For the benefit of my Brit readers who may be less enthralled with the minutiae of American politics than me, I should explain that Ms. Maureen Dowd is well-known commentator for the New York Times. Needless then to add that she leans so far over to the Left that only a solid stack of Marxist tracts keeps her from falling over. Thus, it was with some trepidation that I read her take on the Benghazi attack and the hullabaloo that has steadily grown as the facts leak out. Actually, it was rather brave of me because I am incensed to a foam-flecked fury by, first, the American governments inaction as the attack took place and, second, its desperate, scrabbling action metaphorically to spray the corpses with scent and bury them quick lest any unseemly smells seep out. Bearing in mind that the considered opinion of the editors of the NYT was the age-old refrain you hear from coppers at any accident or crime scene, "Right, move along, nothing to see here" I was not expecting too much from Ms. Dowd except possibly my early death brought about by bursting gaskets! So, imagine my surprise when I read this:
The administration’s behavior before and during the attack in Benghazi, in which four Americans died, was unworthy of the greatest power on earth.
I don't quite know why she failed to add the word 'after' to the "before and during" because in the remainder of her article she hammers 'HillBilly' and her minions for their cover-up. But let me not quibble. Ms. Dowd set her political sympathies to one side and more or less told it the way it was, and that is quite remarkable
Needless to say, Mark Steyn, from the very opposite side of the road tells it even more pungently in the National Review:
Now we know that at 8 p.m. Eastern time on the last night of [Ambassador] Stevens’s life, his deputy in Libya spoke to Secretary Clinton and informed her of the attack in Benghazi and the fact that the ambassador was now missing. An hour later, Gregory Hicks received a call from the then–Libyan prime minister, Abdurrahim el-Keib, informing him that Stevens was dead. Hicks immediately called Washington. It was 9 p.m. Eastern time, or 3 a.m. in Libya. Remember the Clinton presidential team’s most famous campaign ad? About how Hillary would be ready to take that 3 a.m. call? Four years later, the phone rings, and Secretary Clinton’s not there. She doesn’t call Hicks back that evening. Or the following day.
In the middle of a campaign in which the President had claimed that Al Quaeda (AQ) was now a defeated force, his apparat twisted this way and that to avoid admitting that it was an AQ affiliate that had murdered four American public servants in Libya. Instead, despite knowing the facts directly from survivors in Tripoli, they pointed their Federal finger at Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, an Egyptian-born Christian Copt resident in teh States who had released a video on the internet which was fearfully rude about Islam and which had caused unrest in Cairo. The Federal law machine moved into action, this time with no hesitation, and Nakoula was arrested, charged with infringing his probation rules and is now in the slammer for a year. (Silly man, had he made a film denigrating Christ he might well have won an Oscar!) But worst was to come - and at this point you really do need to have a sick-bag to hand - both Obama and Clinton stood over the corpses of their own public servants and lied to them, and then went one further by appraoching the grieving families and lying some more:
As Mr. Hicks testified, his superiors in Washington knew early that night that a well-executed terrorist attack with the possible participation of al-Qaeda
elements was under way. Instead of responding, the most powerful figures in the
government decided that an unseen YouTube video better served their political
needs. And, in the most revealing glimpse of the administration’s depravity, the
president and secretary of state peddled the lie even in their mawkish eulogies
to their buddy “Chris” and three other dead Americans. They lied to the victims’
coffins and then strolled over to lie to the bereaved, Hillary telling the Woods
family that “we’re going to have that person arrested and prosecuted that did
the video.” And she did. The government dispatched more firepower to arrest
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula in Los Angeles than it did to protect its mission in
Benghazi.
Still, at least we know what should be carved into 'HillBilly's headstone, her very own words:
“What difference, at this point, does it make?”
Hello Duff . Stroppyblog is returning soon :-)
Posted by: Stroppybird | Sunday, 12 May 2013 at 17:07
Very nice post, DD. I had not kept up with developments of this particular debacle. It just gets worse, doesn't it?
Posted by: Whyaxye | Sunday, 12 May 2013 at 17:50
The ARB states HillBilly did call CIA Director (retired Army General) Petraeus after being informed.
