Panetta Says Risk Impeded Deployment to Benghazi (Lies)

I have no military service, security clearance, or contacts in the middle east. I don’t speak Arabic, am not a muslim, and have no special skills that would allow me to have a special insight into how the travesty in Benghazi happened, and who is responsible for letting our people die. All I have are my instincts and google. They allowed me to ascertain within a couple days that there was no protest outside the consulate before it was attacked. For the administration to attempt to sell such a story infuriated me, especially when Ambassador Rice appeared on five Sunday talks shows on September 16th to spin an obvious lie. The latest bombshell revelations by FOX News about our people being denied assistance while under attack fits in with my theory of what transpired on 9/11 in Benghazi. I developed by theory by using google to find as many disparate sources of information that I could, and I am presenting you more of what I discovered in hopes you can shine a brighter light on the obvious falsehoods of the Administration’s storyline about what they knew and when. Rather than include links within the story, I footnoted them and include them at the end of this document. The timeline of the attack is very important in understanding what happened at the consulate, the ‘rescue’ by Tyrone Woods and other members of the annex staff, the subsequent assault on the annex, and ultimately, the evacuation of the staff to the Benghazi airport. First we have the attack, which everyone now agrees happened at 9:40 and was not preceded by a protest of any nature. Charlene Lamb said she was at the situation room monitoring the attack in real time, and that the consulate staff sounded the alarm at about 9:40. By monitoring the attack in real time by watching the video feed from the cameras at the consulate, the State Dept situation room staff should have had good idea of approximately how many attackers were involved. At the very least, they would have seen a large number of armed men. In the State Dept timeline briefing (1) given on October 9th, the briefer describes their version of what happened that night. Here is how they describe the ‘rescue’ of the Americans at the consulate ……..At this point, the special security team, the quick reaction security team from the other compound, arrive on this compound. They came from what we call the annex. With them – there are six of them – with them are about 16 members of the Libyan February 17th Brigade, the same militia that was – whose – some members of which were on our compound to begin with in the barracks. Here is how FOX News describes (2), the same event….. Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods was part of a small team who was at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When he and others heard the shots fired, they informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out. They were told to "stand down," according to sources familiar with the exchange. Soon after, they were again told to "stand down." Woods and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The rescue team from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.

Question 1….Tyrone Woods and his group were described by the State Dept as ;the quick reaction security team’. This implies they were in Benghazi to provide precisely the kind of protective force that would be needed in a situation like this that arose. WHO TOLD THEM TO STAND DOWN? Did the order come from their superiors at the annex or from Washington DC. Were their superiors CIA officers or State Dept staff? So we now have everyone but deceased Ambassador Stevens at the annex at about midnight local time. Again, according to FOX News (2), they called for military assistance because the annex had begun to take fire from the terrorists……At that point, they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied. There were no communications problems at the annex, according those present at the compound. The team was in constant radio contact with their headquarters. In fact, at least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex manning a heavy machine gun when mortars were fired at the CIA compound. The security officer had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a Spectre gunship, which is commonly used by U.S. Special Operations forces to provide support to Special Operations teams on the ground involved in intense firefights. The State Department on Oct. 9th (1) describes it this way……..Once at the annex, the annex has its own security – a security force there. There are people at the annex. The guys in the car join the defense at the annex. They take up firing positions on the roof – some of them do – and other firing positions around the annex. The annex is, at this time, also taking fire and does take fire intermittently, on and off, for the next several hours. The fire consists of AK-47s but also RPGs, and it’s, at times, quite intense. As the night goes on, a team of reinforcements from Embassy Tripoli arrives by chartered aircraft at Benghazi airport and makes its way to the compound – to the annex, I should say. And I should have mentioned that the quick reaction – the quick reaction security team that was at the compound has also, in addition to my five agents, has also returned to the annex safely. The reinforcements from Tripoli are at the compound – at the annex. They take up their positions. And somewhere around 5:45 in the morning – sorry, somewhere around 4 o'clock in the morning – I have my timeline wrong – somewhere around 4 o'clock in the morning the annex takes mortar fire. It is precise and some of the mortar fire lands on the roof of the annex. It immediately killed two security personnel that are there, severely wounds one of the agents that’s come from the compound. Question 2… Leon Panetta said this(3) about sending military assistance to the annex……."We quickly responded, as General Dempsey said, in terms of our deploying forces to the region. We had fast platoons in the region. We had ships that we had deployed off of Libya, and we were prepared to respond to any contingency and certainly had forces in place to do that. But as a basic principle here - 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. And as a result of not having that kind of information the commander who was on the ground in that area, General Ham, General Dempsey, and I felt very strongly that we could not put forces at risk in that situation." The fact is, American assistance WAS sent from Tripoli that night, but it was not military assistance. Who were the 8 guys sent from Tripoli working for? It is logical to assume they were CIA agents or on their payroll. Notice, in the State Department briefing of Oct. 9th, they do not describe the Tripoli contingent other than this was…. As the night goes on, a team of reinforcements from Embassy Tripoli arrives by chartered aircraft at Benghazi airport and makes its way to the compound So what we have here is the first huge contradiction between Panetta and the military and the CIA. SOMEONE sent those guys from Tripoli, but it was not the military. Why was it ok to send 8 lightly armed American guys from Tripoli into harms way to rescue 30+ people in Benghazi, but not ok to send a heavily armed special forces contingent who have trained for just such a scenario? The State Dept was asked about the Tripoli 8 on Oct. 9th and here was their response……. SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL NUMBER TWO: The calls were made to Tripoli at the moment that the – at the same time the agent in the TOC sounded the alarm and then proceeded to make calls. I’m not going to go into any details about the number of security personnel who moved. Notice the State Dept refers to them as ‘security personnel’. Whose security personnel? Why only 8 sent (notice State Dept won’t give number sent)

