Republican members of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee released a batch of cables and emails Friday, from Ambassador Chris Stevens and diplomatic security personnel, that paint a picture of a rapidly deteriorating security situation in Benghazi, Libya in the days and months leading up to the September 11 attack that killed Stevens and three others. CNN Foreign Affairs Reporter Elise Labott explains.
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CNN, what's happened to you? These emails are so important, I can't believe you're politicizing it. REPUBLICAN MEMEBERS....come on. Why couldn't you just report it without making it sound like it was a partisan effort to get the administration. I thought I would check your site to see if you're really not part of the biased media. So disappointing.
Most people have already decided for whom to vote..... all of this BS partisan bickering and arguments are for naught and should be for naught. I will be very, very glad when this election is over. Bottom line- it's going to take several more years before the economy to get better, and no administration is going to be able to predict and prevent every attack that occurs in the future, just as they have not been able to prevent all attacks in the past.
Be careful of this deadly disease which I read about on another blog:
OBAMANESIA: it's lethal and happens when you can't remember important facts such as what precipitated an American Ambassador and others to be attacked and murdered in Libya. It causes you to repeatedly cover up the facts with an artificial , but the wound will never heal.
OBAMANESIA also results in delusions and hallucinations which causes you to think an obscure movie causes such deaths, and you repeatedly need to apologize to the perpetrators of the crime who are terroristsover and over again, even though you don't believe terrorists continue tol exist.
I hope you don't catch it
PRESIDENT MITT ROMNEY / LADY ANN & VICE PRESIDENT RYAN 2012
Obama did not call Benghazi terrorism. The rose garden speech was about the video with a splice tacked on about "acts of terror" in general. The "video did it" meme was continued by the administration for over 8 days to include Obama's speech to the UN, Susan Rice's 5 plus appearances arranged by the whitehouse on the Sunday shows, and Crowley's outright collusion with the Obama campaign.
How much of the Obama's proliferation of the "video" brought the attention of the IMAMs and was the cause of the subsequent riots among the Muslims that weekend? Where was Obama's outrage on September 12th of an attack, no matter the reason, on Americans and American soil? Why did Obama not defend American's right to freedom of speech? If the investigation was on going, how could the administration even say video was the cause? As Obama said, we will get those who did it and the FBI can't get to the scene for three weeks; the actions don't meet the words!
Only in the alternate universe of faux snooze does a speech about the Benghazi attack, through an extreme use of twisted mental and linguistic gymnastics become a speech about something else.
It doesn’t take a professor of English to understand that when the president was speaking of the Benghazi attack and the death of one of our ambassadors. That the phrase “No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for. Today we mourn four more Americans who represent the very best of the United States of America. We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done." Ipso facto he’s calling the attack on the consulate in Benghazi an act of terror. quod erat demonstrandum… Q.E.D
Herein lies the problem....
An "act of terror" is not the same as a "terrorist attack". An "act of terror" can occur in a spontaneous and unplanned sequence. It does not always have a specified victim – it is meant to cause "fear". However, a terrorist attack is planned and has a specified purpose / victim. The comment of "an act of terror" is consistent with the claims made by Susan Rice, Jim Carney, Hillary Clinton and even Obama himself when they blamed a demonstration and the videotape. And he did not label this a terrorist attack until 14 days subsequent, even though the State department had direct knowledge that no such demonstration occurred and that this was planned. That is where the problem lies – the State department knew this was a terrorist attack when it occurred – not 14 days later. So – why would Susan Rice, Hillary Clinton, Jim Carney and Obama continue to tell the American public something that clearly was inconsistent with their own intelligence community's findings. And if the CIA's findings were different than that State Departments – well, isn't Hillary the head of the State Department? if there was an inconsistency – why didn't anyone say anything? Why did they continue to allow misinformation to be disseminated when there was a clear inconsistency.
I think Obama blew it by pushing this point during Debate #2.
The President should always let Americans know when we are attack, no politics involved. It is now apparent that the embassy was attack twice earlier this year, we weren't told. The violence was so rampant yet targeted, the British pulled out as did the Red Cross...so what does this administration do after continuous requests from the Ambassador for more security? They decide to pull virtually all security from the Embassy for "normalization appearance", that is, make it look like everything is fine when they knew it wasn't. That strategy killed those Americans. They knew in 24 hours exactly what happened and for two weeks mislead the American public. Disgraceful...no excuse, all politics.
