It’s kind of hard to reconcile what Axelrod said with what Panetta said. No?
Exactly...
Panetta said the response to the attack was “timely and appropriate, but there simply was not enough time given the speed of the attacks for armed U.S. military assets to have made a difference.”
McCain, who has constantly lambasted the Obama administration’s response to the attack, forcefully challenged Panetta’s assertion that the Defense Department did everything it could.
McCain asked why the Defense Department did not send forces based at Souda Bay, Crete, to Benghazi. He said the flight is an hour and a half and that it was “simply false” for Panetta to testify that all resources couldn’t reach Libya in time.
“I stand by my testimony,” Panetta replied.
McCain testily countered, “Perhaps you can give me some facts.”
Panetta then said that a contingent was not sent because the State Department didn’t request it.
“So it’s the State Department’s fault,” McCain challenged.
Panetta was firm throughout his testimony that there were no “undue delays” in decision making and there was no denial of support from Washington or from the military combatant commanders when the attack happened.
“Quite the contrary: The safe evacuation of all U.S. government personnel from Benghazi 12 hours after the initial attack” and transfer to the Ramstein air base in Germany “was the result of exceptional U.S. government coordination.”
He said the U.S. military response helped save lives.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/07/us/panetta-benghazi-hearing/index.html
Axlegrease lied to protect the candidate and make him look somewhat presidential which was his job. Panetta told the truth.