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Benghazi Ghosts Haunt White House
Townhall.com ^ | May 7, 2013 | Mona Charen

Posted on 05/07/2013 6:46:46 AM PDT by Kaslin

My iPhone buzzes on a regular basis with "news alerts" from Politico, The Hill and other sources. Politico provides breathless, this-cannot-wait-till-you-get-to-your desk "breaking news" sirens on every hiccup emanating from the White House. On April 22, for example, the news flash permitted me to learn without delay that "President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will on Thursday attend a memorial service for the victims of last week's explosion in West, Texas."

When three career employees of the State Department announced their intention to testify before Congress -- contradicting the Obama administration's carefully constructed storyline about events in Benghazi, Libya -- my phone was silent. News is very much in the eye of the beholder.

One of these whistle-blowers, Gregory N. Hicks, was the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Libya and reportedly the last American to see Ambassador Chris Stevens alive. His testimony about the nature of the Benghazi assault should be illuminating. Mark Thompson, deputy coordinator for the State Department's counterterrorism bureau, will apparently testify that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was keen to obscure the terror links of the attackers in Benghazi and accordingly kept the counterterrorism officers at State out of the loop in planning the response to the attack.

In anticipation of the hearings, which begin Wednesday, a few basic questions ought to be on the minds of members of Congress.

President Obama claimed repeatedly in the aftermath of the Benghazi attack that he would do everything in his power to ensure that the perpetrators are "brought to justice." During the second presidential debate, Obama said, "We are going to find out who did this, and we are going to hunt them down, because one of the things that I've said throughout my presidency is when folks mess with Americans, we go after them." Oh? For three weeks, American officials did not even visit the scene. On Oct. 18, The New York Times reported that one of the ringleaders of the attack, Ahmed Abu Khattala, was sipping a strawberry frappe on the patio of a luxury hotel and scoffing at the idea that he should go into hiding.

He was right. No one has been brought to justice, and there's little evidence that the Obama administration has made any effort. Just this past week, eight months after the attacks, the FBI released photos of three suspects. The Tashkent municipal police department could have moved faster.

If reporting by Stephen Hayes in The Weekly Standard and accounts of what the whistle-blowers will say are correct, the shaky edifice of lies that the Obama administration erected about Benghazi is about to collapse.

Whistle-blowers will confirm what has been reported before -- that the administration knew within hours of the attack that it was a terrorist act. The CIA station chief in Libya said as much. Yet -- Candy Crowley to the contrary notwithstanding -- the president and his spokesmen concocted a fairy tale about an Internet video that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and a demonstration that got out of hand. This narrative was peddled most prominently by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, but it also was mentioned by Clinton and the president himself.

White House emails released to Congress show that an interagency group, getting direction from the White House, altered the CIA's talking points to remove references to al-Qaida, jihadis and five previous attacks by terrorists on Western interests in Libya. Does anyone remember the phrase "politicizing intelligence"?

When Clinton testified before Congress on Benghazi (and ran circles around the panel), she referred repeatedly to the "ARB," the Accountability Review Board, to prove that her department had been blameless in failing to provide additional security to the consulate and in handling the aftermath. But that piece of the wall is now in danger of coming loose, as well. State's inspector general is investigating the ARB and may inquire as to why the secretary of state herself, among others, was never interviewed during its investigation.

Clinton's demand -- "What difference does it make?" -- deserves a reply. The public deserves to know if the mistakes the administration made -- conceptual, tactical or both -- contributed to the deaths of four Americans. The public also deserves to know whether the president and his agents audaciously and brazenly lied about a national security matter for political gain.


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; alqaida; benghazi; dnc4alqaeda; dnctreason; fairytails; fairytale; fairytales; libmyths; libmyts; msm4alqaeda; msmabdication; navyseals; rinotreason; threatmatrix; treason; treason4alqaeda

1 posted on 05/07/2013 6:46:46 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin
TREASON is the reason.


2 posted on 05/07/2013 6:49:25 AM PDT by Travis McGee (www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
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To: Kaslin

The perpetrators of Ambassador Steven’s murder are in the WH and State Dept.

Pray for America to Wake Up


3 posted on 05/07/2013 7:10:57 AM PDT by bray (Surviving to spite Obama)
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To: Kaslin

-—— For three weeks, American officials did not even visit the scene———

This week we learned that the FBI was not allowed to come to Libya. The President of Libya was slapped in the face by the Rice woman. Minutes after he declared the incident to be a terrorist attack, she contradicted him by repeatedly and loudly declaring a video was responsible for mere demonstrations.


4 posted on 05/07/2013 7:16:46 AM PDT by bert ((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 .....History is a process, not an event)
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To: Kaslin

Motivation:

Obama needs to show that he can be strong agains the Muslim nations in middle East.

The Plan:

Remove all security from US ambassador in Libya.
Have terrorists kidnap US ambassador.
Obama gets tough and rescues ambassador.
Election sealed.

The Problem:

A couple of Navy Seals show up and kick some Muslim butt.
Terrorists think they have been set up and things spin out of control. Now they have to hide all that went on. Maybe like the Vince Foster plan.