The best description of what happened that night with the rescue mission from Tripoli I found on 9/13, but was skeptical because part of the story conflicted with my ‘no protest theory. After re-reading the story (4), and comparing it with the FOX News report and State Dept briefing, I am sure the part of the story having to do with the rescue of the annex personnel is 100% accurate…….Here is how that story describes the rescue….. Captain Fathi al-Obeidi, commander of a special operations force for the February 17 Brigade, told Reuters that he took a call about 1:30 a.m. from Tripoli telling him that a helicopter was on its way from the capital's Mitiga airport with a rescue squad of eight U.S. troops - he described them as marines. After he met them at Benghazi airport with a convoy of 10 vehicles, mostly pickup trucks, one mounted with an anti-aircraft cannon, the U.S. force directed Obeidi and his men to the GPS coordinates of a farmhouse to find the survivors there. Here, two more things went wrong. First, Obeidi found four times as many Americans at the single-storey, fortified house as he had been told expect - 37, not just 10. So he did not have enough transport. Then, the villa came under massive attack. This time, there was little doubt in the minds of Libyans who experienced it that this was a well-organized assault by men who had mastered the complexities of military mortar fire. "This attack was planned," Obeid said. "The accuracy with which the mortars hit us was too good for any ordinary revolutionaries." While some Libyan officials suggested that former soldiers from Gaddafi's army may have been involved in Benghazi, some of the Islamist fighters also have substantial military experience from years spent fighting with the Taliban in Afghanistan

Though Libya's deputy interior minister described the locating of the safe house as a "critical security breach," the attack may not have been planned for long in advance. The assailants would have had some hours to follow the fleeing Americans and set up an ambush after the consulate attack. "It began to rain down on us," Obeidi said just as the rescue force was preparing to leave. "About six mortars fell directly on the path to the villa," he said. One American fell wounded by him. A mortar struck the building itself, throwing from the roof another American posted there onto the men below. "I was being bombarded by calls from all over the country by Libyan government officials who wanted me to hurry and get them out," he said. "But ... I needed more men and more cars." Two Americans, including one of the eight security personnel sent from Tripoli, were killed and several wounded. Finally, dozens more vehicles from the Libyan security forces arrived, the attackers melted away and, as the sun came up over the desert, they reached Benghazi airport, from where the surviving Americans and the bodies were flown out. So we now know Tyrone Woods was part of those on staff in Benghazi and Glen Doherty was part of the rescue group sent from Tripoli. Question 3: According to FOX News, one of those killed (Tyrone Woods) was ‘painting the enemy mortar team with a laser’ and calling for air support to take it out. He was killed when a mortar shell hit the roof. The question is: Was any air support available in the area? Were either of the two drones on station armed? Was there an AC130 gunship in the area? Why was no airpower deployed to assist those in the consulate. Even if Panetta did not want to send men, airpower could have been used to provide cover for those in the annex. Gen Petraeus through the CIA spokesperson said “We can say with confidence that the Agency reacted quickly to aid our colleagues during that terrible evening in Benghazi. Moreover, no one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate. Interesting choice of words, ‘nobody told anybody NOT to help’. That is a little different than saying they did tell somebody to help. If an order is NOT given to help, you did not tell somebody not to help, you just ignored their plea. Onto Hillary and her facial claim that Facebook and Twitter posting 2 during the attack don’t constitute ‘evidence that Ansar al-Shariah (and by association Al Qaeda) was involved. When I saw that quote, it immediately brought me back to the most iconic photo of the attack.

