W.H. Tries to Write Al Qaeda Out of Libya Story (W.H. back to claiming Benghazi was spontaneous)

Weekly Standard ^ | OCT 20, 2012 | STEPHEN F. HAYES

[Qbert]

The Obama administration appears to be mounting yet another version of its campaign to push back on claims that it misled on the intelligence related to the attacks in Benghazi on 9/11/12. But the new offensive by the administration, which contradicts many of its earlier claims and simply disregards intelligence that complicates its case, is raising fresh questions in the intelligence community and on Capitol Hill about the manipulation of intelligence for political purposes.

The administration's new line takes shape in two articles out Saturday, one in the Los Angeles Times and the other by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius. The Times piece reports that there is no evidence of an al Qaeda role in the attack. The Ignatius column makes a directly political argument, claiming that "the Romney campaign may have misfired with its suggestion that statements by President Obama and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice about the Benghazi attacks weren't supported by intelligence, according to documents provided by a senior intelligence official."

[Snip]

David Ignatius, a reporter's columnist with excellent sources in the Obama administration and the intelligence community, reports: "Talking points" prepared by the CIA on Sept. 15, the same day that Rice taped three television appearances, support her description of the Sept 11 attack on the U.S. consulate as a reaction to the Arab anger about an anti-Muslim video prepared in the United States. According to the CIA account, "The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the US Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against...[Snip]

There are two problems with this. The CIA "talking points" don't say that what Ignatius claims and the supposedly exculpatory documents were first reported three weeks ago...

[Qbert]

So if it was really "spontaneous" as they are claiming (yet again), then it wasn't a premeditated terrorist attack... which means Obama was being deliberately dishonest at the 2nd debate when he implied that his words in the Rose Garden speech meant that Benghazi was a terrorist attack... and Candy Crowley owes the American people a big apology...

[Paladin2]

Using the “White House”, “he State Dept” and “Intelligence” in the same article is oxymoronic.

[Paladin2]

Using the “White House”, “the State Dept” and “Intelligence” in the same article is oxymoronic.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I knew this was in the works as soon as the word “hasty” was floated around a few days ago.

[Qbert]

"I knew this was in the works as soon as the word “hasty” was floated around a few days ago."

Yep.

And I can just see the chanting points for the left-wing talking heads tomorrow on the Sunday shows and the NYT, WaPo muppets: "Obama was right when he said that Romney shoots first, asks questions later, blah, blah, blah.". They want so desperately to return to the day after the attack when they all jumped in unison on Romney, and they thought they had it made. Too bad for them they are defending a bunch of incompetent clowns...

[gaijin]

Ok so first it was spontaneous, then it was a pre-meditated attack, and now it’s a spontaneous, non-Al Qaeda attack that took place in a place that is an unofficial Al Qaeda Emirate...?

My head hurts...!

[TomGuy]

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it .... until a better version comes along.

==

Team Obama intent: to convolute and obfuscate, until the story is so muddled that everyone throws up their hands and moves on.

==

[TomGuy]

Ok so first it was spontaneous, then it was a pre-meditated attack, and now it’s a spontaneous, non-Al Qaeda attack that took place in a place that is an unofficial Al Qaeda Emirate...?

No. It was the video that upset the Egyptians, so the US Embassy there issued an apology that upset those in Benghazi, who decided to riot at the US Consulate, until some pulled out AK-47s and grenade launchers, so they decided to burn down the compound and attack the ambassador. [A.k.a., Something to Do on a Tuesday Night in Benghazi.]