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The Benghazi Wake-Up Call

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From the desk of Kelly:

On the night of September 11, 2012, a group of al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists attacked our embassy in Benghazi, Libya.  As a result of the attack, our U.S. Ambassador, Christopher Stevens, was murdered.  Throughout the night, we also lost the lives of three other brave Americans – Sean Smith, a State Department Information Officer and former U.S. Navy SEAL, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty.  The Obama administration has kept the American people in the dark regarding the details of this night.  What we have been told about this event continues to be proven untrue, or at least raises some questions.  Last week, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee heard the testimony of three witnesses, or “whistleblowers” as they’ve now become.  This hearing has led both sides of the aisle to call for further investigation into this situation.  What’s needed right now is some facts.  I am discouraged when I hear friends and peers tell me they have no idea what (or where) “Benghazi” is.  This was an act carried out by terrorists– as in, the same kinds of terrorists who attacked us on our own soil on September 11, 2001.  Just because this attack occurred in Libya does not mean it wasn’t against America.  We need to become informed and, unfortunately, we live in a day and age where watching the news at night won’t give you all the facts.  Last month, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released an interim progress report (the “Report”) based on the facts they had gathered surrounding that night.  I would like to do my best to summarize the events, in the hopes of enlightening those still left in the dark.

Libya was, and still is, a country in turmoil, following a bloody revolution and overthrow of its dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.  After Gaddafi’s death, an interim Transitional National Council (“TNC”) was formed with the intent of establishing a democracy, but the environment still remained unstable.  The country was home to “numerous armed militias” (Report p. 5) many that had ties to terrorist organizations like al-Qaida and Ansar Al Sharia.  The condition in Libya was so volatile that, in August of 2012, American citizens were warned against traveling to Libya.  In its travel advisory, the U.S. Department of State wrote: “political violence, including car bombings in Tripoli and assassinations of military officers and alleged former regime officials in Benghazi, has increased. Inter-militia conflict can erupt at any time or any place in the country.”  The increasingly violent atmosphere was becoming a threat to our foreign officials stationed there.  From June 2011 through July 2012, over 200 security incidents had been reported.  Included in those incidents were two attacks on our diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, occurring in April 2012 and June 2012.  According to the Committee’s report, “State Department officials in Washington acknowledged that the Benghazi Mission lacked sufficient resources to protect its personnel in a deteriorating security environment. However, in a cable signed by Secretary Clinton in April 2012, the State Department settled on a plan to scale back security assets for the U.S. Mission in Libya, including Benghazi.” (Report p. 7) The Committee report goes on to cite two “critical cables.”  In the first, dated March 28, 2012, then-Ambassador Gene Cretz requests additional security.  The second, dated April 19, 2012, comes from the Department of State, bearing Secretary Clinton’s signature, and “acknowledges Ambassador Cretz’s request for additional security but instead articulates a plan to scale back security assets for the U.S. Mission in Libya, including the Benghazi Mission.” (Report p. 8)  In May 2012, Ambassador Cretz was replaced by Ambassador Stevens, who also continued to request more security.  Ambassador Stevens was particularly concerned about the upcoming Libyan national elections, set to take place in July or August of that year, and the potential for violence during that time.  His request for increased security was denied.  In July 2012, Ambassador Stevens sent a cable “that stressed that the security conditions in Libya had not met the requisite benchmarks established by the State Department and the U.S. Mission in Libya to warrant initiating a security drawdown.” (Report p. 9) This repeated request for increased security was again denied.

On the night of September 11, 2012, a group of men with ties to extremist terrorist groups attacked the U.S. compound in Benghazi.  The guard house and main diplomatic building were set on fire.  Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith, and a Diplomatic Security (DS) agent tried to escape through a window but this was complicated by the thick smoke which had overtaken the building, making it difficult to see and breathe.  The three men were separated during the escape, and, after realizing he had lost Ambassador Stevens and Sean Smith, the DS agent returned to the building to search for them.  He also radioed for help.  Security teams were sent in to aid in the search for Ambassador Stevens.  Upon arrival at the annex, they were met by another terrorist attack, which ultimately killed Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.  The body of Ambassador Stevens was found by local Libyans and taken to a hospital where doctors tried, but ultimately failed, to resuscitate him.  According to the report, only 35 U.S. personnel were on the ground that night, four of whom were killed.  It should be noted that the Report also states the following: “At no point did U.S. officials on the ground report a protest.” (Report p. 11)

