The Benghazi Incident

[Adak]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Drones can't read minds yet.

The intelligence briefing removed mention of al Qaeda due to lack of corroboration at the time. When they were confident enough, the briefings reflected that change.

So Happy Monkey, now that we know that the CIA briefing to the president included words like "attack" and never included the word "demonstration", (and several other references like it), etc., and this was all changed to make it more palatable for Obama's chances for reelection. Do these facts change your opinion on this matter? Or are the facts now irrelevant, because they no longer fit the ideology you've held dear?

What we know is that the military personnel who had volunteered to go to Benghazi during the attack, were ordered to stand down. Only a few political response team members disregarded their orders, and went.

As one of the military members there said: "I've never seen the day that politicians had more balls than the military".

I don't have all the facts, but it appears that the State Dept. wanted a very limited response to the attack - and the Ambassador called it an ATTACK, not a demonstation. You don't bring explosives and mortars to a demonstration! When the state response team was told to stand down, most did, just a couple went on. They may have been on loan from the CIA, and felt they could defend themselves from later charges of insubordination.

All they could do with that limited amount of personnel, was evacuate the Benghazi compound. They knew the Ambassador was already dead, and were unable to get to his body.

Nothing from outside Libya - like the nearby Aviano Air Base in Italy, could be used, because it required explicit approval from the President, and he wouldn't give it.

Sign of the times:

Aviano Air Base used to have a motto on their webpage:
"Anywhere, Anytime", next to a large picture of an F-15 Eagle fighter.

Now their website has a picture of their swimming pool, etc, and promotes their Drive Safely and Environmental Impact work.

Dear gawd almighty! What's next? Bingo, perhaps a little Karaoke or Poker tournament?

http://www.aviano.af.mil/index.asp

[Lamplighter]

Aviano Air Base used to have a motto on their webpage:
"Anywhere, Anytime",
next to a large picture of an F-15 Eagle fighter.

Now their website has a picture of their swimming pool, etc, and promotes
their Drive Safely and Environmental Impact work.

Dear gawd almighty! What's next? Bingo, perhaps a little Karaoke or Poker tournament?

This is what I've come to expect from Adak.

Here's the link he is so excited about...

Renovated base pool reopens for summer
Posted 5/28/2013 Updated 5/28/2013

Aviano Air Base
by Airman Ryan Conroy
31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

5/28/2013 - AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy

-- After extensive renovations, the Aviano Air Base pool reopens for the summer
with a free pool party June 1 at 1 p.m.

This summer, U.S. identification card holders and their families can now enjoy
a few new perks that will improve their summer experience thanks to
the 31st Force Support and 31st Civil Engineer Squadrons.

"A lot of the renovations won't be visible because a lot of it went on behind the scenes,"
said April Marling, 31st Force Support Squadron community services flight chief.
"But we have a lot of great improvements that people will notice."

The 31st FSS and 31st Civil Engineer Squadron collaborated
to put forth these behind-the- scenes additions.
<snip>

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by Adak

I don't have all the facts, but it appears that...

...you like to pretend you do.

Of course there was an attack; what was unclear, and what could not have been determined by a recon drone, was the identity of the perpetrators, and their motives. Like I said, drones can't read minds.

What Susan Rice said was that they thought there was a protest that got hijacked by extremists with heavy weapons (which were readily available to militia groups of all sorts in the aftermath of the war). She never denied an attack (obviously); she just said that they didn't think at that point that it was a premeditated, coordinated attack.

Rice: But we don’t see at this point signs this was a coordinated plan, premeditated attack. Obviously, we will wait for the results of the investigation and we don’t want to jump to conclusions before then.

FOX News: Obama says there was no attack!