Claiming “person reasons” which is currently translating to an alleged extramarital affair. But, you know, there is nobody in U.S. politics with better extramarital affair radar than Barack Obama. It has been his way his entire political career all the way back to running for the state senate seat in Chicago. Thankfully we have him weeding out these immoral folks…
And this, just as those sticky House hearings on Benghazi are about to get underway. So now Petraeus looks guilty (of whatever the blame will be) and ducking-out just as the MSM is forced to cover the pre-warnings and the Benghazi attack and the administration’s cover-ups.
As all the Benghazi information drips out, and it becomes undeniable that the 9/11/12 attack on our people in Benghazi was a well planned terror attack involving al Qaeda, Barack Obama has declared no less than 32 times that the notorious terror group has been “decimated” or is “on the path to defeat”…
Foreign Policy: ‘Troubling’ Surveillance Before Benghazi Attack: Sensitive documents found amid the wreckage of the U.S. consulate shine new light on the Sept. 11 assault that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
The Blaze: Senior U.S. Officials: State Department Never Requested Military Backup in Benghazi
Apparently CBS News is slipping from the MSM circled wagons and can no longer ignore this unfolding story of Obama administration failures and cover-up…
CBS News: Sources: Key task force not convened during Benghazi consulate attack
CBS News has learned that during the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi, the Obama Administration did not convene its top interagency counterterrorism resource: the Counterterrorism Security Group, (CSG).
“The CSG is the one group that’s supposed to know what resources every agency has. They know of multiple options and have the ability to coordinate counterterrorism assets across all the agencies,” a high-ranking government official told CBS News. “They were not allowed to do their job. They were not called upon.”
Information shared with CBS News from top counterterrorism sources in the government and military reveal keen frustration over the U.S. response on Sept. 11, the night ambassador Chris Stevens and 3 other Americans were killed in a coordinated attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya.
The circumstances of the attack, including the intelligence and security situation there, will be the subject of a Senate Intelligence Committee closed hearing on Nov. 15, with additional hearings to follow.
Counterterrorism sources and internal emails reviewed by CBS News express frustration that key responders were ready to deploy, but were not called upon to help in the attack.
CBS News has agreed not to quote directly from the emails, and to protect the identities of the sources who hold sensitive counterterrorism posts within the State Department, the US military and the Justice Department.
As to why the Counterterrorism Security Group was not convened, National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor told CBS News “From the moment the President was briefed on the Benghazi attack, the response effort was handled by the most senior national security officials in governments. Members of the CSG were of course involved in these meetings and discussions to support their bosses.”
Absent coordination from Counterterrorism Security Group, a senior US counterterrorism official says the response to the crisis became more confused. The official says the FBI received a call during the attack representing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and requesting agents be deployed. But he and his colleagues agreed the agents “would not make any difference without security and other enablers to get them in the country and synch their efforts with military and diplomatic efforts to maximize their success.”
Another senior counter terrorism official says a hostage rescue team was alternately asked to get ready and then stand down throughout the night, as officials seemed unable to make up their minds.
A third potential responder from a counter-terror force stationed in Europe says components of AFICOM — the military’s Africa Command based in Stuttgart, Germany — were working on course of action during the assault. But no plan was put to use.
“Forces were positioned after the fact but not much good to those that needed it,” the military source told CBS News.
“The response process was isolated at the most senior level,” says an official referring to top officials in the executive branch. “My fellow counterterrorism professionals and I (were) not consulted.”
But, according to Geraldo Rivera, the investigating of Benghazi is nothing more than GOP bloodlust for political posturing. Funny that, considering he works for the very same news network that has been doing all the digging and carrying of the heavy load to keep the administration and the MSM from completely burying this story.
For all Obama’s much vaunted “community organizer” skills being some supreme qualification for his becoming POTUS, organizing the administration butt-cover over Benghazi is falling apart.
