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Those guys did it —they thought they were risking a Blackhawk Down incident b4 a Presidential election, and so they forbade anyone to help.

That makes more sense than some of the other conspiracy theories

Even Panneta admitted it saying they couldn't risk resources

Sorry, but I can't agree. The technology and rules of engagement are different. A consulate, diplomatic mission, or American embassy is US soil -- not downtown Mogadishu, and a US Ambassador isn't a grunt (sorry grunts, but you know where you stand) who you can sacrifice in order to avoid an international embarrassment.

Furthermore, if the administration was worried about downside risk, they could have deployed armed drones or airstrikes and have at least made some effort. This last especially since by all accounts the "official" Libyan authorities and most of the indigenous populace were on our side.

The truth is that Zero and his political advisers did a cynical calculation and decided that a collaborationist press would give them a complete pass on one of the flimsiest provocations concocted by a deceitful government since the Gleiwitz Incident. So far, it's not clear that they were mistaken.

Those guys did it —they thought they were risking a Blackhawk Down incident b4 a Presidential election, and so they forbade anyone to help.

That makes more sense than some of the other conspiracy theories

Even Panneta admitted it saying they couldn't risk resources

They already had an Ambassador missing - they did not know until about dawn what had become of the Ambassador. They already had the "pre-election bad incident". The Ambassador is actually the President's personal representative, and his murder is actually an act of war. It's far worse than a Blackhawk Down situation.

The retired Lt. Col. who called in to Rush today summed up how things actually work in these situations.

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.