Ambassador Rice made statements that were not inflammatory to the circumstances in the Middle East at the time of the Benghazi attacks resulting in the deaths of four Americans. The only presence in the Benghazi area at the time of the attacks was the CIA. The assessments of the day provided for low balling the security to Ambassador Stevens while providing a security detail by the State Department that was basically body guards. The consulate was established in Benghazi where it was believed it was a safe place in a safer neighborhood.
...Petraeus testified (click here) that the CIA report he approved was apparently altered to downplay the terrorist angle....
The entire danger to the USA Ambassador was based in faulty intelligence. It was faulty from every estimation and the evidence to date continues to reflect the fact the threats to Ambassador Stevens was on his person. In the reality 'after the fact' even Former CIA Director Petraeus is inconsistent in his recollection of the facts as presented to Congress.
The Senate GOP is attempting to put their stamp on the new Obama Administration by inhibiting nominees to the cabinet. Who knows why except it appears as though a Republican has the power to dictate the outcome of the election of a Democratic President.
As usual it is all politics all the time by the GOP without sincere governance.
The talking point of Ambassador Rice was more than correct for the violence spilling over to US Consulates post film. It was her responsibility to speak to a global incident that was growing. Silence was not an option and acting against intelligence was not an option either. To start to change the focus of the incidents to specifically speak as if Benghazi was not in reaction to the film was incorrect to the intelligence of the day.
I don't believe anyone really knows, even today, what happened that day in regard to the 'decision to attack' the consulate in Benghazi. It happened after Cairo erupted. There is no way of knowing if a well armed militias decided to act due to the reaction in Cairo. Where is the evidence otherwise?
What mattered more than anything else to everyone in our State Department and our UN Ambassador was ensuring the safety of our consulates and their staff. The State Department State was completely innocent of what occurred to them. It was necessary to secure our interests abroad.
The issue with Benghazi was being handled exceptionally well by Secretary Clinton. No one else needed to do anything in regard to the loss of four Americans. Secretary Clinton was taking the incident with complete brevity. If she wasn't, the communications with the public by others would have been paramount, but, that was not the case.
The GOP was not in control of the Executive Branch and are not now and that is the point. The State Department and our UN Ambassador carried out their duties based on what they knew at the time. It was a failure in intelligence. They acted to protect their staff and our consulates.
The one question the GOP can't seem to find to ask is, "Why was the CIA report Former CIA Director Petraeus approved apparently altered to downplay the terrorist angle/reality (which ever applies to reality)?
Either there was 'an angle' averted to stop inflammation of post Libya Civil War to a greater involvement of the USA by screaming 'al Qaede' by war mongers such as Lindsey Graham and John McCain or there was a reality of a terrorist danger to Ambassador Stevens.
I also don't believe that question is a yes or no answer. I don't believe it was a simple answer at all. There were many dynamics of which I am not going to repeat here (which appears on this blog), but, the paradigm shift in the Middle East has created different power balances and power vacuums. I also believe it was very difficult for the CIA to assess the sincere danger as opposed to any traditional understanding of the danger.
One can play arm chair quarterback all one wants after the fact, but, the USA had an interest in maintaining diplomatic relations with the new government of Libya for the national security of the USA. The inflammatory nature of iconic events such as September 11th anniversaries and a You Tube film is not measurable. If it were measurable the loss of four American lives would not have occurred. It is why people in foreign service die.
If anything, the GOP never takes responsibility for the muscle bound USA capacity due to their wrongful involvement in Iraq. They never stop to realize their wrongful invasion of a country has caused its own national security backlash which will probably last for at least another decade or two until the USA is more predictable, again. The "Axis of Evil" speech caused greater dangers to the nation and not less. The GOP never accept responsibility for that fact but simply exaggerate it for political purposes. It is very safe to say we face dangers to our country due to lack of trust by the international community we never faced before.
It could be safety stated the USA CIA estimates are less robust for the real reason it would allow for political grandstanding that would actually increase the country's danger to national security. All factors play into the CIA estimates. They have to. There is a limit to the ability to put a tank deployment on every corner in the world.
There are no obligations to answer any of the Turd Blossoms by FOX News either. One might ask why that is done at all. The Republican majority in the House is by gerrymandering and a naive public.
