I don’t think there were any Marines in the Libyan consulate (they were later brought in from somewhere else to evacuate the personnel) but just a couple of private security personnel. The only name they’ve released so far is that of a “former Seal,” and I read elsewhere that Obama had ordered the Marines withdrawn from these posts.
There is nothing wrong with private security...in France or Germany, for example. But in a lawless, destabilized, Islamist-dominated country, leaving the staff (of around 40 people) with nothing but two security guards, no matter how well trained and experienced, was like offering them up to the Muslims.
When the few legitimate members of the Libyan army arrived later, they found that they had to evacuate 37 people while the Marines arrived from wherever they had been based.
So the Obama government was expecting two security people, probably not armed with serious weaponry, to defend some 40 people in this hell-hole?
Obama and probably Hillary knew perfectly well that this was a gamble, and a bad one at that. But of course they’ve been doing this with our troops all over the ME and related places, and the press never holds them responsible for the US body count.