Posted on 10/27/2012 7:02:53 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
On Saturday afternoon a White House spokesman emphatically denied that President Obama had denied requests for help during the Benghazi attack. "Neither the president nor anyone in the White House denied any requests for assistance in Benghazi," wrote National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor in an email to Yahoo News.
That rebuttal follows a TV interview on Friday in which Obama avoided responding to a question about whether CIA operatives were told to "stand down" during the Benghazi attack.
KYLE CLARK, KUSA-TV, Denver: Were they denied requests for help during the attack?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, we are finding out exactly what happened. I can tell you, as I've said over the last couple of months since this happened, 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. Number two, we're going to investigate exactly what happened so that it doesn't happen again. Number three, find out who did this so we can bring them to justice. And I guarantee you that everyone in the state department, our military, the CIA, you name it, had number one priority making sure that people were safe.
In a separate radio interview on Friday, Obama pushed back on Fox News allegations that he lied about the administration's response.
"I've always been straight with the American people," the president told Philadelphia radio host Michael Smerconish.
"What's true is that the intelligence was coming in and evolving as more information came up," Obama said, explaining why his administration's explanation had changed in the hours and days after the attack.
“......a White House spokesman emphatically denied that President Obama had denied requests for help during the Benghazi attack.”
I don’t think the parsing works in this case. Every ORDER to every military asset, ordering them to STAND DOWN, was a DENIAL of the help they were PLEADING FOR!
Asking what Rules of Engagement were in place for ground and airborne asstes in the Benghazi area on September 11 2012 would be an excellent question for SECDEF. Likely, it was not considered any sort of a free fire zone, so requests to deploy weapons from any airborne assets would have been required.
Benghazigate seems to be growing longer legs by the minute, and the LSM will have no choice but to cover it.
Interestingly, the comments on the Yahoo story overwhelmingly indicate that those posting are FURIOUS about 0sama's cowardice. Usually Yahoo posters are a bunch of Leftist sycophants, but not tonight. Last I looked, there were over 13,000 posts! Support for TOTUS seems to be crunbling everywhere... but let's keep working like we're 2 points behind.
NEEDS REPEATING AGAIN AND AGAIN!
951 posted on Saturday, October 27, 2012 8:59:06 AM by Travis McGee
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2827536/posts?page=951#951
When the alarm goes worldwide that an embassy or consulate is being attacked, the entire U.S. military swings into rescue mode, without waiting for any orders from the White House. The military does all of the operational planning and begins to execute the rescue op.
The one thing they CAN’T do is cross an international border without permission from POTUS. So the US Military will be inbound full-steam-ahead to make the rescue, and all they need from POTUS is a “proceed” order. In this case, they got a “stand down” instead.
This is at the POTUS level, it is not a decision taken at State. State and the military (JCS) should be in the Situation Room with POTUS soon after a critical incident like this begins, so all decisions can be made in real time. (I have heard nowhere that POTUS went into the Situation Room. Oval office briefly, but not down to the Situation Room, where the “war planning” screens and commo tools are all located.)
But if POTUS punts after the brief Oval Office meeting with Dempsey and Hillary and goes upstairs to the family quarters....the stranded Americans will die.
Only POTUS can give the order to cross international borders. Only POTUS can allow US warplanes to give air support to Americans battling on the ground in a foreign country. If POTUS makes himself unavailable, the Americans will die.
Even the VEEP or Sec State cannot make that call. The VEEP can only do it if the POTUS is determined to be medically unable to perform his functions. If the POTUS goes upstairs and turns off his phone, there is nothing anybody can do about it. Nothing.
I don’t know the answers to your questions. I think failure to allow additional resources was a stupid decision, if you truly wanted to protect Americans. We don’t know what Obama’s real game was.
If the drones were already in Country, then whoever had them could deploy them without his permission I think.
One of the seals that died was actually part of a response team sent from Tripoli to help secure the CIA annex, after the alert was sounded.
For a woman who is 61 years old she’s easy on the eyes..
And THAT is low cowardice, and--though probably never prosecutable--high treason!
If I remember correctly (maybe someone can help me out with this), there were reports that a small contingent of Libyans were dispatched (police/militia) to the location of the Americans some time the first day.
Perhaps this is how the administration is justifying the statement that they did not "deny any requests for assistance". They had the full resources of the US military at their disposal to launch a rescue, and our people no doubt expected just such a mission, and instead Barry sent in some Libyan rent-a-cops.
I believe that's the word game they're playing by denying that assistance was "denied".
Perhaps someone can help find the reports where there was talk of some Libyans sent to the scene.
But didn’t the request for help go to the DoD and the State Dept at the same time? I was under the impression that it did.
As soon as Team Obama can find an excuse that a focus group will buy, the ‘news’ will be given to the New York Times and all the little suck ups down the road from them will buy it ...
I remember something like that. This so called "Police Force" supposedly helped move the Ambassador and entourage, then turned on them by tipping off the terrorist to their location. I would bet you are right about the President / White House using that as a play on words. Like Clinton's "what is "is" mean !
” - - - KYLE CLARK, KUSA-TV, Denver: Were they denied requests for help during the attack?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, we are finding out exactly what happened. - - - “
THE OBAMA LIE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That should have been a very straightforward answer to that question.
Where did the information that the SEALS were told to stand down come from?
You are correct.
That makes me sick to my stomach. This is the guy who would not give the order for the SEALS to fire on those Somalia pirates....the captain did it on his own (thank God). And he has hung out other of our troops in similar situations in Stan land and let good men die.
I never thought I would see the day when I would say I HATE my president but today is that day
Listen to what Lt. Col. Hunt said about the 15 communications systems that were in effect during the Benghazi attack, with direct lines to DOD, State Dept., White House/situation room, CIA, (didn’t mention DIA but I’ll bet my ass they were in the loop as SOP), Central Africa Command, Navy, etc.
Obama lied and Americans died. Gen. Dempsey is guilty of gross dereliction of duty and should be cashiered. Panetta is a liar. Wonder what Brainless Brennan was doing? Getting a head transplant? How about Biden?
Hillary might actually come out a little cleaner if SHE ACTUALLY ASKED THE WHITE HOUSE FOR MILITARY HELP. Otherwise, she’s toast (and should have been years ago).
If the right insider comes out, it is the end of the Obama presidential campaign, careers, and the near-total marxist takeover of the White House (with some Moslem Brotherhood tendencies thrown in).
Treason and incompetence are in season and we need a complete house cleaning and jail-filling purge.
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