Petraeus Throws Obama Under the Bus

Weekly Standard ^ | 6:05 PM, OCT 26, 2012 | WILLIAM KRISTOL

[Snuph]

Breaking news on Benghazi: the CIA spokesman, presumably at the direction of CIA director David Petraeus, has put out this statement: "No one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate. ”

So who in the government did tell “anybody” not to help those in need? Someone decided not to send in military assets to help those Agency operators. Would the secretary of defense make such a decision on his own? No.

It would have been a presidential decision. There was presumably a rationale for such a decision. What was it? When and why—and based on whose counsel obtained in what meetings or conversations—did President Obama decide against sending in military assets to help the Americans in need?

[COUNTrecount]

And THAT is why he did not bring up Benghazi during the third debate.

He knew that the other shoe was about to drop.

[Travis McGee]

It's a bit more compled than that. As contractors, they agree to obey their supervisors. To refuse to obey might mean they would lose the big chunk of their hefty salary, which is deferred until the end of completion of the contract. You no obey the CIA crapweasel, you maybe not get paid.

They didn't care. Duty, Honor, Country meant more, even after their active duty was over.

[PghBaldy]

My gut tells me Valerie said NO to help.

[uncbob]

To my knowledge, this is the first word from General David PetraeusAccording to other posters on this thread who seem knowledgeable about the chain of command for that type of request the CIA is not in it. It goes up through DOD not the CIA. CIA can not commit troops so Petraeus though he was aware real time what was occurring it was not his decision

[wiseBRILLIANTgenius]

The questions now change to issues like whether or not a president, when he leaves office can grant a pardon to himself! There was, of course, the famous pardon granted to Nixon by Gerry Ford. But in a matter this grave, don’t look past the possibility of Obama issuing himself a pardon for what he did in Benghazigate.

Remember what happened in 1945 to the president of Norway when WWII ended.

[TigerClaws]

POTUS calls this shot. It’s on him.

[FreeReign]

Yet a congressional source told Fox News that CIA Director David Petraeus, during a briefing with members of the House Intelligence Committee three days after the attack, espoused the view that Benghazi was an out-of-control demonstration prompted by the YouTube video. According to the source, this was “shocking” to some members who were present and saw the same intelligence pointing toward a terrorist attack

So then the source is unidentified and we don't know if Petreus really blamed the video.

[chessplayer]

Expect Petraeus to issue a “clarification.”

[uncbob]

Yet a congressional source told Fox News that CIA Director David Petraeus, during a briefing with members of the House Intelligence Committee three days after the attack, espoused the view that Benghazi was an out-of-control demonstration prompted by the YouTube video. According to the source, this was “shocking” to some members who were present and saw the same intelligence pointing toward a terrorist attack

That is very troubling and sure seems like he is covering for the president before congress which is wrong and stupid since he should have known the truth would come out .If he didn't realize it he should resign for being incompetent

However the subject here is denied military assistance which is not in his chain of command

[DoughtyOne]

Skeeter, I’m surprised you haven’t figured this one out yet.

NOTHING here reaches the level of criminality exhibited by Richard Nixon. Hence, the ho hum attitude.

Obama is the bestest most loyal citizen ever.

You’re a racist cracker, and dead patriots are a dime a dozen.

Hey guy, they pegged us. I guess we just as well fess up. We thought our nation should defend it’s diplomats and military overseas. Stupid us!

I guess I should be crying, but I just can’t manage it. I’ll give it a shot and see what I can come up with over the next few weeks.

Until then I’ll just exhibit bad behavior, and think Obama deserves to be impeached, convicted, and sent packing, the evil person that I am.

[Shelayne]

If I were in possession of the information that Jennifer Griffin exposed today and was forced to sit across from that cretin, it would have taken every fiber in my being, and a lot of prayer, to keep me from launching over that table and choking him.

If Romney knew, I must say he exercised remarkable restraint.

[free-n-TX]

“Circular firing squad forming. Screw all of them.”

---

READY, AIM ........!!!!!!

[chessplayer]

Who will Pravda and the rest of the libs believe,,,the saviour of the Universe or that racist white devil Petraeus?

[Delta Dawn]

‘I’ve been following politics & foreign affairs for decades and I’ve never seen anything like it.’

The reason for this is that for the first time in the history of the United States we have an American president whose first priority is not the United States.

Obama aided and abetted the Arab spring. His loyalties lie with the Muslims in the Middle East. Where he was born at this moment does not matter. What does matter is that the founders sought to protect this nation from making the mistake of electing a president whose loyalties laid elsewhere. The current population failed them in the last election.

Obama must be voted out, and then let the hearings begin. If he went to bed while this was going on, then he should be impeached between election day and the first of the year.
I have no doubt that the gutless wonders in Congress will look the other way.

[FreeReign]

Am I the only guy that gets a bit touchy when we're trying to attribute comments to Patraeus based on an un-named Congressional Source...

Hell no D1, count me in.

I'm amazed that there are so many other Freepers who think nothing of getting their info from such sources. Especially under these circumstances.

[greeneyes]

Something I don’t understand. If the Seals were using a laser to paint a target, wouldn’t that mean that some sort of air support was available?

I wouldn’t think that they would just be sitting there holding a laser on the target waiting for air support that was an hour or more away?

[jjotto]

http://thehill.com/opinion/columnists/juan-williams/263219-opinion-debunking-the-gops-false-narratives-about-the-benghazi-attack

...Two days after the attack, CIA Director David Petraeus briefed the House Intelligence Committee. Petraeus told lawmakers the best intelligence showed it was a demonstration sparked by the video that got out of hand, according to Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (Md.), the panel’s ranking Democrat...

[petitfour]

So you think Petraeus wants American airliners to be targeted by MANPADs?

[DoughtyOne]

In truth, there may be a better source out there. I requested a source and this is what I was presented with.

As submitted, I did have reservations and I appreciate the fact that you agree FreeReign.

Take care.

[Girlene]

So then the source is unidentified and we don't know if Petreus really blamed the video.

Here's an identified source: Al Qaeda Took Advantage of Libyan Protest, CIA Chief Says

"The attack that killed four Americans in the Libyan consulate began as a spontaneous protest against the film “The Innocence of Muslims,” but Islamic militants who may have links to Al Qaeda used the opportunity to launch an attack, CIA Director David Petreaus told the House Intelligence Committeetoday according to one lawmaker who attended a closed-door briefing.

Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the House Intel committee, said Petraeus laid out “a chronological order exactly what we felt happened, how it happened, and where we’re going in the future.”

“In the Benghazi area, in the beginning we feel that it was spontaneous – the protest- because it went on for two or three hours, which is very relevant because if it was something that was planned, then they could have come and attacked right away,” Ruppersberger, D-Md., said following the hour-long briefing by Petraeus. “At this point it looks as if there was a spontaneous situation that occurred and that as a result of that, the extreme groups that were probably connected to al Qaeda took advantage of that situation and then the attack started.”

Petraeus did not speak to reporters on his way in or out of the briefing. When he left the meeting, the former four-star general was trailed by about a dozen intelligence officials and a couple of Capitol police officers.

Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee were also briefed today by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs Admiral James Winnefeld. But senators emerging from that private briefing reported that they believed the attack in Libya was premeditated."...............

So the House, briefed by Petraeus and other CIA types comes away thinking it was a spontaneous event that went on for two or three hours and THEN terrorists took advantage of later, but the Senate, briefed by Panetta and Vice Chair Joint Chiefs think the attack was premeditated?

huh.....