The Frothing Benghazi Republicans are really, really

[CrotchetyGeezer]

Benghaaaaazi...

Sure sign of an exceptionally nervous lefttard. ^

 

[occupied]

Thanks for qualifying my claim.

All this crap is coming from the exact same people who were certain Obama was born in Kenya, how's the search for that real BC going there birther?

Thank you again for qualifying my claim.

Gotcha you birther dupe, go look for Bigfoot and the Roswell aliens, the fresh air will do you some good.

 

[Lakhota]

Geezer, you're waaaaaaaaaaaay too retarded to converse with.

 

[Barb]

To the thread author.....ok, drop the video stuff...more importantly is the Security question. Why wasnt this place secured better? After all the warnings prior to 9/11? And denied security...in fact had security taken away? Why? Shouldn't someone answer for that? Stevens himself was worried. And what about the lack of response to help them?

 

[CrotchetyGeezer]

All this crap is coming from the exact same people who were certain Obama was born in Kenya, how's the search for that real BC going there birther?

Thank you again for qualifying my claim.

Gotcha you birther dupe, go look for Bigfoot and the Roswell aliens, the fresh air will do you some good.

What ya' so nervous about?

 

[CrotchetyGeezer]

Geezer, you're waaaaaaaaaaaay too retarded to converse with.

How come you're so nervous?

 

[occupied]

Thank you again for qualifying my claim.

Gotcha you birther dupe, go look for Bigfoot and the Roswell aliens, the fresh air will do you some good.

What ya' so nervous about?

Nothing whatsoever but stupid propaganda victim conspiracy theorists such as yourself irritate the fuck out of my reality based thought processes. How the hell have you even survived to adulthood with such a sloppy gullible mind?

 

[Barb]

John McCain skips Libya briefing to complain to press about lack of briefings - National economic policy | Examiner.com

In what can only be characterized as political revenge, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) skipped a closed door briefing to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee on the Benghazi attack to hold a news conference blasting the Obama Administration for not giving the Senate information on the attacks.

Senator McCain and his two side-kicks, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) skipped the briefing to hold a news conference to demand for a “Watergate-scale” investigation to get information on the Benghazi attack. When asked why they skipped the briefing to hold a news conference, John McCain exploded.

So much for letting the facts get in the way of political theater.

 

[courseofhistory]

I think if any questions should be asked, they should be asked of Petraeus, the big time failure and stupid idiot who let his groin overrule his head!

Also, I no longer trust Petraeus. His judgment is obviously screwed up (citing his affair and giving or letting her have access to possibly classified info--any access is stupid even if not classified).

Since he has such poor judgment and is distracted in that regard, who knows what he really knew about Benghazi and whether is version of right away was in a few hours or a few days. If he knew something other than what Rice was going to say, then he should have stepped up privately and told her and Obama that it'd be wise to hold off on commenting other than to condemn the attacks themselves and say the investigation is ongoing and when we know more, we will give as many details as we can.

I blame HIM for not covering all bases before anyone spoke about the attacks publically. HE was in charge of the CIA and it was CIA who were operating a clandestine operation there so he should have been out front with this and done a whole lot more than he did to head off any possible misunderstanding.

That said, I still don't think there were lies in the true sense of the word AND everyone who spoke about it used phrases like "we don't want to jump to conclusions", "we will wait for the investigation to be completed to make any definitieve conclusions", our "assessment is preliminary based on what we know now", etc. So there were plenty of "caveats" indicating the talking points weren't the final or necessarily complete or correct version of what took place.

What do eyewitnesses say about the events in Benghazi? Were they related to the insulting video, or is that a red herring? And was the assault planned for the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, or was it spontaneous?

According to reporting by David D. Kirkpatrick and Suliman Ali Zway of The New York Times, eyewitnesses have said there was no peaceful demonstration against the video outside the compound before the attack, though a crowd of Benghazi residents soon gathered, and some later looted the compound. But the attackers, recognized as members of a local militant group called Ansar al-Shariah, did tell bystanders that they were attacking the compound because they were angry about the video. They did not mention the Sept. 11 anniversary. Intelligence officials believe that planning for the attack probably began only a few hours before it took place.

