Posted on 10/25/2012 10:41:00 AM PDT by Kaslin
Editor's note: This column was coauthored by Bob Morrison.
Bing West’s column on National Review Online is hard reading. It is must reading for every American. We are more than a month into one of the worst foreign policy debacles in our history. Four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, were brutally murdered in the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. That consulate is American sovereign territory. It is as if the Libyans came across the border into San Antonio and killed American citizens on American soil.
In fact, when the Mexican bandit leader Pancho Villa came across the border into New Mexico in 1916 and killed fourteen U.S. soldiers and ten American civilians, President Woodrow Wilson took action. In an election year, no U.S. President could be seen doing nothing when violent mobs screaming “Death to Americans” shooting, killing, looting, and setting fire to our property.
Wilson was virtually a pacifist. But even his invertebrate administration recognized the need for action. The Wilson administration did not try to evade responsibility for this outrage by stalling, conducting an investigation, and promising to “get to the bottom of all this.”
The candidates were probably right in Monday night’s foreign policy debate not to get into this Benghazi tragedy too deeply. It is a rapidly developing story with startling new revelations almost daily.
Still, Bing West’s column details how everything that happened in our doomed consulate was being recorded in real time by a drone. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton has claimed “responsibility” for this debacle. But that is an empty gesture if she does not immediately resign.
Madame Secretary’s feckless conduct brings to mind the last time an American Secretary of State presided over the violent seizure of a U.S. diplomatic outpost. In 1979, Sec. Cyrus Vance was similarly unflappable when Muslim militants took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. He maintained his cool, professional demeanor, as our Marines and Embassy staff were subjected to beatings and to mock executions.
Sec. Vance was finally stirred to action five months into the hostage crisis when President Jimmy Carter’s rescue mission failed. Several of the rescue aircraft collided and crashed in what would forever be known as “Desert One.” America was further humiliated to see turbaned Iranian mullahs surveying the wreckage of our military aircraft.
The action Cyrus Vance took was to resign as Secretary of State. He resigned not because the rescue attempt had failed. He resigned because it had been made. He was so committed to “soft power,” diplomatic back-and-forth, that he considered it wrong for Americans to use force to defend American lives.
This is the same mindset we see operating in the skies over Benghazi, Libya. What can be more revealing than the fact that this administration had a drone in the air recording the deaths of four brave Americans?
The lesson to U.S. diplomats and consular personnel is obvious. You put your lives on the line for your country, and if the natives get restless, if they overrun your embassy and kill you, the Secretary of State will “accept responsibility” and the president will make nice comments about you on the Comedy Channel.
President Obama should fire Sec. of State Hillary Clinton. There is no other way to demonstrate that this administration takes its responsibilities seriously. Failure to do that will only guarantee that they continue kicking the can down the road, hoping that they can get past the election before we “get to the bottom of everything.” And a terrible milestone will have been passed.
In these same streets over two hundred years ago, captured American seamen were sold into slavery. “Christians are cheap today!” was the cry of the slave auctioneer. We thought we had come far since that time. President Jefferson then fought the Barbary Pirates to stop their preying on American ships and American lives. But once again, we are showing that the lives of our people are cheap today.
Sorry, but firing her NOW does no such thing. A couple of weeks ago, maybe.
But firing her NOW says nothing so loud as "I'm desperate!". Barry-O has no justification for firing her now, because he doesn't understand the problem.
I was no fan of Vance, but he had much better credentials and experience than the 'Beast. Hillary's only qualification for the job was that she [presumably] slept with Bubba and she proclaimed herself "Madam Co-President". To my knowledge Vance had no aspirations for higher office, but Bubba and the Beast lust for her to move into the Oval Office, possibly in 2016. If Hussein fires her, it would damage her and they may just strike back 'arkansas style'.
Seriously, Obama is not in a political position to fire Hillary. It would royally p.o. the last vestiges of his female support and also Bill. Plus Hillary is gone anyway win or lose so it’s not like she’s part of the next cabinet. We’d love it. She deserves it. But not gonna happen.
He can’t fire her . . . she knows where too many of the bodies are buried.
” If Hussein fires her, it would damage her and they may just strike back ‘arkansas style’. “
First thing that crossed my mind.
Gang war between 0bama’s “Chi-Town mafia” and Bubba’s “Arkansas mafia”.
He can’t fire her . . . she knows where too many of the bodies are buried.
Hitlery has a few Chicago connections of her own...
Good read.
” Gang war between 0bama’s “Chi-Town mafia” and Bubba’s “Arkansas mafia”.”
The irony is not lost on me.
Chi-town mob is just a bunch of mostly college educated con men, and a smattering of stupid street urchins.
Bill & Hill’s people are a proven deadly commodity.
Game goes to Arkansas Mafia : )
I’ve been speculating that Hillary! was going to resign close to election day (my money’s on next Monday or Tuesday for maximum effect) if she and Bill really want to damage Obama. Bonus Hillary! points if she can get Obama to fire her “for doing the right thing”, because she’ll get to play the aggrieved victim role.
I suspect that Hillary continues to have a good many supporters and the dems continue to love B. Clinton.
Obama will NOT fire her, he’d lose too many votes. Besides, Obama would rather have her in the tent pissing out, than the other way around.
If Hillary Clinton has any survival instinct at all, she will find a way to find absolutely damning evidence that will bring this regime down. Otherwise, they will sacrifice her.
And if she brings them down, without fingerprints, before the election, then she has rid herself of Joe Biden in the 2016 campaign. Odds are his dementia will have full sway, and he’ll not know if he’s in Iowa or Ohio, but it doesn’t hurt to clean up old business early.
You can bet that Uncle Joe’s staff is collecting dirt on Hillary as we write to do the same to her.
100% correct. Hillary stays as long as Hillary likes. She will take a bit of time off whatever happens, and organize for 2016.
Obama doesn’t put his main political rival as #3 in his Administration because he wants to.
Looks to me like Hillary was overridden by Obama on security in Benghazi, but if he can CYA by blaming her, he will.
http://asspos.blogspot.com/2012/10/politics-of-terror-attack-cover-up-no.html
If she was to resign and tell the truth it would be the first time in their sorry lives that they put the country first. Therefore, we KNOW it will not happen.
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