Allahpundit @ Hot Air:
Good catch by the Standard. Carney’s held gaggles with reporters recently, but gaggles are inferior for reasons Daniel Halper explains at the link. According to the White House website, there’s been no full-fledged “face the nation”-style televised press briefing in more than two weeks. How come? Can’t be that Carney’s busy with campaign stuff. As surreal as it may sound, he technically works for you and me as an employee of the executive branch, not for Team Hopenchange. Why isn’t ourpress secretary out in front fielding questions about the day’s news? Could it be because … he ended up becoming the public face of the White House clusterfark over Benghazi? And now, after two more weeks of evidence about how negligent the State Department was in failing to protect Chris Stevens, the administration’s less inclined than ever to send him back out there in front of a camera?
Bummer, if so, because I’d sure like to hear more about this:
Less than two months before the fatal attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, the State Department concluded that the risk of violence to diplomats and other Americans in Libya was high and that the weak U.S.-backed government in Tripoli could do little about it.
“The risk of U.S. Mission personnel, private U.S. citizens and businesspersons encountering an isolating event as a result of militia or political violence is HIGH,” a State Department security assessment from July 22 concludes…
The department’s former top security officer told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that he had recommended keeping U.S. military and additional State Department security forces on hand through October, documents released by the committee show.
“The (Libyan government) was overwhelmed and could not guarantee our protection,” former regional security officer Eric A. Nordstrom wrote Oct. 1. “Sadly, that point was reaffirmed Sept. 11 2012 in Benghazi.”
Literally everyone knew that Benghazi was dangerous, including State, and yet they were still willing to rotate out a security team in August because “their mission was simply over.” Seems like something the president’s mouthpiece might want to comment on. More from Jake Tapper:
Maybe so he won’t have to answer any questions.
Like questions about how much it will cost TAXPAYERS for Obama to cover up the fact that hundreds of thousands of people might lose their jobs shortly after the election.
Remedies for WARN violations include 60 days of back pay and benefits, attorneys fees, and civil penalties of $500 per day of violation.
Times that by hundreds of thousands!
And all so Obama LOOKS good just before the election!
Sequestration demands hundreds of thousands of people get fired from defense contracted jobs.
The election is Nov 6th.
The 60 day advance notice must be out by Nov 2nd.
Obama could lose hundreds of thousands of votes IF they realize he’s getting them fired.
And WE pay for them not to be told the truth in accordance with the law!
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/329849/warn-billions-bailouts-peter-kirsanow
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/329783/violating-warn-act-hans-von-spakovsky
The Administration has to hide when this kind of shit-storm is brewing, . . . .
Eric Nordstrom, security officer formerly stationed in Libya, sent 2 cables to the State Department asking for more security agents in Benghazi. According to Reuters, he said that a State Department official, Charlene Lamb, wanted to keep U.S. security in Benghazi “artificially low.”
Only Obama and Clinton would have demanded and authorized this. What’s that dark cloud coming over the horizon?
@James Raider:
The headline at
http://hosted.ap.org
US OFFICIALS: WE DIDN’T LINK LIBYA ATTACK TO VIDEO
Washington (AP) — The State Department said Tuesday it never concluded tha tthe consulate attak in Libya stemmed from protests over an Anerican-made video ridiculing Islam, raising further questions about why the Obama administration used that explanation for more than a week after assailants killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.
Go read it all. Nevermind that we have Susan Rice, Hillary Clinton and Obama himself, on video, blaming the now non-existant “protests” on a internet movie. In light of pending testimony to a Congressional hearing tomorrow that the streets were quiet in Benghazi until the first wave of attacks came, the Administration is now changing its story. There was no protest over any video in Benghazi. Guess some people really have egg on their faces now since they bought into that story, hook, line and sinker.
Jason Chavez has reported that he is in possession of a State Dept. report that details 250 incidents in Benghazi that dealt with security there in the year leading up to the Sept. 11th attack that took the lives of four Americans.
Will the press give the Obama administration a pass on the deaths of Ambassador Stevens, and three others, just like they have tried to ignore Fast and Furious? Don’t look for the NYSlimes to cover this. It is not in their interest of getting Obama re-elected.
Will the last image of Obama be like the one in Wizard of Oz where the witch is seen going down and down and yelling “I’m melting, I’m melting?”
This administration has arrogantly pursued a foreign policy that minimized military power. They have relegated force in diplomatic negations to speeches. Now we see how well that is working. Lack of adequate forces resulted in our ambassador and three others being killed. Our embassies are attacked all over the World. Other countries feel free to kidnap our citizens. How can an intelligent people not recognize the failure of Obama’s foreign policy? Maybe those who support Obama are not intelligent! That could be one answer.