LINK

So, most people can see that there was conflicting information and that what Susan Rice said about the video did have some basis in fact.

Why don't the "disturbed" (and that could be taken more ways tha one) republicans ask the terroists about their lies and their heinous crimes? THAT is who should be blamed in all this!

Also:

Is it fair to link the Benghazi attack to Al Qaeda?

Only very indirectly. Ayman al-Zawahri, the leader of Al Qaeda, had called on Libyans to avenge the killing of a Libyan-born Qaeda leader, and American intelligence officials have said they intercepted boastful phone calls after the assault from the attackers to members of the Qaeda affiliate in North Africa, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

 

[Lakhota]

 

[CrotchetyGeezer]

To the thread author.....ok, drop the video stuff...more importantly is the Security question. Why wasnt this place secured better? After all the warnings prior to 9/11? And denied security...in fact had security taken away? Why? Shouldn't someone answer for that? Stevens himself was worried. And what about the lack of response to help them?

Hey, here's a novel idea. Why don't you back up this claim? According to this, no cuts were made except to programs completely unrelated to this issue.

Budgeting Process

How does the budget go from an idea to a law?
Each February, the Office of Management and Budget, which is part of the White House, releases the President's budget requests for the next fiscal year, which starts October 1. The House of Representatives and the Senate subcommittees hold hearings, make changes, and send the final bill to the floor for a vote. Once each chamber has passed the appropriations bills, the President signs it into law and the budget officially takes effect on the first day of the next fiscal year.

What happened in Fiscal Year 2011?
Congress could not agree on a budget for this fiscal year, so it passed a series of continuing resolutions. These bills kept the government operating with the same amount of money they were given last year (FY2010). These measures are temporary and meant to allow federal offices to keep functioning until a real budget is passed. The budget passed for this year will only apply until September 30.

What's going to happen in Fiscal Year 2012?
President Obama proposes to spend $3.7 trillion between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012. For state level information on 33 selected programs provided by the Administration in its budget request, view our tables here.

Which programs and departments got more money?
The big beneficiaries this year was infrastructure, which is money the government spends to fix roads, bridges, airports, and other structures that make our life possible. The Highway Planning and Construction Program gets $29 billion more than projected in 2011 (a 68% increase), the Airport Improvement Program gets $2.9 billion more (a 59% increase), and the Federal Transit Formula Grants Program nets an additional $1.5 billion (a 17% increase).

Were programs cut?
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides money to help people afford heating and cooling costs, will lose $2.5 billion under the President's budget (a 56% decrease). Two programs to provide clean drinking water and build water treatment plants surrender $2 billion combined (a 44% average decrease). Other programs were cut, but these experienced the largest percentage decreases.

Did any programs keep their funding?
The Social Services Block Grant, which provides services to the mentally ill and addicted, did not experience a change in funding. WIC and Adoption Assistance remained about even. The Obama Administration has proposed a 5-year spending cap on non-security discretionary funds like these. Remember, when a program's funds don't change, they actually erode a little because it becomes more expensive to purchase things over time (inflation).

http://nationalpriorities.org/blog/2011/02/25/presidents-budget-faqs/

So, why don't you just go ahead and prove this allegation. What government agency is responsible for embassy and consulate security? Then, we'll proceed from there and see if we can possibly find out if such funding was actually cut. And, then, after we find that out, if it was cut, we'll proceed to finding out who was responsible.

 

[Lakhota]

Yep, the NaziCons in Congress cut the budget for embassy security. Sad...

 

[Lakhota]

 

[courseofhistory]

... Americans [don't] see a cover-up,” said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “Only 40% believe that the inaccurate statements that administration officials initially made about the Benghazi attack were an attempt to deliberately mislead the public. Fifty-four percent think those inaccurate statements reflected what the White House believed to be true at the time.”