[The same soon to be - convenient timing - very publicly disgraced and discredited ex-CIA Director Petraeus!]
Posted by: JK | Sunday, 12 May 2013 at 20:18
'Stroppy', my absolutely favourite Trot-lite bird - that's *excellent* news. Please let me know when you kick off and I will send all these grumpy, old, Right-wing gits (and gitettes) who hang around here over to you.
It does indeed, 'W', and the IRS scandal is even more insidious.
And, JK, Petraeus, called, or perhaps moaned and groaned, his shock at the way his int summary was, er, 'summarised'.
Posted by: David Duff | Sunday, 12 May 2013 at 21:51
I think we should still remember that a certain Mr Nakoula is 'still' in gaol - so I suspect the lies will continue.
Perhaps more important even than any outcome of the 'investigation', the very people that America relies on for intel, diplomacy, operations, etc. now know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they will, without a seconds thought, be thrown to the wolves (wounded and left... till the women come out) - I wonder if TPTB realise what the consequences of that will be?
Posted by: Able | Sunday, 12 May 2013 at 22:59
I wasn't aware David, General Petraeus expressed (at least publicly) those sentiments. Anyways, I've yet to see it reliably reported - not that I doubt it.
Realizing however, I'm not always clear to you - my "larger point" was - Petraeus (unlike Hillbilly) being so recently the Top General Officer & the currently Top CIA Guy would've been 'my choice' to call had I been as bereft of "how support is brought to bear, and bear quickly" as HillBilly.
I admit JK has a habit of short-handing where messaging is concerned.
The above I mean as explicit. The following implicit perhaps.
The so-recent CENTCOM Commander (Petraeus) would certainly know how to get both the EUCOM & AFRICOM Commanders "sufficiently & appropriately ,er, motivated to spring into immediate action." I'm tempted - but I'll not (Able - I'm pretty sure knows how stuff was when General Zinni was still around) relate any personal experience - suffice to say UNICOM at one time worked pretty damned smoothly. Everybody was on speed-dial.
Anyway - knowing what was once is the cause of my present confusion. The first assault (wherein Stevens was killed) I can understand no "ready alerts" available. However I'd of thought in the interim Strike Eagles would've been aloft with a KC-135 over the Med fairly shortly following. Re-fueling should've been available - there'd of been, a problem where airstrike munitions was concerned - nothing I'm aware of hint Apaches were nearby.
Still - and just my opinion - I'm thinking there was at least one old Colonel who would've happily low-overflighted the annex at Mach Two.
If only to Show the Flag.
Posted by: JK | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 00:43
Wildly off-topic, but I think you'll enjoy this, DD. I know I did.
The White House tweeted, "thanks to [obamacare], 1 in 3 women under 65 gained access to preventative care, like birth control".
Because nothing says motherhood like a condom and an abortion on the side! Even when you are, say, 64 years old!
Posted by: Dom | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 02:49
JK
General Zinni? I think I (and a few thousand others) met him in 91? during OPC 1. Pity nobody bothered to listen to his later analysis regarding the possibility/predictability of a certain (9/11) event too!
Posted by: Able | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 03:10
Able
I'm likely not the properest person but if I'm understanding correctly - a few thousands + you - I'm pretty certain I can get the message delivered.
Question is - will a simple (and I don't know how to spell it perzactly) "Grrummptht. Good Marines Each." Knowing there were a US Navy or two type around and now I suppose a Brit - will you be acceptingly appreciative?
Far as I'm concerned though, General Zinni is the last of what used to be regularly called - An Honorable American General - USMC General Anthony Zinni.
Posted by: JK | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 05:53
As Mr Duff is supposed to be British (half-Bagpipe), I think we should draw some conclusions from the Benghazi success. We place a lot of trust in our alliance with the USA. We believe that they will come to our aid in time of need. Is this true? Would The Great One really risk his political neck helping us out? We need some re-thinking on all this defence stuff.
Posted by: backofanenvelope | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 07:33
BOE I'm of the opinion - and woe to my countrymen currently illustrates the greatest point.