...Petraeus testified (click here) that the CIA report he approved was apparently altered to downplay the terrorist angle....
The entire danger to the USA Ambassador was based in faulty intelligence. It was faulty from every estimation and the evidence to date continues to reflect the fact the threats to Ambassador Stevens was on his person. In the reality 'after the fact' even Former CIA Director Petraeus is inconsistent in his recollection of the facts as presented to Congress.
...Another lawmaker, Republican Representative Peter King, (click here) said Petraeus' account in the closed-door session differed from the assessment the CIA chief gave to Congress two months ago, just days after the September 11 attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
"He also stated that he thought all along he made it clear that there were significant terrorist involvement, and that is not my recollection of what he told us on September 14," King said....
The GOP is engaged in a witch hunt backed by 'the turd blossom gardeners' at FOX News. It is nonsense and the entire meeting today was a result of the political exploitation of the GOP of the death of a US Ambassador.The Senate GOP is attempting to put their stamp on the new Obama Administration by inhibiting nominees to the cabinet. Who knows why except it appears as though a Republican has the power to dictate the outcome of the election of a Democratic President.
As usual it is all politics all the time by the GOP without sincere governance.
The talking point of Ambassador Rice was more than correct for the violence spilling over to US Consulates post film. It was her responsibility to speak to a global incident that was growing. Silence was not an option and acting against intelligence was not an option either. To start to change the focus of the incidents to specifically speak as if Benghazi was not in reaction to the film was incorrect to the intelligence of the day.
I don't believe anyone really knows, even today, what happened that day in regard to the 'decision to attack' the consulate in Benghazi. It happened after Cairo erupted. There is no way of knowing if a well armed militias decided to act due to the reaction in Cairo. Where is the evidence otherwise?
What mattered more than anything else to everyone in our State Department and our UN Ambassador was ensuring the safety of our consulates and their staff. The State Department State was completely innocent of what occurred to them. It was necessary to secure our interests abroad.
The issue with Benghazi was being handled exceptionally well by Secretary Clinton. No one else needed to do anything in regard to the loss of four Americans. Secretary Clinton was taking the incident with complete brevity. If she wasn't, the communications with the public by others would have been paramount, but, that was not the case.
The GOP was not in control of the Executive Branch and are not now and that is the point. The State Department and our UN Ambassador carried out their duties based on what they knew at the time. It was a failure in intelligence. They acted to protect their staff and our consulates.
The one question the GOP can't seem to find to ask is, "Why was the CIA report Former CIA Director Petraeus approved apparently altered to downplay the terrorist angle/reality (which ever applies to reality)?
Either there was 'an angle' averted to stop inflammation of post Libya Civil War to a greater involvement of the USA by screaming 'al Qaede' by war mongers such as Lindsey Graham and John McCain or there was a reality of a terrorist danger to Ambassador Stevens.
I also don't believe that question is a yes or no answer. I don't believe it was a simple answer at all. There were many dynamics of which I am not going to repeat here (which appears on this blog), but, the paradigm shift in the Middle East has created different power balances and power vacuums. I also believe it was very difficult for the CIA to assess the sincere danger as opposed to any traditional understanding of the danger.
One can play arm chair quarterback all one wants after the fact, but, the USA had an interest in maintaining diplomatic relations with the new government of Libya for the national security of the USA. The inflammatory nature of iconic events such as September 11th anniversaries and a You Tube film is not measurable. If it were measurable the loss of four American lives would not have occurred. It is why people in foreign service die.
If anything, the GOP never takes responsibility for the muscle bound USA capacity due to their wrongful involvement in Iraq. They never stop to realize their wrongful invasion of a country has caused its own national security backlash which will probably last for at least another decade or two until the USA is more predictable, again. The "Axis of Evil" speech caused greater dangers to the nation and not less. The GOP never accept responsibility for that fact but simply exaggerate it for political purposes. It is very safe to say we face dangers to our country due to lack of trust by the international community we never faced before.
It could be safety stated the USA CIA estimates are less robust for the real reason it would allow for political grandstanding that would actually increase the country's danger to national security. All factors play into the CIA estimates. They have to. There is a limit to the ability to put a tank deployment on every corner in the world.
There are no obligations to answer any of the Turd Blossoms by FOX News either. One might ask why that is done at all. The Republican majority in the House is by gerrymandering and a naive public.
