Posted on 10/15/2012 6:10:09 PM PDT by mandaladon
The White House has put special operations strike forces on standby and moved drones into the skies above Africa, ready to strike militant targets from Libya to Mali — if investigators can find the Al Qaeda-linked group responsible for the death of the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Libya.
But officials say the administration, with weeks until the presidential election, is weighing whether the short-term payoff of exacting retribution on Al Qaeda is worth the risk that such strikes could elevate the group's profile in the region, alienate governments the U.S. needs to fight it in the future and do little to slow the growing terror threat in North Africa.
Details on the administration's position and on its search for a possible target were provided by three current and one former administration official, as well as an analyst who was approached by the White House for help. All four spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the high-level debates publicly.
The dilemma shows the tension of the White House's need to demonstrate it is responding forcefully to Al Qaeda, balanced against its long-term plans to develop relationships and trust with local governments and build a permanent U.S. counterterrorist network in the region.
Vice President Joe Biden pledged in his debate last week with Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan to find those responsible for the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others.
"We will find and bring to justice the men who did this," Biden said in response to a question about whether intelligence failures led to lax security around Stevens and the consulate.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Sounds like another aspirin factory is about to be hit.
Gonna have to hit an asprin factory since we’re now warning the enemy.
I think that the October surprise got ruined when 4 Americans got killed. Bambi flirted with the devil - and lost!
Why would you kill people who were just offended by a youtube video? /s/
yeh- i agree...this is going to blow up in obozo’s face in American and the ME....
Great question.. I suppose we’ll find out if the hit on Benghazi is a false flag to help 0bama win re-election. Also the theory that it was intended to be a hostage-taking but the foreign actors didn’t know the SEALs would be there and would fire upon them.
Absolutely . Whole administration, state department, and pentagon will claim they got
Those responsible . Then Leon paneta will give Obama a piggy back ride on tv.
They might have to unpack the BACKUP OCT SURPRISE:
Unfortunate chem event in Syria —Baaaaad “pro assad” bad guys (resembling ATF guys) use small amount of chemical agent, therby compelling US forces to intervene in Syria directly.
Event is captured by luuuucky chance on 10 TV cameras witht the bad guys chanting that they hate diversity and love solar panels.
Send in the drones..theres got to be drones.
It took how long for him to finally authorize osama’s mission and people now think he is going to pull the trigger within the next 21 days?
Think about this; they had some percentage of certainty that it was Osama but they don’t have a clue who was involved I the attack on the consulate and they want to send in another Seal Team in to an unknown situation. Will never get operational approval from military planners let alone Joint Chiefs.
They will atomize a few itinerant goat herders with drone missles and claim Al-Qaeda has been knocked into submission.
Obama will be spiking the football until election day.
Can’t use drones because of too much risk of collateral damage showing up on TV.
Needs surgical strike on the ground to minimize damage.
This from the people who can’t decide on the strategy to use in the next debate.
Hillary did just Tonight as part of ger admission reference a “...deteriorating situation in the Mid East.”
Make that: part of “her” admission
Don’t be so sure. Obama needs a jail Mary and if that means forcing the military into a hastily planned operation with a vaguely defined target them he’s going to roll the dice. He doesn’t care about the military. He just wants a photo-op of US troops replanting the flag in Benghazi and an excuse for a Presidential address to the Nation.
Bingo. Some camel trader who once gave a light to someone who knew someone who once heard about Al-Q is going to get whacked - and 0bama will claim Bengazhi has been avenged.
Agree with that assessment.
“Why would you kill people who were just offended by a youtube video?”
Yeah. Stike the guy who made the video /s/. You put him in jail anyway...
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