Unbelievable. Amb. Chris Stevens warns of the growing threat in Benghazi, names the threat, and requests more security in August, and is left hanging. I’m thinking Newt Gingrich’s source is right.
The U.S. Mission in Benghazi convened an “emergency meeting” less than a month before the assault that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, because Al Qaeda had training camps in Benghazi and the consulate could not defend against a “coordinated attack,” according to a classified cable reviewed by Fox News.
Summarizing an Aug. 15 emergency meeting convened by the U.S. Mission in Benghazi, the Aug. 16 cable marked “SECRET” said that the State Department’s senior security officer, also known as the RSO, did not believe the consulate could be protected.
“RSO (Regional Security Officer) expressed concerns with the ability to defend Post in the event of a coordinated attack due to limited manpower, security measures, weapons capabilities, host nation support, and the overall size of the compound,” the cable said.
According to a review of the cable addressed to the Office of the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Emergency Action Committee was also briefed “on the location of approximately ten Islamist militias and AQ training camps within Benghazi … these groups ran the spectrum from Islamist militias, such as the QRF Brigade and Ansar al-Sharia, to ‘Takfirist thugs.’” Each U.S. mission has a so-called Emergency Action Committee that is responsible for security measures and emergency planning.
The details in the cable seemed to foreshadow the deadly Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. compound, which was a coordinated, commando-style assault using direct and indirect fire. Al Qaeda in North Africa and Ansar al-Sharia, both mentioned in the cable, have since been implicated in the consulate attack.
In addition to describing the security situation in Benghazi as “trending negatively,” the cable said explicitly that the mission would ask for more help. “In light of the uncertain security environment, US Mission Benghazi will submit specific requests to US Embassy Tripoli for additional physical security upgrades and staffing needs by separate cover.”
As for specific threats against the U.S., the cable warned the intelligence was not clear on the issue, cautioning that the militias in Benghazi were not concerned with any significant retaliation from the Libyan government, which had apparently lost control in Benghazi…
As President Barack Obama makes his closing arguments before the election, less than half of likely voters approve of the job he’s doing on the top issues facing the country. In addition, more voters than not think the administration’s policies toward Egypt and Libya have failed.
Forty-five percent of voters say the Obama administration’s policies toward Egypt and Libya have “mostly failed,” while 39 percent say they have “mostly succeeded.”
That’s according to a Fox News poll of likely voters released Wednesday.
Voters are divided over how the Obama administration handled the September 11, 2012 attack on diplomatic facilities in Libya that killed a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans: 44 percent of voters think the administration tried to mislead Americans about what happened there, while 47 percent disagree.
Eight in 10 Republicans think the White House tried to mislead the public. That’s more than seven times as many as the 11 percent of Democrats who feel that way.
By a 49-42 percent margin independents say the administration tried to mislead Americans.
A 55-percent majority of voters thinks the Obama administration has been “too soft” on radical Muslim terrorists. That’s more than twice as many as say “about right” (26 percent). Few — 4 percent — say the administration has been “too tough.”
Thankfully FOX News Channel’s Bret Baier has been keeping track of all the breaking information dripping out about the 9/11/12 Benghazi attack, and the endless conflict of stories coming out of the administration in their attempt at a cover-up. Here is his latest up-date with the new information … considering the rest of the MSM doesn’t find any of it important or relevant since it isn’t a republican administration…
Last night on Facebook some of my friends who were not watching the Giants vs Tigers World Series, or various college football games, were watching FOX News Channel. On Judge Jeanine Pirro’s show there was a very interesting conversation with Ann Coulter and Pat Caddell. They were on discussing the Obama administration’s complete failure and detachment during and after the Benghazi terror attack. But everyone on FB was buzzing about Pat Caddell’s emotional rant about the media’s beyond cover-up of this whole thing in favor of Obama during this election cycle…
In a clearly emotional moment, Pat Caddell says he feels outrage and shame for his country after listening to Tyrone Woods family speak out over the handling of the Benghazi attacks by the Obama administration as the way the media is ignoring it. He says they have no honor and repeats his statement that the MSM has become a fundamental threat to American democracy and the enemies of the American people.
