No 'Stand Down' Order In Benghazi, Despite What Darrell Issa Said

[Dante]

Always remember there was no order to "stand down".

They were only ordered to "remain in place".

I bet Ambassador Stevens feels better now.

truth be told...

Stevens was partly responsible. His Lawrence of Arabia routine didn't work out so well

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

There was no order to 'stand down.'

There is no 'conspiracy' as there is nothing to 'cover up.'

And the 'investigation' is nothing more than a failed, partisan witch hunt by the right.

 

[tinydancer]

Always remember there was no order to "stand down".

They were only ordered to "remain in place".

I bet Ambassador Stevens feels better now.

truth be told...

Stevens was partly responsible. His Lawrence of Arabia routine didn't work out so well

I guess. When you beg for backup and tell Washington that you know the militias you hired to protect us might not be the best hope for us on security and no one listens in Washington, I guess he gave up. He's dead now.

I guess he was right.

 

[tinydancer]

There was no order to 'stand down.'

There is no 'conspiracy' as there is nothing to 'cover up.'

And the 'investigation' is nothing more than a failed, partisan witch hunt by the right.

Nope.

Just the order Stay in place.

 

[zeke]

There was no order to 'stand down.'

There is no 'conspiracy' as there is nothing to 'cover up.'

And the 'investigation' is nothing more than a failed, partisan witch hunt by the right.

Nope.

Just the order Stay in place.

Do it hurt much? You know, when your asshole Republican politicians make a big boo boo like Issa has. Do it hurt much?

Do you EVER mind that your heroes (Republican politicians) lie to you so much? Just curious.

 

[kaz]

Yeah.

Those military folks should have gotten on the Libyan subway and shit.

Been right there..you betcha!

I'd have flown helicopters, but I'm not a dimwit. So seriously, you think the military couldn't get enough support to retake the compound in under 5 hours if they were trying? Seriously? And obviously if the military's hands weren't tied, they'd have tried.

It was retaken in half an hour... Ay caramba!

It was retaken in five hours by the Libyans, not the Americans.

 

[kaz]

I'd have flown helicopters, but I'm not a dimwit. So seriously, you think the military couldn't get enough support to retake the compound in under 5 hours if they were trying? Seriously? And obviously if the military's hands weren't tied, they'd have tried.

It was retaken in half an hour... Ay caramba!

What?

He's a moron, what can you do?

 

[Antares]

There was no order to 'stand down.'

There is no 'conspiracy' as there is nothing to 'cover up.'

And the 'investigation' is nothing more than a failed, partisan witch hunt by the right.

Nope.

Just the order Stay in place.

Do it hurt much? You know, when your asshole Republican politicians make a big boo boo like Issa has. Do it hurt much?

Do you EVER mind that your heroes (Republican politicians) lie to you so much? Just curious.

Why didn't the State Dept renew the protection request to the Dept of Defense?

 

[tinydancer]

There was no order to 'stand down.'

There is no 'conspiracy' as there is nothing to 'cover up.'

And the 'investigation' is nothing more than a failed, partisan witch hunt by the right.

Nope.

Just the order Stay in place.

Do it hurt much? You know, when your asshole Republican politicians make a big boo boo like Issa has. Do it hurt much?

Do you EVER mind that your heroes (Republican politicians) lie to you so much? Just curious.

What the hell are you babbling on about? I have never been focused on a stand down order.

Why? No action was taken. I could care less if someone said some sort of magic words "stand down now son" or "stay in place son"

Both mean the same to me. No one did anything to save Stevens.

I have been at the bullshit that this administration thought they could put over on the people that a ******* video was to blame for a spontaneous attack on the consulate.

 

[Antares]

Always remember there was no order to "stand down".

They were only ordered to "remain in place".

I bet Ambassador Stevens feels better now.

truth be told...

Stevens was partly responsible. His Lawrence of Arabia routine didn't work out so well

Really?

LOL, we'll see.

There are some rumblings starting to percolate under the surface.

It seems he may have been there to try and shall we say mitigate another potential arms problem.

I'll wait and see what comes out.

 

[Dante]

[MENTION=25451]tinydancer[/MENTION]

Always remember there was no order to "stand down".

They were only ordered to "remain in place".

