FWIW in the two examples Col. Hunt gives, the Congo and Bosnia, he is not speaking of U.S. inaction in particular. Furthermore those aren't examples of a country failing to lift a finger to help its own representatives. In our case not merely our own citizens traveling abroad but our own envoys purposely placed in an unstable and hostile environment to do work.
As tragic as situations are like those that occurred in Bosnia and the Congo the call for action from our leaders, U.S. leaders, was not 1/1,000 as clear as it was in Benghazi.
Imagine a sheriff's deputy patrolling a very remote corner of his county. He is attacked and pinned down in his squad car by armed thugs and calls in to the station for help. Of course the dispatcher, by procedure and fear for his job, immediately alerts the head sheriff, all deputies, the highway patrol and every emergency response team leader in the county. And they all listen in on the radio transmission as the thugs close in and cut down the deputy. But they're not really sure the thugs got him or he got away before the radio died. No one moves, not one car leaves the station, no one who might be closer is asked to go to the scene and try and lend assistance.
The next day, after having lunch with the town planning commission, the Sheriff tells the press what a tragedy it is, he's going to investigate, too bad we don't have a bigger budget, blah blah blah. In a few days when we're pretty sure the bad guys are gone I'll send in some deputies to gather evidence.
“Imagine a sheriff’s deputy patrolling a very remote corner of his county.....”
Brings it home & sums it up....in all its dereliction.
I posted the transcript to draw more attention to the interview & make it easier to quote Hunt, but reading the transcript pales in comparison to listening to Hunt himself. As much as he tries to restrain himself, his emotions are close to the surface-— rage, indignation, disbelief, sorrow, and also shame.
If I counted correctly, 6 out of the 9 times Hunt says “did nothing,” he is saying “WE did nothing.”
The Sheriff’s Deputy analogy is good, but not complete. In that case, any near units would have responed on their own, without orders from the Sheriff or Mayor.
In the Benghazi case, availaable military units (at see or in southern Italy) could NOT respond on their own, even if they were BEGGING for permission to do so. They can not cross another sovereign nation’s borders with a military force unless ONE MAN gives the order.
That one man was too busy coming up with a cover story (the video) to order a rescue attempt. He preferred dead Americans, to a situation that could have “spun out of control” a few weeks before the election.
Better a few dead Americans....to Obama, the cowardly traitor.