I am so sad for the Ambassador. the two Seals and the other person that was murdered and tortured because of stupid and incompetent Hillary Clinton and immature Obama, and of course, the power mad rest of his unqualified State Department and Administration. How could they all refuse the Ambassador Stevens' begging and asking for help? The man was so scared that he would be killed and he was??? Where do they have the right to ignore his constant communications asking for help, so that he and the others could live? Words can't describe the horror that this Administration created by being so mean and negligent not to have protected these men. These people must pay for this, there has to be justice for these men, not lies and campaigning!!!
Good point – if they were concerned about "appearances" – they could have just removed the Ambassador and the rest of the staff. It really bothers me when I hear that it wouldn't have mattered if there were additional security – it would not have changed the outcome. That is such a cop out and a horrible excuse. So – we just allow our citizens to remain as sitting ducks waiting for something to happen – especially given the dangerous location. They knew of the dangers and the threats. If they were unwilling to send additional security – why didn't the just "reassign" them, especially during 9/11?
The Ambassador traveled to Benghazi from Tripoli in spite of security concerns, according to other news sites. It was his choice to do so.
It seems irresponsible of Republicans to show a divided front to the world right from Day One as this has been unfolding. As with economic matters and domestic governing they would rather use all opportunites to attack the President, even if it means harming the country.
Does anyone consider that it might be in the country's best interests not to reveal everything right away? Don't we accept that diplomatic and intelligence work involves secrets?
@Jean. It is very important we know now. We have an election in a few days and must determine who will lead the country. Don't we need full accounting to make an informed choice? If the President and his people handled the situation correctly or incorrectly, we need to know now. The press has had to stay on this story because they have seen contradictory statements for an extremely serious story. That is the Administration's fault. They did not have to stay with unconfirmed narratives about a "spontaneous attack." Now, the press, which is generally favorable to the President, has no choice but to stay on the story.
Jean, can't we just as easily turn your statement around to the Democrats? Using your logic, the ambassador and his staff would be alive today had things gone right, had secrets and the ways of maintaining them by this administration not been a failure. It is precisely because they did not handle it correctly that we're in this mess. Please, put down your partisan bias for a while and join the rest of the American People who need non-contradictory answers from this administration.
I continue to strongly believe that this Benghazi affair is an attempt to "swift boat" President Obama....the anti muslim
video was not doubt funded thru "a cristian organization" with links to Right Wing activists....it was released to coincide with 9/11.....and to create AN INTELLIGENCE CONFUSION ....this Administration was going to be in a "catch 22" no matter how they responded..and THEN THE GOP COULD CALL THEM OUT ON EITHER THEIR LACK OF INTEL OR FOR "LYING" TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE............I want to know why CNN has fallen into the GOP trap of giving so much airtime to this ruse
An ambassador, his security team of two SEALs and a CIA information officer are dead. Your comparison to the Swift Boat would be laughable if it wasn't so utterly disrespectful and traitorous.
CNN stop burrying this stuff!!!! You are clearly in Obama's pocket.
Go to fox news then.
Go there yourself and burn your hatred off until you're a pathetic little black ember. Itscion has as much right as you to be here and to comment on what topic he or she finds interesting, including CNN's perceived bias.
CNN, I agree I use to think that you uncovered the truth but you keep covering this up...This has nothing to do with Dem/Rep what this does have to do with. Is we have been lied too and 4 American's died and people lost love ones. If it had been someone that you loved I think you would want to find the truth...Hello America we can no longer let our Country be run by people like this....GET OUT AND VOTE...If our President was really a man he would step down.
if presidents stepped down every time they made a mistake that cost people their lives, we'd go through a lot of presidents.
We now know that the Obama Administration is to blame for the deaths of four of our U.S. citizens. The U.S should immediately suspend the elections and file charges against the President and his staff.
sure......and the RIght Wing SWIFTBOATING attempt will have succeeded
The incident has happened, it takes couple of weeks to months to go through everything to get to the bottom, just because the election is coming does not mean everything will be expedited. I wish everything will play out as Hollywood. Congress and senate is there too it find the detail. Was there some confusion, of course there were.
The ambassador sent letters saying that the situation is deterioting. But, did he ask for help? And, why did he travel to Benghazi if the situation was bad? There are many questions that needs to be answered and it will take time.
In the cable sent by the ambassador on August 2, he specifically requested 11 more body guards.