I fear Obama would not support Great Britain - I see it currently, peripherally with the EU.
Certainly this should play over many decades - but my personal fear is our banks not being faithful to capitalism. I'm incapable of expressing it as David might (and despite my many [understood playful] transgressions betwixt the Duffster and myself] though I'm chary of admitting it outright:
Candidly, in my uneducated opinion - this EU shit is Einstein on LSD - David Duff is Right - so long as ya'll admonish me, the JK, JK, You're wrong to trust a Second-Hand Car Guarantor He's Anything Like A Mormon Running for President.
Even with His "Darling Ann" & The Bradley Effect!.
Posted by: JK | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 08:30
JK, you started very well but then as the night wore on you took some more sips of 'Bubba's Best Bourbon' and your syntax slipped - but - just in time you got it back together and hit the nail right on the head: "David Duff is Right"! Well done, couldn't have put it better myself.
According to some of the wiseacres on Fox News discussions, Petraeus was exceedingly irritated at the huge changes to his Int Summary but he decided not to complain publicly. This is from the WashingtonPost:
"With the White House putting all blame on the agency, expect push back this week — nuclear push back. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the former director forced to resign after a sex scandal, is a dangerous man to the Obama administration. Mad and intent on getting even, he’s already talking, telling one reporter the talking points were “useless” and that he preferred not to use them at all. The floodgates will open this week, and by the end of business Friday, the scandal will be full blown."
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/12/curl-watch-out-petraeus-benghazi-scandal/?page=2#ixzz2T9v9ohfP
BOE, were this country to be in a similar situation to that of 1940 then I suspect the only thing we would receive from Obama is a smirk!
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 09:26
No change than......
Posted by: Backofanenvelope | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 10:33
Well Dave, I spent myself (and I dunno what the exchange rates are - and I did buy the oldest celebrating the demise of that Adolph feller)
One Hundred Eighty-Eight Dollars and Sixty-Two Cents for a "Slight Sniff er Some Peat Known as Glenfiddich" an Slab-Em gave me a 10% discount - which I know "might be true" - cause when I told the feller actually ordered'd it in stock how much I'd paid asked where Able lived.
Feller last I heard was headed over the speed limit in the direction of Sioux City. Despite I'd add I'm pretty sure I said Somerset.
Burp. But anyways David ol' Bump ne'er choo worries - me'n my friens are layin' our Cessnas up on the deck where the catapults are - an you'll be recognizing when we sail up the Thames 'cause there's big white letters spelling HMS Titanic.
Depend er'n We!
(Oh damn Ferd, I'll be takin' no gunner who's pissed his leathers - Katy dear?)
Posted by: JK | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 11:07
JK, next time you're up at the still with 'Slab-Em' make sure you take along Able's musical YouTube (see Comments to Monday Funny today). That will go perfectly as you all sit around the fire conducting your tasting. I can just see you, holding the glass carefully by the stem, swirling the contents gently around and sniffing carefully before remarking to 'Slab-Em' that it has an awfully fine 'nose', don'cha know, before taking a small sip, rolling it around your tongue and then, as one does at the best of tastings, spitting it out. Then I hear you say, "Well done, my dear old thing, that was simply super, just a hint of strawberry with a very subtle trace of mule dung!" Should sell for a dollar a tub!
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 12:02
Screw any hint of a strawberry! Limeys.
Muleturds thrashed by a waterfall then set to soak in wheelbarrows by thirds muleturd, cornmash and organic peat from Walmart for 98 minutes prior to distilleried into redclay runoffs is Arkansas' best.
Only cautionary is if the bottlin'girls are apt to fart with corncob pipes lit - is wicker chairs and a brisk westerly.
Posted by: JK | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 13:31
Well done, JK, that nearly had me off my chair with laughter!
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 14:00
You do David again recognize it's not only whether Hamhock or Coriander you need JK?
You're occasionally mad but we recognize, thrashed muleturds, cornmash and peat are but three of the necessaries to party?
You'n me'll be pissed yet invite friends - we two'll always be smiley caterers tho.
Posted by: JK | Monday, 13 May 2013 at 14:56