I bet Ambassador Stevens feels better now.

truth be told...

Stevens was partly responsible. His Lawrence of Arabia routine didn't work out so well

I guess. When you beg for backup and tell Washington that you know the militias you hired to protect us might not be the best hope for us on security and no one listens in Washington, I guess he gave up. He's dead now.

I guess he was right.

You do know Stevens said many different things about security and a heavy footprint in Libya?

---

UPI | May 15, 2013
U.S. envoy Chris Stevens refused offers of more security before the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya in which he was killed, McClatchy Newspapers reported.

Official: Amb. Stevens Refused Additional Security | Military.com

 

[Dante]

[MENTION=40954]Antares[/MENTION]

Always remember there was no order to "stand down".

They were only ordered to "remain in place".

I bet Ambassador Stevens feels better now.

truth be told...

Stevens was partly responsible. His Lawrence of Arabia routine didn't work out so well

Really?

LOL, we'll see.

There are some rumblings starting to percolate under the surface.

It seems he may have been there to try and shall we say mitigate another potential arms problem.

I'll wait and see what comes out.

---

UPI | May 15, 2013
U.S. envoy Chris Stevens refused offers of more security before the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya in which he was killed, McClatchy Newspapers reported.


Official: Amb. Stevens Refused Additional Security | Military.com

 

[Dante]

The report also says the State Department should not rely on local security alone in countries where the host government cannot provide adequate protection.

The report notes that the State Department in 2012 continued to operate the Benghazi facility, despite U.S. intelligence reports showing the danger was growing.

The report faults the military for being unable to help when needed. “No U.S. military resources in position to intervene in short order in Benghazi to help defend” the U.S. facilities in Benghazi, it says.

Yet it points out that Stevens had rejected additional security. The Defense Department had provided a Site Security Team in Tripoli, made up of 16 special operations personnel to provide security and other help. The report says the State Department decided not to extend the team’s mission in August 2012, one month before the attack.

In the weeks that followed, Gen. Carter Ham, the head of Africa Command, twice asked Stevens to employ the team, and twice Stevens declined, the report said.

The report also says, “Intelligence analysts inaccurately referred to the presence of a protest at the U.S. mission facility before the attack based on open source information and limited intelligence, but without sufficient intelligence or eyewitness statements to corroborate that assertion.”

Benghazi report: AFRICOM general offered ambassador help before attack | Navy Times | navytimes.com

 

[Peach]

The report also says the State Department should not rely on local security alone in countries where the host government cannot provide adequate protection.

The report notes that the State Department in 2012 continued to operate the Benghazi facility, despite U.S. intelligence reports showing the danger was growing.

The report faults the military for being unable to help when needed. “No U.S. military resources in position to intervene in short order in Benghazi to help defend” the U.S. facilities in Benghazi, it says.

Yet it points out that Stevens had rejected additional security. The Defense Department had provided a Site Security Team in Tripoli, made up of 16 special operations personnel to provide security and other help. The report says the State Department decided not to extend the team’s mission in August 2012, one month before the attack.

In the weeks that followed, Gen. Carter Ham, the head of Africa Command, twice asked Stevens to employ the team, and twice Stevens declined, the report said.

The report also says, “Intelligence analysts inaccurately referred to the presence of a protest at the U.S. mission facility before the attack based on open source information and limited intelligence, but without sufficient intelligence or eyewitness statements to corroborate that assertion.”

Benghazi report: AFRICOM general offered ambassador help before attack | Navy Times | navytimes.com

Perhaps the latest investigations will answers questions yet again.

 

[Dante]

The report also says the State Department should not rely on local security alone in countries where the host government cannot provide adequate protection.

The report notes that the State Department in 2012 continued to operate the Benghazi facility, despite U.S. intelligence reports showing the danger was growing.

The report faults the military for being unable to help when needed. “No U.S. military resources in position to intervene in short order in Benghazi to help defend” the U.S. facilities in Benghazi, it says.

Yet it points out that Stevens had rejected additional security. The Defense Department had provided a Site Security Team in Tripoli, made up of 16 special operations personnel to provide security and other help. The report says the State Department decided not to extend the team’s mission in August 2012, one month before the attack.