We ALL should be as outraged by this as Caddell is. The MSM has become useless to the American people, and has willfully aligned itself with Obama and his agenda for the rest of us. When Obama goes down in November, the MSM as we know it goes down with him…
Charles Woods, father of Tyrone Woods, talked with FNC’s Megyn Kelly about his son, and his disappointment with the administration’s response to the deadly Benghazi attack that took his son and three other Americans. Listening to this father you just don’t know if your heart breaks, or if it bursts with pride. Both, I imagine…
The photos of Tyrone Woods as a kid are very important. In the last twelve years we have heard about our brave troops, and most especially our Special Forces and Navy SEALs. They surpass anything Hollywood could fictionally concoct about them and their missions. They are so awesome to those of us safely left behind at home, away from the unimaginable dangers they willingly venture into, that we just don’t seem to imagine them having been children. We hold them up to super hero status. For kids to see these fine young men were just like them, and grew up to become the best warriors in the world, is a great example for them to emulate, no matter what they strive for in life. Yes, our troops will always be somebody’s children, but they are not children. They are men and women who are dedicated and devoted to the oath they take, most of them even after leaving the military. Today’s kids don’t even pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States in our schools anymore.
The new claims come as Republican senators demanded that the Obama administration make public the surveillance video taken during and just after the attacks.
Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire wrote to the defense secretary, CIA director and attorney general demanding that the video from Sept. 11 and 12 be declassified. Pentagon and CIA officials declined to comment on the senators’ request. Justice Department officials did not respond to requests for comment.
U.S. intelligence officials this week turned over intelligence reports to Congress showing what officials at the CIA and other agencies knew and when. U.S. officials who have reviewed the material say it shows confusion during and in the days following the attack. Members of Congress have complained that the White House and the intelligence community stuck to the analysis that an angry mob started the attack long after it had become more clear that it was an organized militant operation.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta calls the criticism of the Obama administration’s handling of the Libya terror attack “Monday morning quarterbacking.”
Panetta defended the way the White House handled the aftermath of the deaths of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans who were killed during an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi for which terror group Ansar al-Sharia took responsibility.
Panetta said that they didn’t have enough “real-time information” to send military forces to respond.
“(The) basic principle is that you don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s going on; without having some real-time information about what’s taking place,” Panetta said, according to The Associated Press. “And as a result of not having that kind of information, the commander who was on the ground in that area, Gen. Ham, Gen. Dempsey and I felt very strongly that we could not put forces at risk in that situation.”
It’s not a game, Mr Panetta. The administration had warnings from Amb. Stevens himself in the lead-up to the 9/11/12 attack. Where was the standard security on those people and those areas? It is apparent our Cairo embassy was not any more secure as it was stormed as well. Are our other embassies around the world, and most especially in that region secure enough? Or is it this administration’s policy to just cede our sovereign territory and our people to the enemy … to not make the tough decisions to strike back and fight to defend, hold and preserve it? This is yet another example of Obama and this administration leading from behind. Tyrone Woods and others defied the administrations’ indecision and apprehension and charged into the battle to answer the ambassador’s calls for help. They knew they were grossly outnumbered, but put up an hours long fight, this small band of brothers. They made the gamble knowing the odds were against them to walk out alive. They only knew our territory and our people needed their help. And they went. Contrary to Joe Biden’s query about the size of Tyrone Woods’s genitals, it was his heart, mind and soul that lead the man that fateful day. It was his convictions and commitment to something greater than himself.
Breaking news on Benghazi: the CIA spokesman, presumably at the direction of CIA director David Petraeus, has put out this statement: “No one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate. ”
So who in the government did tell “anybody” not to help those in need?