Poll: Majority Of Americans Don't See Obama Administration Cover Up On Benghazi | ThinkProgress

 

[Lakhota]

Reporter: Bush ‘negligence’ ignored pre-9/11 warnings | The Raw Story

Bush Administration Ignored 9/11 Warnings -- Daily Intel

The Bush Administration Know-It-Alls Who Failed to Heed Warnings Before 9/11 - The Daily Beast

Bush Received More Warnings About 9/11 Than We Realized - Business Insider

NYT: Bush administration ignored more terror warnings before 9/11 than previously thought - Lean Forward

The Bush White House Was Deaf to 9/11 Warnings - The New York Times

Bush ignored 6 specific warnings of an impending terrorist attack, new evidence

 

[Barb]

GOP Rep: I 'Absolutely' Voted To Cut Funding For Embassy Security | ThinkProgress

But hidden beneath the GOP campaign is the fact that House Republicans voted to cut nearly $300 million from the U.S. embassy security budget. When asked if he voted to cut the funds this morning on CNN, Chaffetz said, “Absolutely“:
O’BRIEN: Is it true that you voted to cut the funding for embassy security?
CHAFFETZ: Absolutely. Look, we have to make priorities and choices in this country. We have — think about this — 15,000 contractors in Iraq. We have more than 6,000 contractors, private army there for President Obama in Baghdad.
And we’re talking about can we get two dozen or so people into Libya to help protect our forces? When you’re in tough economic times, you have to make difficult choices how to prioritize this.

Pelosi Attacks Republicans For Withholding Embassy Security Funding | ThinkProgress

The Minority Leader then pointed out that it was Republicans who may have some responsibility in the matter, as they turned down the administration’s request for nearly $300 million for embassy security:
PELOSI: It’s also important to note that the Republican appropriation in Congress gave the administration $300 million less than it asked for for the State Department, including funding for security.
BLITZER: Are you suggesting that there was a financial aspect to what happened in Benghazi, Libya. That the U.S. was not enough money to protect American diplomats?
PELOSI: No what I’m saying is Congress has the right of oversight but it also has the power of the purse. … We also have to look to ourselves for that funding question. $300 million less than what the administration asked for.
Watch the clip:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9DJyoZqtkSE]Pelosi calls out GOP for denying money for Benghazi security - YouTube[/ame]

GOP Cut Embassy Security Funding | Drudge Retort

Rep. Chaffetz says he "absolutely" voted to cut funding for embassy security – CNN Press Room - CNN.com Blogs

Later in the interview, CNN Anchor Soledad O’Brien asks, “Is it true that you voted to cut the funding for embassy security?”
Chaffetz answers, “Absolutely. Look we have to make priorities and choices in this country. We have… 15,0000 contractors in Iraq. We have more than 6,000 contractors, a private army there, for President Obama, in Baghdad. And we’re talking about can we get two dozen or so people into Libya to help protect our forces. When you’re in touch economic times, you have to make difficult choices. You have to prioritize things.”

Jason Chaffetz Admits House GOP Cut Funding For Embassy Security: 'You Have To Prioritize Things'

For the past two years, House Republicans have continued to deprioritize the security forces protecting State Department personnel around the world. In fiscal year 2011, lawmakers shaved $128 million off of the administration's request for embassy security funding. House Republicans drained off even more funds in fiscal year 2012 -- cutting back on the department's request by $331 million.

Myths And Facts About The Benghazi Attack And Protests In The Middle East | Research | Media Matters for America

MYTH: There Was "No Security" At Libyan Consulate

Limbaugh: Ambassador Stevens Had "No Security" At Benghazi Consulate. During the September 21 edition of his Premiere Radio Networks' program, Rush Limbaugh claimed that Ambassador Chris Stevens had "no security -- none." [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 9/21/12, via Media Matters]

FACT: There Were Multiple Teams Of Armed Guards At Libyan Consulate

WSJ: Consulate Security Included "A Four-Man Team Of Armed Guards Protecting The Perimeter" And "Five Armed State Department Diplomatic Security Officers." A September 21 Wall Street Journal article reported that security at the Libyan consulate included "a four-man team of armed guards protecting the perimeter and four unarmed Libyan guards inside to screen visitors." The Journal also noted: "Besides the four armed Libyans outside, five armed State Department diplomatic security officers were at the consulate." [The Wall Street Journal, 9/21/12]

