how else to put it. A sociopath. I can’t see that he cares about the lives lost or any other aspect of it. I see no sign at all that he does.
I have no doubt that ya’ll know better than I do. I am basing what I said on something I read on another thread. I am not sure which one - I have read every thing I could find anywhere.
It may have been the transcript of that retired Lt. Col who called in to Rush’s program. He had 15 years of experience in special ops planning according to what he said to Rush.
I might have misunderstood, but anyway, I came away with the understanding that standing procedures would go forward, and only the President could do that.
I take your word for it. It still means he was advised within minutes, and could have sent additional resources to protect our people and did not.
Mentioned Gen. Ham to a relative of mine who is familiar with military types of things- he was shocked to hear that a 4 star General was relieved of command. He said this is not going to go away. something very wrong here.
Having Stevens in Benghazi without additional security so soon after this assassination or meeting with a Turkish official in Benghazi, of all places, doesn't jive with the explanations from this administration.
Libyan Army General Assassinated
I have a feeling this rabbit hole is very deep and dark!
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy said Saturday it is replacing the admiral in command of an aircraft carrier strike group in the Middle East, pending the outcome of an internal investigation into undisclosed allegations of inappropriate judgment.
Rear Adm. Charles M. Gaouette is being sent back to the USS John C. Stennis' home port at Bremerton, Washington stae, in what the Navy called a temporary reassignment. The Navy said he is not formally relieved of his command of the Stennis strike group but will be replaced by Rear Adm. Troy M. Shoemaker, who will assume command until the investigation is completed.
It is highly unusual for the Navy to replace a carrier strike group commander during its deployment.
The Navy did not reveal details of the allegations, citing only an accusation of "inappropriate leadership judgment" that arose during the strike group's deployment to the Middle East. Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Navy's chief spokesman, declined to discuss the investigation.
Totally agree!
It's why I'm concerned about General Ham's well being. I believe he may be the key to exposing this rotten conspiracy to its core. And maybe bring down this administration with the possibility of jail time for a few high level officials.
Congress or the Senate need to call him to testify ASAP!
I agree with that.
That film may make him MORE of a laughingstock by the time it comes out.
A raving narcissist in the position of POTUS.
I totally believe he might have said, “No military action!” at 5pm, and then hid out or otherwise made himself “unavailable” until the next morning.
Leaving the .mil side furiously trying to get permission for the rescue, without success.
100s of field grade or higher officers know the whole story, I’m sure. I’ll bet Issa has a dozen whistleblowers on his voice mail, plus Frank Gaffney etc.
The dam is going to break, much bigger and faster than “Swiftboats.” The MSM airbrushing will just make them look like Quisling Media. This story is going to go nuclear in the next day or two, I hope.
POTUS is praying that Sandy is HUGE and occupies the MSM as a “plausible alt story” to fill the hours.
They can send Ham to Ice Station Zebra on TAD and it won’t stop the story. 100s of officers know, and dozens of generals.
If anything happened to Ham, the story would just explode that much bigger and faster. 100s know the whole deal, about Obama being asleep and unavailable, after giving a “no rescue” order. 100s know. That fits why Ham, a dedicated superior officer, would feel bold enough to forge ahead in spite of “stand down” standing orders.
He would say, “The president is ‘not available?’ THen F the bastard, full speed ahead.”
And was relieved at once. So Panetta and or Dempsey had to make that call. Covering for Obama, who was hiding out from making a hard decision in the family quarters upstairs. Probably Axlerod and Jarrett as the go-betweens to Panetta and Dempsey and Hillary, all sweating it out, unable to get the POTUS to perform his duty. And cooking up the “Mohammed video” lie/cover story.
Ditto on your last par.
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