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Posted on 05/12/2013 12:54:54 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Obama administration got some backing Sunday for the way in which it responded as terrorists attacked the US diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, last September – a night of violence and confusion during which Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed.
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a Republican who served in both the Bush and Obama administrations, said if he had been at the Pentagon at that time, "Frankly … I think my decisions would have been just as theirs were.”
Republican critics have said a Special Forces team or overflights by fighter aircraft based in Italy might have prevented the US losses or at least frightened off the attackers. Mr. Gates disagrees.
Such actions, he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday, “without knowing what the environment is, without knowing what the threat is, without having any intelligence in terms of what is actually going on the ground, would have been very dangerous."
"It's sort of a cartoonish impression of military capabilities and military forces," Gates said, referring to morning-after analysis. "The one thing that our forces are noted for is planning and preparation before we send people in harm's way, and there just wasn't time to do that."
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
To go to bed?
SEE ALSO HERE:
ROBERT GATES: I WOULD HAVE MADE THE SAME DECISIONS DURING BENGHAZI ATTACK
EXCERPT:
... there wasn’t time to reach the American compound during the attack.
“I think my decisions would have been just as theirs were,” Gates said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” noting that he hasn’t been briefed on the situation by U.S. officials and has only followed the developments through media reports.
He said the U.S. doesn’t have a ready force standing by in the Middle East, so “getting somebody there in a timely way would have been very difficult, if not impossible.”
As for the option of sending even a single fighter jet to try to “scare” the attackers, Gates said that was impossible because of the danger of surface-to-air missiles.
“I would not have approved sending an aircraft, a single aircraft over Benghazi in those circumstances,” he said.
It also wasn’t feasible to send in any special forces units, Gates said.
“Based on everything I read, people didn’t really know what was going on in Benghazi contemporaneously,” he said. “To send some small number of special forces or other troops in without knowing what the environment is, without knowing what the threat is, without having any intelligence in terms of what is actually going on on the ground, I think it would have been very dangerous and I would not have approved that.”
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Dear Mr. Gates simply put, you are a liar!
Happy Mother’s Day !
Unbelievable! Now Robert Gates is saying he thinks the current occupant of the Oval Office did the right thing in just going to bed, and no worries about US citizens in danger????
So, what did he do to keep us able to do that? Obviously he failed to oversee maintenance of that capability.
I think we have another candidate from the Obama regime fit only for waterboarding.
Oh my, what must be in Bobby’s WH held files! Photo in bed with Pansey Graham? ... ewwww
You just think, you don't know. What do you have in your closet that the Obama Administration is holding over your head?
BS!!! Gate knows better!!! Obama must have unflattering photos of Gates. Our military folks practice 24/7 for just such incidents. Gates is just as guilty of leaving our folks stranded to be murdered as Obama is. Gates should be ashamed of himself!!!!
So letting people die, was the right decision - got it.
What a crock.
What a load of crap. Have all the so called leaders in Washington voluntarily undergone castration?
I wonder what Mr. Gates would have been think if it was him instead of Christopher Stevens being held when the rape lined form?
Apparently Gates subscribes to the Panetta Doctrine.
The Panetta DoctrineOn Benghazi, Panetta Says Needed 'Advance Notice' of Surprise Attack for Timely Response
They had real-time onsite video, secured e-mail and were speaking with personnel at both compounds over at least two lines of radio transmission and cell phones. There were two drones overhead. All of that was live-streaming to the entire DoD-DC network of sit-rooms around the world including the White House.
Did Panetta expect al Qaeda to call in with GPS-camera phones and relay their plans and positions to him? Maybe we can air drop laser sighting tags throughout the Muslim world and ask them to all kindly affix one to the tops of their heads? With barcodes so we can target specific jihadis. Oh, and let's require that terrorists submit detailed plans of attacks to a committee for review at least six months in advance.
I assume the sorry SOB would have also advised them to lie, lie and lie some more.
Gates is such a suck up.
Wonder if CSM was one of the gang of 14 allowed in the “Deep Background”, secret briefer?
“The one thing that our forces are noted for is planning and preparation before we send people in harm’s way, and there just wasn’t time to do that.”
Right there he makes his own counter argument and I wonder whether he knows it. Ambassador Stevens and the 30+ people had been sent into harms way, but there was insufficient planning for security. There was plenty of time to beef up security before sending Steven and the others into Benghazi.
Gates in an Obamanoid moron. Obviously he doesn’t buy into the military’s “leave no man behind” thing. KMA Gates you pig!!! (And then you go back to kissing Barry’s).
Dangerous? Oh. My. God!!!!
Is their a memo out there that our troops only go into safe places?
Gates falls on his sword, without honor.
LIE! Big ass LIE!!
They had a drone above and real time communication with people on the ground there.
What do the RATS have on Gates is the only question I have.
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