The Benghazi Incident

[Lamplighter]

Yahoo News - Meredith Shiner - 1/27/15

Democrats accuse GOP of breaking promises on Benghazi panel

Democrats on the special House panel investigating the 2012 Benghazi attacks
have accused Republicans of conducting the committee’s work without them
and withholding information that would undermine the credibility of the panel itself,
according to three letters obtained by Yahoo News.

The previously unreported letters, sent by Democrats to the special select committee’s chairman,
Republican Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, underscore ongoing Democratic concerns that
the panel is a partisan witch hunt rather than a neutral attempt to uncover the truth.

At the same time, Democrats contend that the panel’s tactics reflect the heat
Republicans are feeling to produce an outcome different from those of the previous
seven congressional reports, which debunked the conservative conspiracy theories
surrounding the attacks.

[classicman]

Hillary willing to testify before Benghazi panel

“With all due respect, the fact is, we had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or because of guys out for a walk one night who decide to kill some Americans — what difference at this point does it make?” Clinton said. “It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again, Senator.”

Story here

[classicman]

@Lamp - why you asking me? I just noticed the article and thought it relevant. IMO, Hillary wasn't the problem as much as Obama.

Tommy boy - you are another example. Now kindly fuck right on off mmmkay?

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by classicman

@Lamp - why you asking me?

Followed by

IMO, Hillary wasn't the problem as much as Obama.

What problem?

They spent years trying to find a problem to pin on Obama or Hillary and failed. Now they're starting again.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

What problem?

What problem? Neither Hillary nor Obama gave the investigating committees a single shred, not a hint of a shred, to build a case on. That's what problem.

[regular.joe]

Guys, would like the opinion of a guy who has been in a very similar country, under very similar conditions? What I mean is a country like Pakistan, where the threat is very high, in a city like...say Peshawar, away from the Embassy in the capital, with a small consulate, doing a job with a very small footprint with large political (home and geopolitical) implications for just about anything that happens?

I'm just going to tell you up front, if you are a Republican on a witch hunt, you won't want to hear what I have to say.

[BigV]

I'm not a republican. I'm not on a witch hunt. I'm very interested in what you have to say on the issue.

[regular.joe]

BigV, here goes. My $.02 based on some experience. I'm going to try to keep this brief and simple.

Back in '10 I spent time in Pakistan. I got back two days before they schwacked Bin Laden. I assure you that I had nothing to do with that, I have another job.

While I was living with 3-4 other guys in a house in a suburb of Peshawar, had we had to duke it out with the Taliban (or pick from a list of like Islamist trouble makers that all have loose affiliations with one another) from our roof top, can you guess who the cavalry would have been? That's right, we were the cavalry. We, and the men in Benghazi, volunteered, were selected and trained to do a tough job, with a VERY small footprint in a very dangerous place. We knew the odds going in if crap gets hairy, and we knew that the cavalry was us. 6 Months before I got to Pesh, two members of the CA community were killed in a suicide bombing north east of Pesh. Not many people know about this, there was no news or fanfare. We are professionals and understand the political implications, and don't expect this crap anyways. I worked on the same school that was destroyed at the bombing that killed these guys. I can't stress enough that we know the risks going in. If it were easy and low risk, shit, everyone would be doing it. It really pisses me off that the bravery of these men is being used as a spring board for political infighting. Rather than give them credit where credit is due, that they volunteered to walk into a tough, very risky place....and doing it anyways. Oh, and the Marines were doing what they are supposed to do: protect the Embassy. No Marine contingent was going to beat feet to my team house, if we were fighting it out.

The reports that DoD have submitted are true. We just don't have the kind of assets to drop a contingent of operators, or an infantry platoon (let alone the political fall out for violating sovereign states borders with more military personnel), especially in a highly fluid, dynamic, dangerous fight, too much is unknown. The right call was to sit it out rather than send in two or three choppers and get 1/2 of our "rescue" force killed on the insertion. These guys are way more valuable then to kill em off willy nilly.

The guys on the ground knew all of this going into that job. They went anyway. We should hold them up as examples of men willing to do some of the toughest, most dangerous work out there. Celebrate their bravery.

[Lamplighter]

Joe, I appreciate all you have said in this post. I really do.

But at the same time, I don't see a connection with that and what is happening
in Washington, in the Congress, under the flag of "Benghazi"

How do you make the connection ?

[regular.joe]

So, shits going south...right now....and a very small contingent of men is under fire in a small country rife with danger. Hypothetically. The President immediately goes to the Joint Chiefs, the Head of the CIA and the Commander of SOCOM, SOCCENT, and CENTCOM. The President says "Guys, what can we do?". (This is exactly what he's supposed to do) They all say, give me five minutes. Five minutes later they say...not much. But, the real answer is they basically knew the answer to that last week.

What's going on in Congress right now is some guys trying to pin some kind of blame on the President and the head of DoS. I mean, we don't want to widen that blame to the CIA, Military and other guys..cause they are right wing darlings . Just calling like I see it. The fact is there is no blame to assign. Shit happens in the world and when you fight, you're gonna get hit. The champions know this and can take it.

[Lamplighter]

Thank you, and thank you for your service.
... and not just because I agree with your thoughts in your 2nd posting.

...The fact is there is no blame to assign. Shit happens in the world...

[regular.joe]

Hell, like I said, it's just my opinion. Maybe I don't know shit.

I know what I know, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Glad I'm not in politics. That looks like some tough shit right there.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Thank you Joe, you validated my gut feeling but I would have accepted your 2 cents had it been the opposite. You've been there, done that, and seen from the inside how the system works, for a very long time.

I'm so glad you're still here to have breakfast with the Easter Bunny, at the museum.

[Griff]

Thank you for the insight Joe.

[BigV]

Joe, thanks for sharing your insight.

I am not a soldier. I don't have any of the first hand insight like you've had. I *am* a citizen, and I do take an active interest in what's going on in my city and my state and my country. I need input like yours to help me do my best. I strive to avoid restricting my exposure to what's going on and opinions about what's going on to points of view that harmonize with mine, though in this case, yours does.

I have to try to evaluate the motivations and expertise of the speakers and gauge what they say accordingly. You strike me as someone who has a strong command of the background and is not motivated by some greater, less obvious agenda. You present your opinion clearly and without hyperbole or rancor. This is why I consider your input highly valuable. Thank you, sir.