Pete Hegseth @ NRO:
Despite the best attempts of the mainstream media (and mother nature), Benghazi-gate is not going away. More and more questions arise each day, with no solid answer from the White House. Bing West’s piece in these pages raises two key questions: Did the President truly give the directive to ‘do whatever we need to do’ to secure personnel on the scene? And if so, why then was it not followed? One or the other is true — both equally damning.
More on-the-ground questions continue to emerge (presumably not from the White House for the purposes of glorification). K-Lo’s post last night includes a strong piece of information to consider — the former Navy SEAL on the ground (Tyrone Woods) who was using the infrared laser to “paint the target” (enemy mortar team) was doing so at the risk of exposing himself, which someone with his training would have known. This fact would lead you to believe that there were armed air assets available (AC-130 Gunship or Predator/Reaper drone) in the skies above the consulate and annex. Previous reports have indicated that only a surveillance drone was monitoring the attack, but if that drone was armed, it ups the ante. More than likely — pending more details — Woods was taking the risk to identify himself, in order to identify the enemy target for an immediate air strike. The questions then become — Why didn’t they fire? And who made that call?
Moreover, we know that Woods and his fellow Navy SEAL Glen Doherty were told to “stand down” rather than aid a besieged ambassador. Who gave that order? And why, especially in light of the President’s directive? There’s lots of finger pointing going on, and very few answers. Eventually the buck will stop and the truth will come out — it always does.
Taken together, the events on 9/11 in Libya tragically illustrate this administration’s “Stand Down” foreign policy.
I am not sure why anyone who considers themselves an American can defend the administration’s decision making process during this fiasco! It is beuond incompetence. It is criminal to knowingly allow Americans to die doing their duty to their country. It can only happen if the administration does not care about the citizens!
When ”offended,” some Muslims get downright murderous.
Obama has been borrowing their language to stop debate.
He’s ”offended,” so, you better shut up!
It would be really sad if innocent Libyans were killed when taking out a laser pointed at enemy’s mortar team.
But who, in their right mind, would stand next to a mortar team aiming at Americans?
Some people who are on the mortar team’s side:
http://www.newsrealblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/HamasHumanShields.jpg
Some people who are forced:
http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2009/01/video-of-hamas-kidnapping-children-for.html
Either way, a trained soldier knows what his priorities are.
Take out the target.
TRY not to kill innocents.
But, if some die, so be it.
@Nan G:
Obama’s offended? By what? People asking what happened, why it happened, and what was done as it happened?
I want to know the answers to those questions. So do millions more Americans. We should all be offended that Obama is diddling about, not answering them, too concerned with protecting his own hide.
The only ones raising a stink about this issue is the extreme far right—and that’s only because Obama is President. If it were Romney, instead, the Right would be silent, and the Left would be boisterous. Don’t you think it would be good to take partisan, ideological politics out of such issues?
@Liberal1 (Objectivity):
Why do you accuse others of what you are guilty of? No, if this had been a Republican president, we would still be asking why those four Americans were left to die without any attempt to rescue them. You see, Lib1, we on the right are not the Koolaid drinkers you are. We do question our elected official. And when we find them negligent, or guilty of misconduct, we don’t stand on the steps of Congress shouting our support like the left does (Gary Studds, comes to mind).
Where were all the harsh words for this POTUS when the number of American military dead reached that “grim milestone” earlier this year? Where are the members of the press demanding that they be allowed to photograph the flag draped coffins returning from Afghanistan? Where is CodePinko, and their marches on Washington, D.C.? Where are the placards, being carried by radical left wingers that say “People died, Obama lied.”? While the left shouted to the roof tops that George Bush was violating the U.S. Constitution, they are silent when Obama actually does violate the U.S. Constitution by by-passing Congress and enacting a “dream act” policy in an area of our immigration policy that only Congress is supposed to be in control of. How about the total violation of our 4th Amendment rights in order to be able to exercise our right of freedom of movement/travel? Where is the left on that?
So please, don’t insult us by saying we would do what you actually do. That is called projection.