WSJ: Prior To Attacks, "Embassy Personnel Conducted A Security Review." The same Wall Street Journal article reported that a security review was conducted right before the attacks on the consulate:

In the days before Sept. 11, intelligence agencies issued their annual warning of heightened security risks around the anniversary of the 2001 attacks. Many counterterrorism officials saw a lessened risk this year than last year, which was the 10th anniversary and the first one after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

In Libya, embassy personnel conducted a security review right before the anniversary. It determined there was no reason to think an attack was planned or the consulate in Benghazi was "insufficiently postured," said a senior administration official. [The Wall Street Journal, 9/21/12]

same page

MYTH: There Was "No Storming" Of U.S. Embassies Under Other Presidents

Krauthammer: "There Was No Storming Of The U.S. Embassy In Cairo In Those Days." During the September 13 edition of Special Report, Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer said:

KRAUTHAMMER: The irony is that it began in Cairo, in the same place where the speech he made at the beginning of his presidency in which he said he wanted a new beginning with mutual respect, implying that under other presidents, particularly Bush, there was a lack of mutual respect, which was an insult to the United States, which had gone to war six times in the last 20 years on behalf of oppressed Muslims in Kuwait, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

So to imply that we somehow had mistreated Muslims, which was the premise of his speech, and how the Iraq war had inflamed the Arab world against us -- well, there was no storming of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo in those days. [Media Matters, 9/14/12]

FACT: There Have Been Numerous Embassy And Consulate Attacks Under Recent Presidents

There Have Been At Least 15 Attacks On U.S. Embassies And Consulates Since 1979 -- Including Seven Under George W. Bush. U.S. embassies and consulates were attacked at least 15 times under the presidencies of Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush. Seven of those attacks occurred during the presidency of George W. Bush. [Media Matters, 9/14/12]

 

[Barb]

Well, Geezer? I put up. Is this you shutting up?

 

[CrotchetyGeezer]

Yeah, but in all the above-listed incidents? In which one did the following transpire?

EXCLUSIVE: CIA operators were denied request for help during Benghazi attack, sources say
October 26, 2012

Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that an urgent request from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. consulate and subsequent attack several hours later on the annex itself was denied by the CIA chain of command -- who also told the CIA operators twice to "stand down" rather than help the ambassador's team when shots were heard at approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on Sept. 11.

Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods was part of a small team who was at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When he and others heard the shots fired, they informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out. They were told to "stand down," according to sources familiar with the exchange. Soon after, they were again told to "stand down."

Woods and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The rescue team from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.

At that point, they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied. There were no communications problems at the annex, according to those present at the compound. The team was in constant radio contact with their headquarters. In fact, at least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex manning a heavy machine gun when mortars were fired at the CIA compound. The security officer had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a Spectre gunship, which is commonly used by U.S. Special Operations forces to provide support to Special Operations teams on the ground involved in intense firefights.

CIA spokeswoman, Jennifer Youngblood, though, denied the claims that requests for support were turned down.

"We can say with confidence that the Agency reacted quickly to aid our colleagues during that terrible evening in Benghazi," she said. "Moreover, no one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate. In fact, it is important to remember how many lives were saved by courageous Americans who put their own safety at risk that night-and that some of those selfless Americans gave their lives in the effort to rescue their comrades."

The fighting at the CIA annex went on for more than four hours -- enough time for any planes based in Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away, to arrive. Fox News has also learned that two separate Tier One Special operations forces were told to wait, among them Delta Force operators.

A Special Operations team, or CIF which stands for Commanders in Extremis Force, operating in Central Europe had been moved to Sigonella, Italy, but they were never told to deploy. In fact, a Pentagon official says there were never any requests to deploy assets from outside the country. A second force that specializes in counterterrorism rescues as on hand at Sigonella, according to senior military and intelligence sources. According to those sources, they could have flown to Benghazi in less than two hours. They were the same distance to Benghazi as those that were sent from Tripoli. Spectre gunships are commonly used by the Special Operations community to provide close air support.