This administration’s proudest foreign policy boast is the assassination of Osama Bin Laden. But the Benghazi fiasco and the simultaneous mob burning of our Cairo Embassy by Al Qaida on the eleventh anniversary of 9/11/01, proves to radical Muslims that Osama bin Laden has won. His jihad has gone from strength to strength, gathering more militant fanatics than we killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden is now a hero, and Barack Obama is a weakling who never stops trying to surrender and apologize.
The New York Times just found a known leader of the September 11 assault by AQIM — Al Qaida in the Maghreb — lounging openly in the coffee houses of Benghazi, with no fear of retaliation for burning down our mission and murdering our Ambassador. Our deeply deluded media and Democrats are pretzel-bending the facts to argue that Benghazi means nothing.
Radical Muslims know better.
Nations win wars by protecting their territory and citizens. Guerillas win wars just by surviving, and by striking at a time and place of their choosing.
What is going on right now with the Benghazi terror attack and the cover-up oddly reminds me of this:
Several years ago there was a much contested (by the Clintons) ABC movie called “The Path To 9/11”. In this, one of the most objected to scenes from the movie, we see our CIA ops on the ground in Afghanistan with the ‘Lion of Panjshir’, Ahmad Shah Masood. They had just tracked Osama Bin Laden to a small village, and the CIA agents in the field were pulling their hair out while awaiting the “go” command from Washington to take out Bin Laden. The CIA command back in the states argued with then National Security Advisor Sandy Burger for permission to pull the trigger…
In a following scene Masood warns his CIA contact that if he hears he has been killed, know that they (the terrorists under the command of Bin Laden) would next be carrying out something big against the United States. Masood was assassinated the Sunday before 9/11/01. ABC has since blocked the DVD release of “The Path to 9/11” but you can track it down on Youtube in several parts if you missed its one and only run on ABC.
Official emails show the White House was told the Benghazi attack was terror related within two hours…
(Reuters) – Officials at the White House and State Department were advised two hours after attackers assaulted the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11 that an Islamic militant group had claimed credit for the attack, official emails show.
The emails, obtained by Reuters from government sources not connected with U.S. spy agencies or the State Department and who requested anonymity, specifically mention that the Libyan group called Ansar al-Sharia had asserted responsibility for the attacks.
The brief emails also show how U.S. diplomats described the attack, even as it was still under way, to Washington.
[…]
Spokesmen for the White House and State Department had no immediate response to requests for comments on the emails.
The records obtained by Reuters consist of three emails dispatched by the State Department’s Operations Center to multiple government offices, including addresses at the White House, Pentagon, intelligence community and FBI, on the afternoon of September 11.
The first email, timed at 4:05 p.m. Washington time – or 10:05 p.m. Benghazi time, 20-30 minutes after the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission allegedly began – carried the subject line “U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi Under Attack” and the notation “SBU”, meaning “Sensitive But Unclassified.”
The text said the State Department’s regional security office had reported that the diplomatic mission in Benghazi was “under attack. Embassy in Tripoli reports approximately 20 armed people fired shots; explosions have been heard as well.”
The message continued: “Ambassador Stevens, who is currently in Benghazi, and four … personnel are in the compound safe haven. The 17th of February militia is providing security support.”
A second email, headed “Update 1: U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi” and timed 4:54 p.m. Washington time, said that the Embassy in Tripoli had reported that “the firing at the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi had stopped and the compound had been cleared.” It said a “response team” was at the site attempting to locate missing personnel.
A third email, also marked SBU and sent at 6:07 p.m. Washington time, carried the subject line: “Update 2: Ansar al-Sharia Claims Responsibility for Benghazi Attack.”
The message reported: “Embassy Tripoli reports the group claimed responsibility on Facebook and Twitter and has called for an attack on Embassy Tripoli.”
While some information identifying recipients of this message was redacted from copies of the messages obtained by Reuters, a government source said that one of the addresses to which the message was sent was the White House Situation Room, the president’s secure command post.
