Benghazi attack - Terrorists or unruly crowd?

[barbara]

Originally Posted by mezz

Bush seems to be Obama's excuse for everything. If Bush was so bad why do Obama's supporters try to justify everything Obama does by saying that Bush did it too? You'd think that he/they would have thought it important to set their bar a little higher, wouldn't you?.

Mezz, I wasn't blaming anything on Bush. I was simply making an observation about you. I did not give Obama a pass on lying. I pointed out that if YOU don't like presidents who lie, you must have REALLY hated Bush.

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by whell

I agree. So does the dead ambassador's family. They're wondering why the FBI still has not been allowed access to the crime scene. Looks like it was partially delayed by "bureaucratic in-fighting" between State, DOJ and the FBI. But now they can't get "permission" to go to their own consulate? Yet journalists and locals continue access the site?

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/26/world/...ion/index.html

No one is politicizing the death of the ambassador. However, the administration's handling of this has been beyond inept. To point that out is not politicizing. Its being honest.

I agree that it shouldn't be politicized, so I will.

Regards,

D-Ray

[CarlV]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

If it were Bush there'd be bloody murder screamed everywhere.

Pete

Like Katrina?

Originally Posted by finnbow

I just find the whole politicization of the dead ambassador pretty distasteful.

+1


Carl

[mezz]

The whole thing (the lead up, the unpreparedness, the cover-up) at this point looks to me to be about a 50/50 split between incompetence and politics. The neglect of security comes from a dysfunctioning state department but is allowed to exist in this dysfunctional state due to naive and failing polices set from the top which deprioritize such things as security against terror (because the admin started believing their own bullshit claims about having defeated al-queda and having put terrorists on the run). Now the cover-up is pure politics designed to cover the president's ass both in the leadup to an election and then beyond if necessary. Obama's been winging it in this job for a full term. His main strategy is 'hope': "Hope that bad shit doesn't happen, and scramble to cover it up if it does" - because there is no concrete plan to deal with this stuff, just a vague kind of faith that Obama's policy of cow-tow to our enemies will cause them to stop hating us and stop attacking us. When it doesn't work, because it's a hopelessly naive and stupid policy to begin with, the admin can only spin and cover. That is, pathetically enough, really all they've got.

[mezz]

Originally Posted by Boreas

There's another possibility, of course. If the Administration had come out with the information that the attack in Libya was perpetrated by terrorist militia groups rather than just an extremely unruly mob it would have had the effect of revealing any intelligence (and the possible sources for it) we might have had and also compromised any possible military response.

This is completely the product of my own imagination but it's very plausible.

John

I don't buy the "Obama works in mysterious ways" theory. The dots seem easy to connect on this one so far. I'm sticking to the KISS principle for now. This admin has already shown itself to be shockingly unconcerned about outing sources, were there be a political point to be gained.

[whell]

Originally Posted by Boreas

There's another possibility, of course. If the Administration had come out with the information that the attack in Libya was perpetrated by terrorist militia groups rather than just an extremely unruly mob it would have had the effect of revealing any intelligence (and the possible sources for it) we might have had and also compromised any possible military response.

This is completely the product of my own imagination but it's very plausible.

John

I don't agree. The information observed by the media and eye-witness reports about the arms and tactics that were used suggested strongly the probability that it was more than just an unruly mob in Benghazi. The initial news reports that day reported that RPG's and machine guns were used. Not exactly every day apparel for the average unruly mob.

Later that day, the ambush was reported at the safe house in Benghazi. A safe house. The location of a safe house is not information that an unruly mob would typically have access to. Also, you need to plan an ambush. Mobs don't typically come together with advanced planning including military tactics and logistics.

No, this fish was stinking from day one.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by mezz

I don't buy the "Obama works in mysterious ways" theory. The dots seem easy to connect on this one so far. I'm sticking to the KISS principle for now.

And KISS worked so well for Bush.

"Either you're with us or you're with the terrorists."

"I thought they were all Muslims!"

These things are very hard and very layered, Mezz. KISS just doesn't work.

"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know."

This admin has already shown itself to be shockingly unconcerned about outing sources, were there be a political point to be gained.

??????????????

You mean like Valerie "Fair Game" Plame and her entire operation?

John

[whell]

Originally Posted by d-ray657

I agree that it shouldn't be politicized, so I will.

Regards,

D-Ray

My quote: "No one is politicizing the death of the ambassador. However, the administration's handling of this has been beyond inept. To point that out is not politicizing. Its being honest."

That refers to administrations handling of affairs relative to the investigation, and their public pronouncements about events in Libya which are, to be charitable, mystifying.

[d-ray657]

Originally Posted by whell

My quote: "No one is politicizing the death of the ambassador. However, the administration's handling of this has been beyond inept. To point that out is not politicizing. Its being honest."

That refers to administrations handling of affairs relative to the investigation, and their public pronouncements about events in Libya which are, to be charitable, mystifying.

Oh, I see. Pushing Darrell Issa's talking points is not politicizing.

Regards,

D-Ray

[whell]

Originally Posted by d-ray657

Oh, I see. Pushing Darrell Issa's talking points is not politicizing.

Regards,

D-Ray

I haven't spoken to Mr. Issa, but if I do, I'll convey your best wishes.