According to sources on the ground during the attack, the special operator on the roof of the CIA annex had visual contact and a laser pointed at the Libyan mortar team that was targeting the CIA annex. The operators were calling in coordinates of where the Libyan forces were firing from.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that here was not a clear enough picture of what was occurring on the ground in Benghazi to send help. [Oh, so you mean Leon Panetta wasn't aware of this "classified information" that it was Rice allegedly wasn't privy to...either? So, because of this, he didn't have a clear enough picture to send help? Uh huh...sure!]

"There's a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on here," Panetta said Thursday. "But the basic principle here ... is that you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on." [Oh, so you mean we could be being invaded by China, with their troops landing on our beaches and parachuting into our yards, and you wouldn't do squat until you were absolutely sure that it was actually the Chinese? LOL! Idiot!]

U.S. officials argue that there was a period of several hours when the fighting stopped before the mortars were fired at the annex, leading officials to believe the attack was over.

Fox News has learned that there were two military surveillance drones redirected to Benghazi shortly after the attack on the consulate began. They were already in the vicinity. The second surveillance craft was sent to relieve the first drone, perhaps due to fuel issues. Both were capable of sending real time visuals back to U.S. officials in Washington, D.C. Any U.S. official or agency with the proper clearance, including the White House Situation Room, State Department, CIA, Pentagon and others, could call up that video in real time on their computers.

Tyrone Woods was later joined at the scene by fellow former Navy SEAL Glen Doherty, who was sent in from Tripoli as part of a Global Response Staff or GRS that provides security to CIA case officers and provides countersurveillance and surveillance protection. They were killed by a mortar shell at 4 a.m. Libyan time, nearly seven hours after the attack on the consulate began -- a window that represented more than enough time for the U.S. military to send back-up from nearby based in Europe, according to sources familiar with Special Operations. Four mortars were fired at the annex. The first one struck outside the annex. Three more hit the annex.

A motorcade of Libyan vehicles, some mounted with 50 caliber machine guns, belonging to the February 17th Brigades, a Libyan militia which is friendly to the U.S., finally showed up at the CIA annex at approximately 3 a.m. An American Quick Response Force sent from Tripoli had arrived at the Benghazi airport at 2 a.m. (four hours after the initial attack on the consulate) and was delayed for 45 minutes at the airport because they could not at first get transportation, allegedly due to confusion among Libyan militias who were supposed to escort them to the annex, according to Benghazi sources.

The American special operators, Woods, Doherty and at least two others were part of the Global Response Staff, a CIA element, based at the CIA annex and were protecting CIA operators who were part of a mission to track and repurchase arms in Benghazi that had proliferated in the wake of Muammar Qaddafie's fall. Part of their mission was to find the more than 20,000 missing MANPADS, or shoulder-held missiles capable of bringing down a commercial aircraft. According to a source on the ground at the time of the attack, the team inside the CIA annex had captured three Libyan attackers and was forced to hand them over to the Libyans. U.S. officials do not know what happened to those three attackers and whether they were released by the Libyan forces.

Fox News has also learned that Stevens was in Benghazi that day to be present at the opening of an English-language school being started by the Libyan farmer who helped save an American pilot who had been shot down by pro-Qaddafi forces during the initial war to overthrow the regime. That farmer saved the life of the American pilot and the ambassador wanted to be present to launch the Libyan rescuer's new school.

Gen. Carter Ham Relieved While on Duty Preparing to Defend Benghazi?
October 31, 2012

U.S. Navy Admiral Charles Gaouette was reportedly relieved of his AFRICOM Command for some reason. Some are theorizing he ignored Barack Obama's order to "stand down" in the Benghazi attack. The rest of the story that we don't know is true, is that U.S. Army General Carter Ham decided to ignore the "stand down" order. Gaouette was preparing to "assist and provide intelligence" for Ham's forces planning to defend the Benghazi Consulate and Annex -- read that as a question. According to the story, within a minute after General Ham made the decision to step in anyway, he was relieved of his command by General Rodrieguz, who was Ham's second-in-command. The poster refers to this comment from Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta:

"(The) basic principle is that you don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on; without having some real-time information about what's taking place," Panetta told Pentagon reporters. "And as a result of not having that kind of information, the commander who was on the ground in that area, Gen. Ham, Gen. Dempsey and I felt very strongly that we could not put forces at risk in that situation."

