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Sharyl Attkisson: Could U.S. military have helped during Libya attack?
CBS News ^ | October 20, 2012 | Sharyl Attkisson

Posted on 10/20/2012 4:55:25 AM PDT by maggief

(CBS News) The closer we get to the election, the harder Republicans in Congress are pushing for answers to a big question: What really happened in the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya last month that killed the U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans?

Some lawmakers are asking why U.S. military help from outside Libya didn't arrive as terrorists battered more than 30 Americans over the course of more than seven hours. The assault was launched by an armed mob of dozens that torched buildings and used rocket propelled grenades, mortars and AK-47 rifles.

CBS News has been told that, hours after the attack began, an unmanned Predator drone was sent over the U.S. mission in Benghazi, and that the drone and other reconnaissance aircraft apparently observed the final hours of the protracted battle.

The State Department, White House and Pentagon declined to say what military options were available. A White House official told CBS News that, at the start of the attack, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta "looked at available options, and the ones we exercised had our military forces arrive in less than 24 hours, well ahead of timelines laid out in established policies."

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: benghazi; election2012; impeachnow; libya; libyagate; shadowwars; threatmatrix; waronterror
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To: Kozak

So you want to toss the Marines , into Libya, with no intel, no plan, and no strategic or tactical objective within hours of the event? The REASON that embassies have a guard staff on site. AND DEPEND on the local government for security is because what you propose is impossible.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

+1000

I call it a “WTF doctrine”. “We can do it” all the time isn’t it?


21 posted on 10/20/2012 6:10:59 AM PDT by cunning_fish
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To: butterdezillion

It was posted here from a REuter’s story that we did rescue about 30 people, but were ambushed. VEry difficult to get a true story from these people.


22 posted on 10/20/2012 6:15:34 AM PDT by nikos1121
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To: Kozak

So embassies are established and there is never a plan for a crisis. Cool! Makes a Marine mom proud that our sons are sent to the embassy without plans. Just stand there in your dress blues to be a target, honey, we love you./end of my extreme sarcasm.

I think our homosexual ambassador was set up.


23 posted on 10/20/2012 6:16:54 AM PDT by huldah1776
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To: huldah1776

I think its time to stop getting involved in middle eastern messes where our troops are in as much danger from our allies as they face from our enemies.


24 posted on 10/20/2012 6:24:49 AM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: maggief

“CBS News has been told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did seek clearances from Libya to fly in their airspace, but the administration won’t say anything further about what was said or decided on that front.”

Clintons leaking info???

As long as Panetta is in the clear then I think the Clintons will be full steam ahead. IF Panetta is wrapped up in the fiasco by making a bad decision - then his head is on the chopping block ,too. Clintons then have to tiptoe if they know what’s good for them.


25 posted on 10/20/2012 6:33:50 AM PDT by RummyChick
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To: maggief
...and that the drone and other reconnaissance aircraft apparently observed the final hours of the protracted battle.

I wonder what the nature of the "protracted battle" meme is. Was there actually a solid defensive response or were the terrorists just dragging out the attack and carnage for as long as they had ammo?

26 posted on 10/20/2012 6:39:51 AM PDT by trebb ("If a man will not work, he should not eat" From 2 Thes 3)
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To: RummyChick

““CBS News has been told Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did seek clearances from Libya to fly in their airspace, but the administration won’t say anything further about what was said or decided on that front.””

Did we seek clearance to fly in their airspace when we were supporting the Bruthas while getting rid of Daffy Duck?

Sad thing here is we had air resources that could have let loose some missiles and took out the terrorists and they wouldn’t have had a clue where it came from.

At worst, Israel (oh wait, they are no longer our friends) could have launched something.


27 posted on 10/20/2012 6:42:18 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz
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To: Kozak; cunning_fish
What are you two talking about? Intel? Plan? "Strategic or tactical objectives" Yeah, the plan is you got Americans taking heavy fire on American soil from wild Indians. Intel? Plan? - so you show up and start greasing wild Indians until they either all die or run away. Plan.