5 posted on 05/07/2013 7:20:55 AM PDT by super7man
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To: Kaslin

6 posted on 05/07/2013 7:23:59 AM PDT by Servant of the Cross (the Truth will set you free)
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To: Kaslin

Benghazi Timeline

hillary clinton not now ambassador stevens benghaz



obama 3pm vegas golf benghazi scandal coverup fail

7 posted on 05/07/2013 7:26:05 AM PDT by Bon mots
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To: Kaslin
Re: “With all due respect,the fact is we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided to go kill some Americans?

What difference at this point...  photo WDDIM-Hillary-200.gif does it make?”

The difference... dear Hillary, is history.

You know history, don't you? If not, let us... take you back--

"They are dead. What difference at this point...  photo WDDIM-Hillary-B-L.gif does it make?

So we nuke Israel and kill all Jews. What difference at this point...  photo WDDIM-Ahmadinejad-R.gif does it make?

Sure I gassed them and they are dead. What difference at this point...  photo WDDIM-Saddam-Hussein-L.gif does it make?

All the purges, the Gulag, millions dead. What difference at this point...  photo WDDIM-JoeStalin-R.gif does it make?

Six million dead here, ten million there, twenty millions more. What difference at this point...  photo WDDIM-Adolf-Hitler-L.gif does it make?

Yes, Hillary, witnesses now speak yet I have to say, with the Drive By Press we have, what difference at this point... will it make?

8 posted on 05/07/2013 7:31:12 AM PDT by Bender2 ("I've got a twisted sense of humor, and everything amuses me." RAH Beyond this Horizon)
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To: Bender2

Brilliant. Wonderful job in your post To this day, I still can’t believe the media let her get away with that line.


9 posted on 05/07/2013 7:50:04 AM PDT by Chuzzlewit
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To: Travis McGee

>Does Huma Abedin have a security clearance?<

.
Yes she does — the Muslim Brotherhood issued one.


10 posted on 05/07/2013 8:14:19 AM PDT by 353FMG ( I do not say whether I am serious or sarcastic -- I respect FReepers too much.)
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To: bray

“Pray for America to wake up...”

A large part of the electorate actually loves them.

Amazing, absolutely amazing.

IMHO


11 posted on 05/07/2013 8:40:26 AM PDT by ripley
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To: super7man

Throw in Obama springs the Blind Sheik as part of the deal and I think you’ve got it nailed.


12 posted on 05/07/2013 9:21:40 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: annieokie; penelopesire; maggief; Protect the Bill of Rights; thouworm; SE Mom; Nachum; onyx; ...
Get ready. This is just the first catchup of the day.

Anyone wanting on or off this ping list, please advise.


Benghazi Index

13 posted on 05/07/2013 9:33:59 AM PDT by MestaMachine
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To: MestaMachine

Thanks very much, MM!


14 posted on 05/07/2013 9:35:58 AM PDT by onyx (Please Support Free Republic - Donate Monthly! If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, Let Me know!)
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To: MestaMachine

Like trying to take a drink out of a fire-hose.


15 posted on 05/07/2013 9:43:06 AM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: Kaslin
Adm. James Lyons (Ret.) on Growing Benghazi Scandal

ADMIRAL LYONS: …All those comforting words that “We don’t want to put our forces at risk.” We had people at risk—they were crying for help! In a situation, you go with the resources you have available—and, in this particular case, we did have that 130-man Marine force recon team sitting there at Sigonella. Even if I only got 50 of them over there, that would have been significant in turning the situation around. We may not have been able to save the ambassador, but we certainly could have saved those other two SEALs that were over on the annex.

ADMIRAL LYONS: In perpetuating this lie, we also had administration officials lying to Congressional committees. That’s a felony. So, “What difference does it make?” It makes all the difference in the world. You cannot flaunt the truth here, just walk away from it and, basically, tell the American public to stuff it. That’s not acceptable.

The point on the organizing the two Marine anti-terrorist teams in Rota, that was good to go ahead and stand ’em up. What I find incomprehensible: The first team, it took them 23 hours to go a few hundred miles from Rota to Tripoli. I could go around the world in 23 hours, so that makes absolutely no sense to me.


16 posted on 05/07/2013 10:33:56 AM PDT by TigersEye (If babies had guns they wouldn't be aborted)
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To: Kaslin

“trivia” ; old link to one of if not the first articles trying to establish the Benghazi protest myth ... claimed the protest was at 7 pm in Libya which was before the ambassador casually strolled to the gate with the Turkish diplomat, apparently oblivious to the “protest” the White house claimed was going on.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/13/us-libya-ambassador-assault-idUSBRE88C02Q20120913?feedType=RSS&feedName=wtMostRead&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FMostRead+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Most+Read+Articles%29


17 posted on 05/07/2013 11:23:23 AM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge)
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To: Bender2

Great Work. Forgot Chappaquiddick though.

Didn’t stop Ted Kennedy.
Democrats don’t care who dies.
They just care about who will keep Progressivism progressing.
That’s going to be Hillary.
Think of all the ways she can un-slave all women.

And then it will be Jason Collins’ turn. ( Black and gay oh my)


18 posted on 05/07/2013 12:36:29 PM PDT by A'elian' nation
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