For John, BLUF: SecState Clinton's Testimony is probably a waste of time for most of us, but interesting political theater.
I have not been watching Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testify on the Benghazi Imbroglio. Lets face it, life is short and Congressional Testimony can be almost endless. The two key issues are (1) did we have a clue what we were doing when we joined others in helping to take down Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi and (2) who cooked up that stupid cover story about the video, and why.
Over at Night Watch Analyst John McCreary had this to say about the recent terrorist attack in Algeria:
Algeria-US: Update. A senior Algerian official said that one of the terrorists captured at the In Amenas gas plant said under interrogation that some of the dead Egyptian terrorists also participated in the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi last year. Three terrorists are in custody.Yes, with regard to item one, there are some serious foreign policy issues to address. The fact is, if the Middle East and North Africa are to progress, at some point they need to make the move toward a more representative form of government, in which the People get to make their own mistakes. This, in turn, could result in a reformation in Islam that drags it out of the 12th Century and allows for reinterpretations that allow for freedom for women and for less drastic punishments for crime. I am not sure it needs to allow for interest on loans, since Islamic financing seems to being doing fine. The separation of law into two realms, one secular and one religious, might be a good thing. The question is, was last year the year for this change? Remember your school history? The French Revolution was in 1789, but was terminated at Waterloo in 1815, but may have not yet fully played out. These "revolutions" go on for some time. We had a small twinge from 1860 to 1865 here in the US, even though your revolution was over and we had a solid constitution by 1789.The official said the terrorists staged in southern Libya with arms purchased in Tripoli, Libya. He also said, "This is the result of the Arab Spring…. I hope the Americans are conscious of this."
Comment: There is no way to corroborate the detainee's statement. What is worth noting is that the Algerian official's statements help explain why the Algerians might have had few qualms about assaulting the terrorists, despite the risk to foreigners. The Algerian government expects more attacks and the outcome will probably not be much different for foreigners.
The government has opposed US policy in the Arab world, especially the overthrow of the Qadhafi government. Some officials are making it very clear they hold American policy ultimately responsible for the gas plant attack in Algeria, the invasion of northern Mali by Islamist fighters and future attacks to come.
Americans working in Algeria are at increased risk from terrorists. Moreover, their safety does not appear to be a major factor in government planning for rescue operations.
With regard to item two, it seems to me that someone should go to jail for trampling on the Constitution of the United States and someone in a position of authority in the Federal Government should apologize to Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, whether he is in jail for parole violation or not.
11 comments:
Press Releases: Terrorist Attack in Benghazi: The Secretary of State's View
Any clear-eyed examination of this matter must begin with this sobering fact: Since 1988, there have been 19 Accountability Review Boards investigating attacks on American diplomats and their facilities. Benghazi joins a long list of tragedies for our Department, for other agencies, and for America: hostages taken in Tehran in 1979, our Embassy and Marine barracks bombed in Beirut in 1983, Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia in 1996, our embassies in East Africa in 1998, consulate staff murdered in Jeddah in 2004, the Khost attack in 2009, and too many others. Since 1977, 65 American diplomatic personnel have been killed by terrorists.
Now of course, the list of attacks foiled, crises averted, and lives saved is even longer. We should never forget that our security professionals get it right more than 99 percent of the time, against difficult odds all over the world. That’s why, like my predecessors, I literally trust them with my life.
I don't dispute Jack's point, which articulates SecState's point.
I am just saying that (1) the decision to participate in taking down the Libyan Government was not consequence free and (2) the smearing of the videography was unnecessary and perhaps criminal, but at least a trashing of the First Amendment.
I grant that our Ambassador was out in the wilds of Libya and that he was taking a risk to do his job and that this time his luck ran out. Not on the Secretary. But, one and two above are.
Regards — Cliff
(1) is not Hillary's problem, until Jan. 2017. ;v)
(2) Egyptian protesters condemned what they said was the humiliation of the Prophet of Islam under the pretext of freedom of speech.
Egyptian protesters saying anything is pure staged tripe.....just the same as nearly everything uttered by Hillary today. She follows a well worn path. When the going gets tough under questioning...go offensive by acting offended. "What does it matter how it happened??" Now THAT is an invitation to closing the books if I EVER saw one.
