Posted on 10/15/2012 6:10:09 PM PDT by mandaladon
The White House has put special operations strike forces on standby and moved drones into the skies above Africa, ready to strike militant targets from Libya to Mali — if investigators can find the Al Qaeda-linked group responsible for the death of the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Libya.
But officials say the administration, with weeks until the presidential election, is weighing whether the short-term payoff of exacting retribution on Al Qaeda is worth the risk that such strikes could elevate the group's profile in the region, alienate governments the U.S. needs to fight it in the future and do little to slow the growing terror threat in North Africa.
Details on the administration's position and on its search for a possible target were provided by three current and one former administration official, as well as an analyst who was approached by the White House for help. All four spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the high-level debates publicly.
The dilemma shows the tension of the White House's need to demonstrate it is responding forcefully to Al Qaeda, balanced against its long-term plans to develop relationships and trust with local governments and build a permanent U.S. counterterrorist network in the region.
Vice President Joe Biden pledged in his debate last week with Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan to find those responsible for the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others.
"We will find and bring to justice the men who did this," Biden said in response to a question about whether intelligence failures led to lax security around Stevens and the consulate.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Correct. And in that address to the nation, he’ll say the video was a scam, that it was reverse psychology intended to deceive the enemy. The drones will need to unload on the patsies before the “foreign policy” debate Monday.
Hey, could happen. It only takes about 5 percentage points to win.
“They will atomize a few itinerant goat herders with drone missles and claim Al-Qaeda has been knocked into submission.
My thoughts exactly. Some poor s.o.b. is not going to know what hit him, and the body(ies) will be shown to the world as proof that Obama and Biden “got those people responsible”
Isn’t it rich?
Are we a pair?
Me here at last on the ground,
You in mid-air.
Send in the drones.
Isn’t it bliss?
Don’t you approve?
One who keeps tearing around,
One who can’t move.
Where are the drones?
Send in the drones.
Isn't it rich, isn't it queer
Losing my timing this late in my career
But where are the drones - send in the drones
Don't bother they're here
I predict their will be a strike and a number of “suspected” terrorists will be killed.
Carter didn’t bomb Iran, and there the target was obvious.. Why do you think Carter’s “mini-me” clone would bomb Libya?
Obama’s campaign strategy appears to be to get enough leftist jobless Marxist Studies majors and lazy food stamp recipients to the polls to overwhelm the middle class independents who are going for Romney by double digits. If he bombs anyone but Texas, those leftist America-haters will get their wittle feewings hurt and not show up on Election Day.
Hell, he doesn’t eve have targets yet. I’m no military strategist, but drawing up a target list and then getting people in place to attack those targets takes a lot more than three weeks
True. Three weeks isn’t much time wo “wag the dog”
Maybe it will need to be something like temporarily bringing gas down to $1.84 a gallon (by using our reserves)
If Obama is suggesting we start another war, he should say so.
That theory would explain why there were no Marines.
“I predict their will be a strike and a number of “suspected” terrorists will be killed.”
Yes. And they will be buried at sea, because Muslims do that, or something.
If there is a strike don’t be surprised if every embassy, consulate and American could be targeted within days. I’m not sure a few more burning embassies or consulates is what the Obama people want before the election. Risky strategy.
..and if some highly placed women were involved????
JUST what I was going to say: this Administration already had its own October surprise, and it started in September, and came to an ugly head in October, and more than anything lately that they’ve been able to talk their way out of, they
are not gonna be able to spin this, and it will do them in.
They’ll just screw it up. I cringe at the thought of this sniveling priss trying to pull off some last ditch extraness thinking it will win him some votes. He already threw his security people under the bus. Now suddenly he trusts them enough to pull off a counter strike? No, Chauncey, it’s over.
creek, if ground Troops are sent in to plant the flag am afraid it would be either a suicide mission or near suicide mission. Too many variables (imho). A prayer our Military is not only saying NO, but using strong terms to say NO. Not advisable at this time regarding what zer0 is setting up, if this is the plan. May our Military stand FIRM with NO.
zer0 and his crowd would start a World War is the risk. In full agreement, DH.
You can say that again! :p
Never mind about that. That donkey has my flashlight! I want you to find my ass with a flashlight! Give it top priority. Search every vacant lot for grazing donkeys.
Heh...with the CIA operation there now kaput, they actually think that they’re going to be able to finger the precise terrorists who attacked the consulate and then drop a drone strike on them? Good luck with that...
They will bomb ANYTHING out there now in desperation, real scorched earth with nothing left on the ground, issue a phony after action report saying they got the bad guys, and then revise the report sometime in late November that, oh well, we hit somebody else instead, also terrorists but on the specific ones involved in the Benghazi. !Oh but we will keep on trying in the second term to get 'em...."
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