[Girlene]

But my question then to Panetta and Joint Chief Dempsey is: So what did YOU do? Why did you not send in help? Who gave order to “stand down”?

Agree. During the hearing, one Senator did mention how curious it was that they STILL had not heard from the people who were on the ground at the time. No comment was made by either Panetta or Dempsey as to the why they were sitll unavailable.

That claim about being told to "stand down" did not come out of thin air. It happened and as of yet still needs to be explained. Maybe the reporter who first revealed it will be able to convince her source to reveal more.

[shalom aleichem]

Congress has absolute authority to summon anyone in from anywhere in the world and grill them.

If it is secret stuff, then close hearing.

If a majority of commitee does not so vote, then they can have the rump hearings that Conyers and Waxman always pulled.