President Barack Obama will nominate Army Gen. David Rodriguez to succeed Gen. Carter Ham as commander of U.S. Africa Command and Marine Lt. Gen. John Paxton to succeed Gen. Joseph Dunford as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced Thursday. Source: Stars and Stripes

Then, of course, there's the instance of Susan Rice cruising the Sunday Morning talk show circuit, proclaiming it was because of a video which supposedly outraged the Muslims.

So, which item below, did the above events unfold. Was it:

(a.) U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan?
(b.) U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan?
(c.) U.S. Consulate in Saudi Arabia?
(d.) U.S. Embassy in Syria?
(e.) U.S. Embassy in Athens?
(f.) U.S. Embassy in Serbia?
(g.) U.S. Embassy in Yemen? Or,
(h.) U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya?

Ooh...ooh....ooh...I know (raising hand)! Uhmmmm...(h.) U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya? Yep...that's right! Uh huh...uh huh...uh huh!

 

[Barb]

In any argument, everything after "Yeah, but," is blah, blah, blah.

 

[CrotchetyGeezer]

GOP Rep: I 'Absolutely' Voted To Cut Funding For Embassy Security | ThinkProgress

But hidden beneath the GOP campaign is the fact that House Republicans voted to cut nearly $300 million from the U.S. embassy security budget. When asked if he voted to cut the funds this morning on CNN, Chaffetz said, “Absolutely“:
O’BRIEN: Is it true that you voted to cut the funding for embassy security?
CHAFFETZ: Absolutely. Look, we have to make priorities and choices in this country. We have — think about this — 15,000 contractors in Iraq. We have more than 6,000 contractors, private army there for President Obama in Baghdad.
And we’re talking about can we get two dozen or so people into Libya to help protect our forces? When you’re in tough economic times, you have to make difficult choices how to prioritize this.

Pelosi Attacks Republicans For Withholding Embassy Security Funding | ThinkProgress

The Minority Leader then pointed out that it was Republicans who may have some responsibility in the matter, as they turned down the administration’s request for nearly $300 million for embassy security:
PELOSI: It’s also important to note that the Republican appropriation in Congress gave the administration $300 million less than it asked for for the State Department, including funding for security.
BLITZER: Are you suggesting that there was a financial aspect to what happened in Benghazi, Libya. That the U.S. was not enough money to protect American diplomats?
PELOSI: No what I’m saying is Congress has the right of oversight but it also has the power of the purse. … We also have to look to ourselves for that funding question. $300 million less than what the administration asked for.
Watch the clip:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9DJyoZqtkSE"]Pelosi calls out GOP for denying money for Benghazi security - YouTube[/ame]

GOP Cut Embassy Security Funding | Drudge Retort

Rep. Chaffetz says he "absolutely" voted to cut funding for embassy security – CNN Press Room - CNN.com Blogs



Jason Chaffetz Admits House GOP Cut Funding For Embassy Security: 'You Have To Prioritize Things'



Myths And Facts About The Benghazi Attack And Protests In The Middle East | Research | Media Matters for America

MYTH: There Was "No Security" At Libyan Consulate

Limbaugh: Ambassador Stevens Had "No Security" At Benghazi Consulate. During the September 21 edition of his Premiere Radio Networks' program, Rush Limbaugh claimed that Ambassador Chris Stevens had "no security -- none." [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 9/21/12, via Media Matters]

FACT: There Were Multiple Teams Of Armed Guards At Libyan Consulate

WSJ: Consulate Security Included "A Four-Man Team Of Armed Guards Protecting The Perimeter" And "Five Armed State Department Diplomatic Security Officers." A September 21 Wall Street Journal article reported that security at the Libyan consulate included "a four-man team of armed guards protecting the perimeter and four unarmed Libyan guards inside to screen visitors." The Journal also noted: "Besides the four armed Libyans outside, five armed State Department diplomatic security officers were at the consulate." [The Wall Street Journal, 9/21/12]