Other addressees included intelligence and military units as well as one used by the FBI command center, the source said.
Victims of the Nov. 2009 Ft. Hood shooting are being denied benefits commensurate with combat injuries because the Obama administration refuses to label the attack an act of terrorism.
Instead, the shooting Maj. Nidal Hasan carried out after screaming “Allahu Akbar” it is still being labeled “workplace violence.”
The difference between labeling the incident “workplace violence” and “terrorism” is not only the rightful recognition 13 of our troops deserve for being killed in service to their country on Nov. 5, 2009, but also ongoing benefits that would help survivors pay for the physical therapy, and other medical and psychological treatments that might be necessary to a full recovery.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has openly stated that the shooting, which took place in his state, was an act of terrorism and that the president such recognize it as such. He said, “President Obama’s refusal to call it an act of terror is a shining example of this administration’s devotion to political correctness over the defense of our men and women in uniform.”
A personal observation footnote here. I said this on social networks, blogs, and in emails yesterday about the bombing in Beruit. Looks like others noticed it as well…
In a blunt admission designed to prod action, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Thursday night told business executives there has been a sudden escalation of cyber terrorism and that attackers have managed to gain access to control systems for critical infrastructure.
In a speech in New York City, Panetta said the recent activities have raised concerns inside the U.S. intelligence community that cyber terrorism might be combined with other attacks to create massive panic and destruction on par with the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
“These attacks mark a significant escalation of the cyber threat. And they have renewed concerns about still more destructive scenarios that could unfold,” he said. “For example, we know that foreign cyber actors are probing America’s critical infrastructure networks.
“They are targeting the computer control systems that operate chemical, electricity and water plants, and those that guide transportation throughout the country,” he added. “We know of specific instances where intruders have successfully gained access to these control systems. We also know they are seeking to create advanced tools to attack these systems and cause panic, destruction, and even the loss of life.”
Current and former U.S. officials tell the Washington Guardian that U.S. investigators have growing evidence that Iran was behind a recent wave of cyber attacks, particularly those that temporarily paralyzed energy interests in two Middle East countries that are key U.S. allies.
Panetta stopped short in his speech of formally accusing Iran but left no doubt America has strong suspicions about Tehran. “Iran has also undertaken a concerted effort to use cyberspace to its advantage,” he declared. […]
U.S. authorities believe that Iranian-based hackers were responsible for cyberattacks that devastated Persian Gulf oil and gas companies, a former U.S. government official said. Just hours later, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the cyberthreat from Iran has grown, and he declared that the Pentagon is prepared to take action if American is threatened by a computer-based assault.
The former official, who is familiar with the investigation, said U.S. authorities believe the cyberattacks were likely supported by the Tehran government and came in retaliation for the latest round of American sanctions against Iran.
Before Panetta’s remarks on Thursday, U.S. officials had said nothing publicly about the Gulf attacks or the investigation. But Panetta described them in a speech to business leaders in New York City, saying they were probably the most destructive cyber assault the private sector has seen to date.
Panetta did not directly link Iran to the Gulf attacks, but he said Tehran has “undertaken a concerted effort to use cyberspace to its advantage.” And, he said the Pentagon has poured billions into beefing up its ability to identify the origin of a cyberattacks, block them and respond when needed.
“Potential aggressors should be aware that the United States has the capacity to locate them and hold them accountable for actions that harm America or its interests,” said Panetta in a speech to the Business Executives for National Security.
A current U.S. official acknowledged Thursday that the Obama administration knows who launched the cyberattacks against the Gulf companies and that it was a state actor.
U.S. agencies have been assisting in the Gulf investigation and concluded that the level of resources needed to conduct the attack showed there was some degree of involvement by a nation state, said the former official. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is classified as secret.
While Panetta chose his words carefully, one cybersecurity expert said the Pentagon chief’s message to Iran in the speech was evident. […]
Makes you wish the act of war they committed in 1979 had been acted upon, doesn’t it?