When I saw this picture, the thing that instantly struck me was the way the guy was wearing his pants. I started doing some research and came across this (5) Another interview from one of the injured Blue Mountain guards at the consulate………… He himself was hit by grenade shrapnel, and then was shot through the knee when the first wave of attackers came in. He said those he heard speak had local, Benghazi accents, though he added that two men "looked foreign". He said some of the attackers wore masks, and many had their trouser legs rolled up - a mark of Salafi, or purist, Muslims and a common feature in members of Ansar al-Sharia.

Does Mrs. Clinton or the CIA have anybody with expertise on Ansar al-Shariah? Between the Facebook and Twitter posts and this picture, the evidence that Ansar al –Shariah was involved should have been clear as day. If I can figure it out, those paid to be ‘experts’ in the middle east had to know right awat who was responsible. So what do we think is the bottom line? Who were the 8 guys from Tripoli working for and who ordered them to Benghazi? Why was the military not used in terms of special forces or airpower? The answers to the above lead directly to the White House and POTUS. The time difference between Benghazi and Washington DC is 6 hours. From various sources we know this……………….s We also note that at 5 PM on September 11 2012. President Obama Vice President Biden and the secretary of defense were meeting in the Oval Office. As you had these emails coming into the White House situation room. So at 11pm Benghazi time, Obama, Biden, and Panetta were meeting in the OVAL OFFICE, not the situation room. The attack was going on for more than an hour, the Ambassador’s whereabouts were unknown, and you have to assume Obama, Biden, and Panetta were talking about what to do. Instead of calling up the military resources at his disposal, the POTUS went ‘small’. The protection and rescue operations were ‘outsourced’ to the Feb 17th militia, who had failed already in their responsibility to protect the consulate, and most of whom fled when the fighting at the consulate started. The ONLY US ASSETS that could be spared were EIGHT brave Americans in Tripoli who most likely were CIA contract employees (including Glen Doherty). The final call was by the POTUS. No military action to Libya from Italy or elsewhere could have been undertaken without the POTUS signing off. In the end, his ‘leading from behind’ strategy and failure to realize the nature of the situation in Benghazi led to the deaths of at least Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. His meeting at 5pm was 5 hours before they were killed. That is why there is a cover up, the POTUS failed to act, and it is the deaths of the last two Americans that is his vulnerability. The screw up of not having enough security on the ground in Benghazi can be passed off to Charlene Lamb, Hillary, etc., but in the midst of the crisis, when the lives of the 30+ Americans was on the line, the POTUS froze, and Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were killed as a result. He can’t pass that blame off on anyone, he was informed of the attack and as a result of the decisions he made in the Oval Office with Biden and Panetta, those two brave Americans died. The Panetta smokescreen does not hold water because US personnel WERE sent into harms way, they just weren’t US military personnel. If there was enough info to send the 8 men from Tripoli, why was that not good enough for our military? This is 100% on Obama, and I pray the truth comes out before Nov. 6th. Our country deserves better. One related point that may be relevant was this (6) Sending the military into another country can be a sensitive and delicate decision. CBS News has been told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did seek clearances from Libya to fly in their airspace, but the administration won't say anything further about what was said or decided on that front. How do you request clearance from a gov’t which really only exists on paper? The prime minister was not even sworn in yet, and the country was and is ruled by armed militias. When Americans are dying, and someone attacks an embassy or consulate, we do not require permission to do everything in our power to protect out people. In a lawless country like Libya, protocol should take a back seat to saving our Ambassador. 1. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/10/198791.htm 2. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/26/cia-operators-were-denied-request-for-help-during-benghazi-attack-sources-say/ 3. http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981725499 4. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/13/us-libya-ambassador-assault-idUSBRE88C02Q20120913?feedType=RSS&feedName=wtMostRead&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FMostRead+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Most+Read+Articles%29 5. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/9549126/Benghazi-consulate-attack-was-targeted-assault-says-security-guard.html 6. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-33816_162-57536611/could-u.s-military-have-helped-during-libya-attack/

It’s good to know that Leon doesn’t “have our back”. We won’t count on him anymore.

Fox News Exclusive - with Jennifer Griffin

Remember this response?

