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?

[Cato in PA]

That looks to be his plan for now. Romney is looking less like a pantywaist and more of a strategist for not pressing Obama on Libya in the final debate. Was he tipped off? Did he just have a hunch? Whatever the reason, I think he knows what to do.

And he can certainly afford to avoid talking about Libya since the economy is his greatest selling point with voters. Focus on the economy, let the scandal blow up, and then ride the backlash all the way to the White House.

[petitfour]

What government agency were these contractors working for? If not CIA, then were they working for DOD? Were they working for the Director of Natiional Intelligence directly? Were they working for the POTUS? Were they working for State? Homeland Security? Who ordered them to stay put and who ordered that the military not come to their aid?

[politicianslie]

Circular firing squad forming.

There are only so many people who could have blocked military support. With everyone saying it wasn't them, who is left?

OBAMA

And why?

Easy answer there too. Obama is a Muslim traitor. Obama thinks you're stupid enough to still wonder if he is a socialist!

Workplace violence is not a terrorist attack. Film protest is not an organized terrorist attack. Do you see a pattern here?

Obviously our first Muslim President doesn't want you alarmed about our Peaceful Muslim friends.

[M Kehoe]

Good morning. I hope you are doing well. Long time no talk to.

Told ya. ;^)

5.56mm

[politicianslie]

Amen. But the "republicans" will just play "nice," as usual.

It's been obvious for years that Obama is NOT working for US. It is now obvious that Obama is working for THEM.

I was in my House Representative's office a couple of years ago (the GUY who yelled YOU LIE was not present). I was told that the plan is to wait him out, not to attack him. When I mentioned impeachement, staff replied: IF that was done, then it would be like the Rodney King riots on every Main Street in the country.

The plan has been to let him hang on his own record.

And Americans won't have a clue what is going on right in front of them. Do you have any idea who Obama is?

[Grampa Dave]

Great Job! The bald Secret Service guy behind Biden is probably saying, "I hate this job! I have to protect this POS!"

[Grampa Dave]

Nobody died because of the Watergate bs.

[Grampa Dave]

Bingo: “As long as a President assents to proceeding, every effort is made to get everybody back home safe and sound, and any and all assets can be used. There are forces on standby in every theater for precisely these types of situations.

In order for no help to come, the President would have to have refused to give the order to proceed, in effect, ordering the theater 4-star to not proceed.”

Ask our Sailors and Naval Security Group survivors of LBJ’s bs re the Pueblo and Liberty.

That miserable bastard, LBJ, probably put them in harms way and then prevented any fire power help to rescue the Pueblo or let the Israelis know, ‘We don’t allow anyone to slaughter our military personnel, even allies!”

[WildHighlander57]

OK, it looks like the “house divided”.

Now what does it take to impeach, both the senate and the house TOGETHER?

Hmmmm.......

[relictele]

And they’re busy acting as the world’s most redundant and expensive YouTube clone, re-airing COMMERCIALS (political or otherwise) as news stories, including the recent one involving Obama, a fat skank and a terminal case of beer goggles.

[Girlene]

House impeaches, Senate trys the case.

[relictele]

True and the ongoing liberal meme was to portray Haig as a loose cannon usurper of presidential authority.

[AFPhys]

Agreed. My comment was not addressed to you personally, but was adding to the discussion on the thread.

[tired&retired]

“My comment was not addressed to you personally, but was adding to the discussion on the thread.”

Same Here...

I am not a military vet, however I have many close friends and family who either were or are currently active duty. Having read the 300+ posts in this thread, I am sick on my stomache and very angry. Thank you all, especially the insiders with experience for sharing your thoughts.

Many of our vets have risked their lives for this country and lost friends. I have never seen so many vets so angry at our POTUS. I’ve been hearing all the anger at the POTUS rules of engagement for three years, but this event is bringing that anger to a boiling point. These vets are seeing the country they fought for going down the drain.

Please pray that Obama loses the election as if he wins, I predict a great explosion of emotions that will destroy this wonderful nation. We absolutely can’t continue with four more years of this chaos!

I sincerely hope that the retired generals who signed Romney’s presidential support letter form a conference to address how to clean up the military mess. Most of the great commanders have been forced out of the cesspool that remains.

[jch10]

Oh my! I suspected as much.

[PIF]

“Obama needs to be impeached for treason.”

Point 1: Impeachment amounts to a slap on the wrist - ask Bill.

Point 2: You are thinking of Removal From Office, which follows Impeachment in the House and is done in the Senate - which is Dem controled - so that would not happen.

Point 3: There is a Presidental election coming in a few days - Vote No On O.

[PIF]

If you listened to what the Ex-mil guy was saying, then you’d know that CIA Director Petreas had no say. It was a POTUS call. Witness General Ham who said ‘no way’ against orders and was fired seconds later during the assult.

Petreas like all other command personel in all Defense positions got the “call’ - he, like the others, got the Flash traffic and watched in real time - that includes Obama, Biden, Clinton, and the weasel Penetta.

Obama made the command decision not to intervene. All others had to follow or like Ham be dismissed on the spot.

There is a larger game afoot, and will likely unfold in the following months. With the reelection of Obama, all will be revealed. And we won’t like it - the US is expendable ...

[DoughtyOne]

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 Committee today 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.....

Sounds strange doesn't it.

The top Democrat on the House Intel Committee, Dutch Ruppersberger is our source for Petraeus comments?

These days, I wouldn't trust a Democreat to give me directions to the restroom.

I appreciate the post.

[arrogantsob]

While your diatribe may be illuminating for the uninitiated, it does not apply to me.

I was speaking ONLY of the frenzy this is setting off. Should this ever be reported by the Enemamedia, it will outrage the nation with REAL outrage. Media-induced outrage and interest in the Watergate hearings is the only thing which compares to this.

As far as I am concern The Disaster and most of his cabinet should be dragged from the White House and drawn and quartered.

This is becoming more outrageous by the day.

[arrogantsob]

I agree.

However, the PACs should be blasting The Disaster with ads in every swing state esp. Wis, Mich, Pa and Ohio.

Make the Enemamedia show ads detailing what we know so far: deriliction of duty, inability to decide, the Video Lie, the begging for more security, desertion for fund raising, etc.

It is not a short list.