WSJ: Prior To Attacks, "Embassy Personnel Conducted A Security Review." The same Wall Street Journal article reported that a security review was conducted right before the attacks on the consulate:

In the days before Sept. 11, intelligence agencies issued their annual warning of heightened security risks around the anniversary of the 2001 attacks. Many counterterrorism officials saw a lessened risk this year than last year, which was the 10th anniversary and the first one after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

In Libya, embassy personnel conducted a security review right before the anniversary. It determined there was no reason to think an attack was planned or the consulate in Benghazi was "insufficiently postured," said a senior administration official. [The Wall Street Journal, 9/21/12]

same page

MYTH: There Was "No Storming" Of U.S. Embassies Under Other Presidents

Krauthammer: "There Was No Storming Of The U.S. Embassy In Cairo In Those Days." During the September 13 edition of Special Report, Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer said:

KRAUTHAMMER: The irony is that it began in Cairo, in the same place where the speech he made at the beginning of his presidency in which he said he wanted a new beginning with mutual respect, implying that under other presidents, particularly Bush, there was a lack of mutual respect, which was an insult to the United States, which had gone to war six times in the last 20 years on behalf of oppressed Muslims in Kuwait, Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

So to imply that we somehow had mistreated Muslims, which was the premise of his speech, and how the Iraq war had inflamed the Arab world against us -- well, there was no storming of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo in those days. [Media Matters, 9/14/12]

FACT: There Have Been Numerous Embassy And Consulate Attacks Under Recent Presidents

There Have Been At Least 15 Attacks On U.S. Embassies And Consulates Since 1979 -- Including Seven Under George W. Bush. U.S. embassies and consulates were attacked at least 15 times under the presidencies of Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush. Seven of those attacks occurred during the presidency of George W. Bush. [Media Matters, 9/14/12]

Fact Check

(CNN) -- The September attack that killed four Americans at a U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya was the subject of a few claims at Thursday night's vice presidential debate at Centre College in Kentucky.

Vice President Joe Biden said Ryan is in no position to argue about diplomatic security, arguing that Ryan, in Congress, didn't provide all the embassy security funding that the Obama administration asked for. Biden also contended that the administration knew of no requests for more security at the Benghazi mission.

Statement:

Biden: "The congressman here cut embassy security in his budget by $300 million below what we asked for."

The facts:

According to Democratic House Oversight Committee staff, the amount that the GOP-led House passed for two accounts that pay for embassy security in fiscal 2012 ($2.311 billion) was $330 million less than the Obama administration had requested ($2.641 billion).

A GOP House Appropriations Committee Aide confirmed the House bill had less in these accounts than what the administration requested.

However, the final bill, after being worked on by the Democratic-led Senate, put in more money than what had passed in the House. The final bill, which passed with bipartisan support, gave a total of $2.37 billion to these accounts for fiscal 2012 -- about $270 million less than what the administration had requested.

Conclusion: The GOP-led House did initially approve about $330 million less than what the administration requested, but in the final bill, passed with bipartisan support after adjustments by the Senate, put the amount a little closer to the administration's target.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/12/politics/fact-check-benghazi-security/index.html

Now, with this, I frankly don't want to hear the claims. I want to see the actual bills that it was they allegedly reduced the funding and what was attached to those bills and, I want to see the actual numbers. I want to know what these two accounts, which claim to be for embassy security, are.

See, this is from the FY 2011 budget and I find this part somewhat interesting:

Realigns Non-Military Contingency and Stabilization Activities of the Department of Defense and the Department of State. The Budget proposes a Complex Crises Fund within the Department of State that would replace current authorities of the Department of Defense to provide non-military reconstruction, security, and stabilization assistance funding. The account would provide a source of flexible contingency funding to meet unforeseen reconstruction and stabilization needs.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BUDGET-2011-BUD/pdf/BUDGET-2011-BUD-17.pdf

So, was this fund part of funding needed for embassy security? I want to know how these experts are presuming they've somehow deciphered all the areas within the Department of State, or Department of Defense or any other Department for that matter, which are involved in providing embassy security.