In the weeks that followed, Gen. Carter Ham, the head of Africa Command, twice asked Stevens to employ the team, and twice Stevens declined, the report said.

The report also says, “Intelligence analysts inaccurately referred to the presence of a protest at the U.S. mission facility before the attack based on open source information and limited intelligence, but without sufficient intelligence or eyewitness statements to corroborate that assertion.”

Benghazi report: AFRICOM general offered ambassador help before attack | Navy Times | navytimes.com

Perhaps the latest investigations will answers questions yet again.

One test of whether something rates being a conspiracy theory is that every answer only raises more questions.

 

[Antares]

[MENTION=40954]Antares[/MENTION]

truth be told...

Stevens was partly responsible. His Lawrence of Arabia routine didn't work out so well

Really?

LOL, we'll see.

There are some rumblings starting to percolate under the surface.

It seems he may have been there to try and shall we say mitigate another potential arms problem.

I'll wait and see what comes out.

---

UPI | May 15, 2013
U.S. envoy Chris Stevens refused offers of more security before the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya in which he was killed, McClatchy Newspapers reported.


Official: Amb. Stevens Refused Additional Security | Military.com

As General Ham has already made clear, it was not Steven's call.

It was a State Dept to Dept of Defense protocol.

Sorry Dante.

 

[Antares]

[MENTION=15512]Dante[/MENTION]

[MENTION=40954]Antares[/MENTION]

truth be told...

Stevens was partly responsible. His Lawrence of Arabia routine didn't work out so well

Really?

LOL, we'll see.

There are some rumblings starting to percolate under the surface.

It seems he may have been there to try and shall we say mitigate another potential arms problem.

I'll wait and see what comes out.

---

UPI | May 15, 2013
U.S. envoy Chris Stevens refused offers of more security before the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya in which he was killed, McClatchy Newspapers reported.


Official: Amb. Stevens Refused Additional Security | Military.com

Ms. Tsongas.And is it customary to make these requests through
the Ambassador and for the Ambassador to bless it and make this request
or the assent back to you in order for you to you have the authority
to move forward?

General Ham. Actually rna I am it is a fairly formalized a very
formalized process that the Department of State formally requests in
this instance of the Department of Defense support in terms of the
Site Security Team.
http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=AAEBCAA5-4C8F-4820-BACD-2DB9B53C3424


Poor Dante

 

[Dante]

[MENTION=15512]Dante[/MENTION]

[MENTION=40954]Antares[/MENTION]

Really?

LOL, we'll see.

There are some rumblings starting to percolate under the surface.

It seems he may have been there to try and shall we say mitigate another potential arms problem.

I'll wait and see what comes out.

What exactly do you think the above means and how it relates to things? @Antares

---

UPI | May 15, 2013
U.S. envoy Chris Stevens refused offers of more security before the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya in which he was killed, McClatchy Newspapers reported.


Official: Amb. Stevens Refused Additional Security | Military.com

Ms. Tsongas.And is it customary to make these requests through
the Ambassador and for the Ambassador to bless it and make this request
or the assent back to you in order for you to you have the authority
to move forward?

General Ham. Actually rna I am it is a fairly formalized a very
formalized process that the Department of State formally requests in
this instance of the Department of Defense support in terms of the
Site Security Team.
http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=AAEBCAA5-4C8F-4820-BACD-2DB9B53C3424


Poor Dante

Whatever in the whacky world of wingnuttery are you trying to say with things out of context?

General Ham.
Actually...it is a fairly formalized a very formalized process that the Department of State formally requests in this instance of the Department of Defense support in terms of the Site Security Team. The State Department did that. That as I think most members know that Site Security Team was extended twice. The last extension expired the 3rd of August and the State Department decided to not request a further extension but it is a formalized process that is department to department rather than the combatant commander and ambassador.

Ms. Tsongas.
So absent that formal request that formalized process you are left with the decision that the State Department has made about what its security needs might be?

General Ham.
Yes...I am. At that point when it was apparent thatthe Department of State was not going to seek an extension of the Site
15 Security Team, Ambassador Stevens and I had a discussion about what then should be the right DOD presence in addition to the attache and the normal embassy team.

But knowing that again that we were going to engage in a training and equipping or advising mission with the Libyan military, we wanted to maintain some small presence.