Hey...WHAT does it matter how over 3000 men and women died in the Towers?
More importantly, the liberals will scream like stuck pigs but Obama is sweet on Islam and Sharia....and the evidence mounts each day. THIS is one of the reasons 4 good men lost their lives....for Obama's political ends with Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world. Benghazi was all about gun running.....just like the southern border of the US is all about Fast and Furious...which only describes Eric Holder's pace in giving the cartels advanced weaponry.....all of course with the approval and full knowledge of his buddy down the street in the Big White House.
The whole bunch is rotten..but not nearly as bad as the bunch Obama is bringing in for his Big Push.
Welcome to the Animal Farm.
I take Jack's point on Point 1, although it might come up before Inauguration.
Regarding Point 2, what do the Egyptions have to do with it? Closer to Egypt than Tripoli, but Benghazi is still in Libya. And Neal may have a point to the spontaneity re Egypt.
Regards — Cliff
From Al Jazeera:
Angry protests spread over anti-Islam video
Demonstrations over movie trailer made in US and deemed insulting to Islam spread across Middle East and North Africa.
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So, there was mayhem. The Dept. of State mistakenly aligned the raid in Benghazi with the mayhem in the Region.
No mind. You are unpersuadable.
But, in Benghazi it was an attack, not a riot over a video. The two things should not be confused, lest we find we don't have a clue about what is going on in the Middle East and North Africa, all the way down to Mali.
"Good move, no kill".
Regards — Cliff
PS: I am always persuadable, with facts.
Facts? What? Like "Yellow cake?"
Regardless, you have the 1st Amendment issue stuck in your craw. I don't think you are prepared to uncouple that from confused statements issued by the Admin. Or, even, wilfull statements that confused us, as America's enemies were deceived. There once was a day where our leaders could flat out lie to us, just to throw the Commies off.
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The GOP Senators are the proverbial emperor with no clothes. McCain and his prissy cohort spoon fed us BS, all during the Bush/Cheney debacle. But, now they have the "ol' timey religion?"
McCain will support the nomination of John Kerry. McCain is a two faced, liar.
The GOP has less credibility than the political porn purveyors that produced your favorite short film.
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Bibi is hobbled.
إن شاء الله,
America's enemies were not, are not, and will not be deceived by the chicanery of the sitting Administration. First and foremost, Obama has folks working for him in key positions in the WH and Departments with established, close ties to radical Islam via the the Brotherhood. So, you can bet the farm (what's left of it) that virtually anything going in is passed quickly to "them."
The only people who are deceived are the American people. Now...the leftist argument is....just like everything else in the Big Wonderful World of Democrats and other progressive cling-ons......."Well, they are merely protecting us and besides, we don't have a need to know."
That blather refers to an extreme of the Nanny State where the State is the seat of power. The last time I checked,that power rests with the American people. We have not only a right, but a need to know what our government is doing and why. I am not suggesting that we have a need or right to delve into OPlans at will, but we have the right and responsibility to know why those OPlans exist. You can bet our enemies know. We are citizens, not subjects.....YET!
BTW....the Democrats have never been shrinking violets when it came to screaming murder during the Bush/Cheney years when everyone was convinced with some considerable basis that SOMEONE was fibbing about why we needed to be in Iraq.
Afghanistan has its roots under Democrat rule....and we are STILL there...so you can't hang that one around Bush's beak.
Actually....Kerry is the two faced liar. Just look at his medal rack. THERE is your evidence of that.....and he is a turncoat whining to Congress about imagined atrocities by his OWN brothers in arms. AND...he did that for political capital. I put Kerry right up there with Hanoi Jane and I wouldn't waste my urine on him....burning or not.
Neal is the perfect wind up doll. See the key? I do. Give it a twist and he blurts. #predictable
Truth and facts are always predictable Jack. It is the deluded world of progressivism...often referred to today as Communism....that is NOT predictable. Liberals focus on the media because the message is.....well......never consistent.
But...you have a wonderful day Jack......and get an extra large helping of the Kool-aid. I hear that it is.....uh...."transformational."
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