Just got done watching a September 27th briefing from the Department of Defense,
Defense Department Briefing - C-SPAN Video Library
Of note from the briefing. Reporters at that time, a week and a half after Rice's morning show rounds and more than two weeks after the attack, seem somewhat surprised that the story has changed from riot to terrorist attack.
At 18:00 in the video Panetta is asked by a reporter, Barbara Starr from CNN, about why he is now calling it a terrorist attack. He states flatly, "because it was a terrorist attack" She seems a little startled with the abruptness of the response and asks, "Why do you say that? What information, Why do you come to that conclusion?"
At 19:00 a reporter asks a follow up question of "When did you come to the conclusion that what happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack?" Secretary Panetta gives a couple generalities but basically shrugs off the question.
It would appear that the entire press corps were in the dark for more than two weeks after the attack, all by the cunning deception of a single person, Susan Rice. Really?
What is somewhat amusing is when at 15:20 when the word Benghazi first comes up both Panetta and Dempsy sit up in their chairs and Dempsy starts rummaging through his papers for his talking points and when Panetta responds he is reading directly from this talking points.
(Also at 16:00 Penatta makes a comment on the request for assistance.)