Ambassador and I agreed that because of the state of fluctuation that the newly forming Libyan Government was in, that it was going to be some weeks or probably months before any meaningful training would be able to begin.

So theAmbassador and I agreed that we would keep just a small team, six DOD personnel would stay in Tripoli, basically to keep the relationships with the Libyan military, so that when the Libyan Government was ready for us to begin the training we had people already on site who had the personal and professional relationships that could get that process underway quickly.

Ms. Tsongas.
Thank you, sir. My time is up

 

[Dante]

http://message.snopes.com/politics/info/benghazireport.pdf

The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's 15 January 2014 review of the attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi viewed video footage documenting the dispatch of a security team to the Mission compound within 20-25 minutes of the first report of the attack, and they found that no "stand down" orders were issued to the security team at the Annex:

After the Diplomatic Security (DS) agent in the Tactical Operations Center at the Temporary Mission Facility alerted the Annex security team that TMF was under attack at 9:40, the Chief of Base called the [redacted] "who advised that he would immediately deploy a force to provide assistance," according to a September 19, 2012, cable.

Two armored vehicles were prepared so the security team could respond from the Annex. Approximately 20-25 minutes after the first call came into the Annex that the Temporary Mission Facility (TMF) was under attack, a security team left the Annex for the Mission compound. In footage taken from the Annex's security cameras, the security team can be observed departing the CIA Annex at 10:03 p.m. Benghazi time.

The team drove to the Mission facility and made their way onto the Mission compound in the face of enemy fire, arriving in the vicinity of the compound at approximately 10:10 p.m. Benghazi time. The Committee explored claims that there was a "stand down" order given to the security team at the Annex. Although some members of the security team expressed frustration that they were unable to respond more quickly to the Mission compound, 12 the Committee found no evidence of intentional delay or obstruction by the Chief of Base or any other party.

Read more at snopes.com: Attack on the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi​

 

[Antares]

[MENTION=15512]Dante[/MENTION]

[MENTION=40954]Antares[/MENTION]

What exactly do you think the above means and how it relates to things? @Antares

---

UPI | May 15, 2013
U.S. envoy Chris Stevens refused offers of more security before the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya in which he was killed, McClatchy Newspapers reported.


Official: Amb. Stevens Refused Additional Security | Military.com

Ms. Tsongas.And is it customary to make these requests through
the Ambassador and for the Ambassador to bless it and make this request
or the assent back to you in order for you to you have the authority
to move forward?

General Ham. Actually rna I am it is a fairly formalized a very
formalized process that the Department of State formally requests in
this instance of the Department of Defense support in terms of the
Site Security Team.
http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=AAEBCAA5-4C8F-4820-BACD-2DB9B53C3424


Poor Dante

Whatever in the whacky world of wingnuttery are you trying to say with things out of context?

General Ham.
Actually...it is a fairly formalized a very formalized process that the Department of State formally requests in this instance of the Department of Defense support in terms of the Site Security Team. The State Department did that. That as I think most members know that Site Security Team was extended twice. The last extension expired the 3rd of August and the State Department decided to not request a further extension but it is a formalized process that is department to department rather than the combatant commander and ambassador.

Ms. Tsongas.
So absent that formal request that formalized process you are left with the decision that the State Department has made about what its security needs might be?

General Ham.
Yes...I am. At that point when it was apparent thatthe Department of State was not going to seek an extension of the Site
15 Security Team, Ambassador Stevens and I had a discussion about what then should be the right DOD presence in addition to the attache and the normal embassy team.

But knowing that again that we were going to engage in a training and equipping or advising mission with the Libyan military, we wanted to maintain some small presence.

Ambassador and I agreed that because of the state of fluctuation that the newly forming Libyan Government was in, that it was going to be some weeks or probably months before any meaningful training would be able to begin.

So theAmbassador and I agreed that we would keep just a small team, six DOD personnel would stay in Tripoli, basically to keep the relationships with the Libyan military, so that when the Libyan Government was ready for us to begin the training we had people already on site who had the personal and professional relationships that could get that process underway quickly.

Ms. Tsongas.
Thank you, sir. My time is up

Um,Dante you should be embarrassed.