Shortly after the attacks had begun, State Department officials and others in Washington were briefed on the situation.   Emails from the State Department Operations Center (dated September 11, 2012) confirmed that “al-Qa’ida linked Ansar al-Sharia (AAS) claimed responsibility for the attack and had called for an attack on Embassy Tripoli.” (Report p. 18)  Again, there were no reports of any protests.  Despite the immediate knowledge that these were planned terrorist attacks, the Obama administration refused to acknowledge this fact.  In the days following the attacks, Secretary Clinton, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice, and even President Obama himself, made statements claiming the attacks were the result of protests over a YouTube video.  While Ambassador Rice was making her rounds on the morning talk shows on September 16 claiming these were “unplanned” and provoked by a video, the President of the Libyan National Congress, Mohamad Magarif, appeared on “Meet the Press,” reporting the exact opposite: “The way these perpetrators acted and moved, I think we– and they’re choosing the specific date for this so-called demonstration, I think we have no– this leaves us with no doubt that this has preplanned, determined– predetermined.”  This YouTube video charade continued until September 19, 2012, when National Counterterrorism Center director, Matt Olsen, testified before the Senate and confirmed that this was an act of terrorism.  In the following days, administration officials finally acknowledged that the events in Benghazi were a terrorist attack.  But, the talking points given to Ambassador Rice, which she used when appearing on the Sunday talk shows, had been altered.  In the alteration process, which Jay Carney later referred to as just “stylistic” changes, all references to Islamic extremists and terrorism had been removed.  Contrary to what administration officials tried to claim, the modifications were not made for security purposes.  In fact, “the FBI approved a version of the talking points with significantly more information about the attacks and previous threats than the version requested by the State Department. Claims that the edits were made to protect the FBI investigation are not credible.” (Report p. 21)

Looking at the timeline of events before and after the attacks, we can begin to see a fatal flaw in the foreign policy of this administration.  The refusal to acknowledge the very real and present danger of these extremist groups will lead to continued attacks.  It will also lead to unpreparedness if and when these future attacks do occur.  The compound in Benghazi lacked the strategic defense necessary to withstand an attack like it experienced.  They were not equipped to defend themselves well enough until military backup could arrive. As the Report states, “Although responsible military officers and civilian officials within the Department of Defense reacted quickly to the attacks in Benghazi, the effectiveness of their response was hindered because U.S. military forces were not properly postured to address the growing threats in northern Africa or to respond to a brief, high-intensity attack on U.S. personnel or interests across much of Africa.” (Report p. 16)  Our intelligence community was aware of the volatile atmosphere intensifying throughout this country.  Our ambassadors repeatedly asked for increased security, yet their requests were denied.  Even after the attacks occurred, and our own State Department identified the perpetrators as al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists, this administration continued to push a false narrative.  Why were the talking points altered?  Why can they not wake up and face the facts that al-Qaida-backed terrorism continues to be a threat to our nation?  My fellow Americans, it’s time to wake up.  If America continues to portray this ignorant attitude towards attacks on our own people, we will be perceived as weak.  This weakness is a danger.  A lack of reaction gives the impression that we have let our guard down, making us vulnerable to future attacks. 

They say history repeats itself.  Here’s a bit of history for you: in 1993, terrorists bombed the World Trade Center; in 1998, terrorists bombed U.S. Embassies in Africa; and in 2000, terrorists bombed the U.S.S.Cole, a Navy warship.  These were all attacks by al-Qaida-affiliated groups on Americans.  Failing to act in a forcible manner emboldens our enemy.  I can think of no bolder an act than the events of September 11, 2001, when al-Qaida terrorists used our own airplanes as missiles, killing not only the passengers on those planes, but thousands of other innocent Americans.  These people are monsters.  They hate America and everything we stand for.  They cannot be reasoned with and we certainly won’t be having a “diplomatic” meeting with them, as they hide like cowards in caves.  Now is not the time to be concerned with “political correctness.”  When a grisly act, such as this one, is committed, it needs to be labeled as what it truly is.  This administration owes us an explanation.  They need to be held accountable for their actions involving the (mis)handling of this situation.  They owe it to Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty, who lost their lives, dying as patriots.  They owe it to the families of the fallen, who have been misled and left without answers.  And, they owe it to the American people.  This is supposed to be the most transparent administration in our nation’s history, yet somehow we’re constantly left with more questions than answers.  We cannot sit by idly while important issues are swept under the rug.  What may seem insignificant now may just be the tip of the iceberg for something much greater.  Wake up, America, before it’s too late. 


Filed under: Current Events, K, Politics Tagged: Africa, al-Qaida, Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Ambassador Gene Cretz, America, Americans, Ansar Al Sharia, Benghazi, Benghazi terrorist attacks, bombings, D.C., democracy, Department of Defense, Department of State, Diplomacy, FBI, Foreign Policy, Glen Doherty, hearings, Hillary Clinton, Jay Carney, Libya, Matt Olsen, Meet the Press, Mohamad Magarif, Muammar Gaddafi, National Counterterrorism Center, Navy SEALs, Obama administration, Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Political correctness, Sean Smith, Secretary Clinton, Secretary of State, security, Senate, September 11, State Department, State Department Operations Center, Susan Rice, talking points, Terrorism, terrorist attack, Terrorists, testimony, Transitional National Council, transparency, travel advisory, Tripoli, Tyrone Woods, U.N. Ambassador, U.S. military, U.S.S. Cole, United Nations, Washington, White House Press Secretary, White House Situation Room, World Trade Center, YouTube video

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