Neither one of you genius's with your "strategic or tactical objectives" have ever served, have you?

You both sound like a couple button pushing office ladies.

28 posted on 10/20/2012 6:46:36 AM PDT by atc23 (The Confederacy was the single greatest conservative resistance to federal authority ever.u)
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To: atc23

Well, if you want to play Custer why not. BTW, they Indians had no manpads and RPGs.
I don’t think if Marines are about to absorb a hundred casualties for nothing.


29 posted on 10/20/2012 6:56:02 AM PDT by cunning_fish
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To: petercooper
Ms. Attkisson is one of a few unbiased reporters at CBS.
30 posted on 10/20/2012 7:00:05 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (In the game of life, there are no betting limits)
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To: atc23
Neither one of you genius's with your "strategic or tactical objectives" have ever served, have you? You both sound like a couple button pushing office ladies.

Well said.

31 posted on 10/20/2012 7:02:52 AM PDT by WesternPacific (Deafness has its Advantages)
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To: cunning_fish
Ye of little faith and grotesque ignorance? So you're betting on the prehistoric freaks over the U.S. Marines?
Did you accidentally wade over here from the huff post?
32 posted on 10/20/2012 7:02:56 AM PDT by bramps
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To: maggief

I imagine that the Old gal Hill knew the enemy had missles. She also would have known by then that she couldn’t trust anyone in Libya.

It would have been a greater nightmare to send in help and have them get picked off by weapons we supplied to Libya and were probably trying to get back.


33 posted on 10/20/2012 7:06:00 AM PDT by dforest
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To: maggief
Sounds like Ms Atkisson has been reading Freerepublic.com. A ton of FReepers were asking this question on 9/11 (12) 6 or 7 hours when the Cairo facility had been under seige all day as well!

6 or 7 hours is almost a full work day! So the US just stood around all day playing pocket pool? Not when I was in the shit we wouldn't have. The only one I know of that stands around all day running his mouth is the current Commander in Chief, Barack Hussein Obama (D) mmm mmm mm

34 posted on 10/20/2012 7:06:02 AM PDT by atc23 (The Confederacy was the single greatest conservative resistance to federal authority ever.u)
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To: bramps

Well, everyone has a right to express opinion. Tell he how could you handle an op to rescue this mission?


35 posted on 10/20/2012 7:06:46 AM PDT by cunning_fish
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To: norwaypinesavage

Did we wait for visas and ask for permission from Ghadaffi before we sent in our planes to oust him?

What we’ve got here is selective use of protocols. If Obama wants somebody out he takes them out. He doesn’t want the Islamists out. That’s why he’s been helping to put them in, and why he acts like he can’t do against the Islamists what he did against our ALLIES in the war on terror - Ghadaffi and Mubarak.


36 posted on 10/20/2012 7:07:36 AM PDT by butterdezillion
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To: RummyChick

How often do Libyan reports mention Panetta or Dempsey?


37 posted on 10/20/2012 7:10:37 AM PDT by maggief
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To: maggief

—— The assault was launched by an armed mob——

There was no armed mob. There was a coherent military force making a well planned and executed military operation.

CBS will not admit the truth and continues the fiction, the lie actually, that there is organized Al Qaeda affiliated existent.


38 posted on 10/20/2012 7:12:48 AM PDT by bert ((K.E. N.P. N.C. +12 ..... Present failure and impending death yield irrational action))
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To: maggief

I don’t get this. Why was there a protracted battle. As I understand it there was just the ambassador and one other unarmed guy (The two Seals showed up to help after they heard the gun fire).


39 posted on 10/20/2012 7:16:01 AM PDT by DManA
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To: dforest

We have no business having an ambassador in a country if we can’t trust anybody there, and if they wouldn’t let us fly over their air space to protect our own embassy. If these are the “friends” we spent our fire-power to install, then we’ve got a lot bigger problems than just an embassy attack.


40 posted on 10/20/2012 7:16:15 AM PDT by butterdezillion
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