“There’s a broader lesson to be learned here,” Mr. Obama told “60 Minutes” correspondent Steve Kroft at the White House. “And I — you know, Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later. And as president, one of the things I’ve learned is you can’t do that. That, you know, it’s important for you to make sure that the statements that you make are backed up by the facts. And that you’ve thought through the ramifications before you make ‘em.”

going in harm’s way is what we have a military for in the first place. they have guns and everything. we pay them to shoot bad guys.

I appreciate your lengthy thoughts, but I would like to respond to just the title, mainly associated with Panetta’s assertion of risk.

Our SecDef didn’t think one bit about risk in the latter half of the 1990s when he was more than willing, eager even, to get out on the MSM news/talk circuit and assert that a “blow job” was not an impeachable offense.

Anything anyone ever hears from this man should be prefaced with the remembrance of his complicity in those days.

Enough said.

This is their story? Seriously?

I’m sorry, we cannot have war today -spot of tea, guvna??- until we know everything there is to know.

God forbid our military ever take a risk to save four Americans from dying. Ohhhhh noooooooooo.... One hellfire missile aimed at the front gate of the complex would've driven those terrorists away like RATS. And if we had a friendly fire fatality.. THEY DIED ANYWAY!

If it's true one of the SEALs had the terrorists artillery location lased with a DLR and the order to obliterate it was denied by 0bama.. Hey 0bama, this wasn't a DRONE LOST TO IRAN, THESE WERE AMERICANS WHO DIED, YOU TRAITOR.

Risk impeded?

Then none are safe...

No American anywhere is safe let alone an embassey, diplomat, ambassador...........

or dare I say citizens right here in America.

Contemplation: Would you want military intervention if NY consolute was under seige? A mall ...a movie theatre...or a residence on Pennsylvania Ave.

At the very least, the Spectre AC-130U or F-18’s that were on ready at Sigonella Air base—Italy, just 480 miles away, could have been sent to destroy the mortar position firing on the annex (that a security officer had targeted by laser).

You will never see any of these ‘officials’ take responsibility for anything. What we need are charges and indictments.

I just wanted an article to post my comments to. The big points are:
1. that Glen Doherty was in Tripoli when the consulate was attacked. No MSM are reporting that. He was part of the 8 man group sent to rescue 30+ Americans at the annex. How 8 people could be assumed to be enough to fight off 100+ terrorists with RPG’s, mortars, and Ak-47’s is ludicrous.
2. The military (Panetta) claims the State Dept never asked for help. If an embassy/consulate/Ambassador is under attack, you do not wait for Hillary to call and ask for help. Where was the communication?
3. Who were the 8 Americans from Tripoli working for? If as I suspect, it was CIA, why would the military leave them out to die without lifting a finger?
4. If it was too dangerous to send the best military on the face of the earth, how was it safe enough to send 8 lightly armed Americans into the same situation?
5. Obama was meeting with Panetta WHEN the attack happened. The decisions were made in real time with POTUS right there. He claims the minute he found out he said.........., “the minute I found out what was happening, I gave three very clear directives. Number one, make sure that we are securing our personnel and doing whatever we need to.”....Securing our personnel and doing whatever we need to did not involve using our military assets. Instead it meant sending 8 guys with guns from Tripoli to help out. That is impossible to believe.

Graphic by LadyJag!

Know the truth

We’re saying a bunch of libyan terrorist types are too risky for our best teams to go toe to toe with? What are we now putting targets on our guys’ uniforms, or arming them with paintball guns? Are we stupid enough to give them a target while they debark down a rope, that we can’t insert them and pull them out like we normally do? that we can’t ramp up enough assets to give each other cover and have significant tactical ability on the ground?

I think it’s got to be very, very hard to lie this much, every day. I hope they are all rotting from the inside out because of all the lies they tell in this administration.

One reason they might have been afraid to send in air support or choppers is that Amb. Stevens found out that the 20,000 missing manpads were still in Benghazi.

What you said.

Panetta is admitting the knowledge of the terrorist attack reached him while it what happening and he failed to notify Great Leader and Crazy Uncle Joe, OR - Great Leader and CUJ knew all along and used the bad-video meme for some strange reason. And the evolution (libs love that word, especially when sorting out lies and finding the scape-goat) of the explanation in the weeks to follow, either way, makes absolutely no sense.

mark

If the bad guys had MANPADS, the AC-130 would not have survived.

obama was terrified of accidentally injuring a non-guilty libyan, so he let four americans die.

it’s just that simple.

You need more paragraphs.