Curmudgeon's Corner

Bumbling Benghazi

Posted by Al Campbell on Oct. 10, 2012

U.S., Political, People Making A Difference, Quality of Life

The situation that occurred in Benghazi, Libya has become a good deal clearer as information readily available, but unknown to the public at the time, was produced and contrasted to the story being spun to the press for at least a week before any contrary indications had begun to be recognized.

We are now at the point where most people without an axe to grind are recognizing that this was not caused by a spontaneous eruption of crowd anger over the video tape trailer as was claimed over and again by the current Administration.

The people in that Consulate were fearful and their repeated requests for more and better security went unheeded until, finally, they were told to quit seeking more people and weapons with which they could be defended.  Testimony before Congress from a Special Forces Lt. Col. is damning at the very least.

Against this revised backdrop we have the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, made to look the liar.  We have the President made to look the liar by his State Department.  We have a press corps that is responding, finally, as the result of it feeling that it had been played by the Administration.  The press is now willing to portray the situation as something other than a spontaneous outburst given the use of indirect fire weapons, the use of explosives and the well-mounted attack by fully equipped men that simply overran the capability of the handful of people charged with defense of the compound.

This is becoming understood by the public and that is happening against the backdrop of a foreign relations speech delivered by Mitt Romney at the Virginia Military Institute a few days ago.  I suspect this story is going to be with us for the next few days if not longer, and I suspect that it will have some adverse effect upon the Administration’s position in the polls.

The simple fact that the people were lied to, by those who obviously knew better than to say what they were saying, is nothing short of a crime against the Ambassador and the rest of those who lost their lives that night in Benghazi.  There ought to be a stiff price paid for this transgression and the failure to face up to the responsibilities for the actions or lack of actions.