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Summary Of Senate's Report On Benghazi Embassy Attack
Earlier today, following significant delays, the Senate released its bipartisan report on the deadly Benghazi US embassy attack from September 11, 2012, which faulted both the State Department and the intelligence community for not preventing attacks on two outposts in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including a U.S. ambassador. For those who are short on time and would rather get the cliff notes on the 85 page report (link here), the following summary from AP should suffice.
- Ambassador Chris Stevens, who was among those killed that night, had twice in the weeks before the attacks declined the U.S. military's offer of a team of special operations forces that had been available to bolster security and provide other help. The State Department had decided not to request an extension of the team's presence, about a month before the attacks, because officials thought the job could be done by local or department security.
- The report recommends that only in rare cases should a diplomatic facility continue to operate if it falls short of the State Department's security standards — and in such cases the facility should have the personnel, weapons and fire safety equipment needed to address the threat. The State Department should be ready to evacuate or close diplomatic missions facing the highest threat, the report says.
- The report recommends that the intelligence community expand its work to analyze social media used by extremists, noting that little of that was done before the attacks and it's possible there were hints in web postings of trouble ahead.
- Operations in Benghazi continued with little change even though the mission crossed some "tripwires" that should have led to reduction in personnel or the suspension of operations. Some nations closed their diplomatic facilities because of worsening security conditions in the summer of 2012. But others stayed, contrary to reports the U.S. was the last country represented there.
- An unarmed U.S. military drone was not delayed when responding to the attack, and it provided important information during the attacks.
- Based on limited intelligence, analysts inaccurately referred to the presence of a protest at the mission before the attack, and they didn't corroborate the information. The intelligence community took too long to correct the erroneous reports, causing confusion and leading government officials to make incorrect public statements.
- The U.S. government must not rely on local security in areas where its facilities are under high threat or where the host nation is not capable of providing adequate security. The report said the committee supports the State Department's initiative to work with the Pentagon to expand the Marine Security Guard Program to increase protection at high-risk facilities beyond just the protection of classified information.
Finally for those curious how the original explanation of the Benghazi attack is discussed, namely that it was in retaliation to an inflamatory video clip, here is what the report has to say:
... the report does not go far enough to address the Administration's failure to correctly label the incident as a deliberate and organized terrorist attack in the days following the attack. As our "Flashing Red" report found, there was never any doubt among key officials, including officials in the IC and the Department of State, that the attack in Benghazi was an act of terrorism. Yet, high-ranking Administration officials, including the President himself, repeatedly cast doubt on the nature of the attack, at times attributing it to the reaction to an anti-Islamic video and to a spontaneous demonstration that escalated into violence.
Despite the fact that the September J 1, 2012 attacks in Benghazi were recognized as terrorist attacks by the Intelligence Community and personnel at the Department of State from the beginning, Administration officials were inconsistent and at times misleading in their public statements and failed for days to make cleat to the American people that the deaths in Benghazi were the result of a terrorist attack. It took eight days before the Administration communicated clearly and unequivocally to the American people and to Congress regarding this fact through testimony by NCTC Director Matthew Olsen before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on September 19,2012.
Even after the Administration finally published the complete time line of the changes made to the talking points, it is baffling how a fundamental, unclassified fact that was known to the IC from the beginning was only communicated clearly to the American people by the Administration after the issue had already been sufficiently muddled to result in confusion.
While I support the SSCI report and appreciate its thorough analysis of much of what went wrong, I believe that more emphasis should have been placed on the three issues I have discussed: (1) the Administration's initial misleading of the American people about the terrorist nature of the attack, (2) the failure of the Administration to hold anyone at the State Department, particularly Under Secretary Kennedy, fully accountable for the security lapses, and (3) the unfulfilled promises of President Obama that he would bring the terrorists to justice.
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"What difference does it make!" -- Hitlery Clinton
Oh, nobody's going to let her forget that in 2016.
"When the phone rings at 3am, who do you want answering it?" she said in 2008. It took till 2012 to answer that question. Her, if you want to be left to die. Obama if you want to leave a message.
senate endorses hillery "ole keglegs" clinton in 2016 is all i got out of the story. rip vince foster.
Anything in there about the weapons they smuggled out for the Syrian "rebels"?
+1...very doubtful.
Kinda torched the whole "it was a spontaneous demonstration because of a youtube video" meme as well.
Snuke?
Funny, I had always believed that it is the Head of an Organisation who is responsible and accoutable. Now, who would that be? But, of course, at this stage, "What difference does it make".
At least Christie had the cojones to confront it head on and accept responsibility. Which also didn't seem to make much difference to the MSM?
Saying you're responsible and being held responsible are two entirely different things.
Saying you are responsible is a good start. Doesn't seem to appeal to Dems?
Now, come on.
Poor Hillary had a "head trauma" that caused Benghazi Amnesia.
And it wasn't even pororly contrived and executed!
/
<<< Hillary appoints Obama head of the C.I.A.
<<< Hillary appoints Obama head of the D.O.J.
Obama does away with Congress, appoints himself lifetime ruler. Nation says,, lets get ready for some footballlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
Another useless whitewash of a "report". Where's the section describing the whys and wherefores of the arms that Obama was running to the Muslim Brotherhood, and their connection to this whole travesty?
A fucking US AMBASSADOR was killed and those shitbags LET HIM DIE.
They are the worst kind of fucking traitors.
Stevens was a true blue Obama believer, and it got him killed.
Like Ron Brown and Vince Foster believing in the Clintons.
The New Rome is a dangerous town.
It's 3 a.m. and the phone rings. Hill has her fist up the grill of an aspiring progresso-bankstress. "Shit, Harry be a dear and get that. Pretend you're me."
Republicans and RHINOs have been virtually quite on the topic of Benghazi....Hmmmmm. This is the biggest scandal that Das Spincter O cannot bury. The Catamite and Billary were comfortable in the killings of americans. She violated rule #1 of Sec. State.
I was at a work dinner in DC last week, locals are all about billary running for president, they were talking how impressive and stately she is. I was staring at my tequila on ice as I quitelty kept repeating to my-self "twot difference does it make"
It was a video with really low production values, honest.
Let the lies continue. Don't kid yourselves this is where we're headed.
When you no longer have power the delusions grow bigger by the minute and the "rules" continue to dislocate and become irrelevant.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/towards-a-world-war-iii-scenario-breaking-the-big-lie/5348384
http://www.globalresearch.ca/natos-ukrainian-target-the-black-sea-fleet/5364936
no impeachmentz? no Hillary getting her shrivelled up ass handed back to her¿¿¿ it's ALL INJUSTICE FOR ALL, save the REAL terroristz..
Liars, liars, liars, liars...
All the way up the foodchain to the Liar-in-Chief himself.
Relax DCRB, the world is your oyster...
When there is a statement that begins with 'senate says', 'congress says', or pres says' . . . . you can you save yourself a lot of time by not bothering to read it. Odds are its nothing but lies.
The psychopath/sociopaths are in charge and they lie their asses off constantly to try to fool all of us who they consider to be nothing but 'suckers'.
Might as well ignore anything coming out of D.C.
"The report recommends that the intelligence community expand its work to analyze social media used by extremists..."
Mission accomplished.
We need more POWER!!!!!!
The beatings will continue until the people say no and kill the statists.
The score so far: Hillary: +1; Christie: -1
Let me get this straight. Our CIA orchestrated a coup against the leader of this country and we are shocked that the CIA base camp was attacked. Fuck them all. You create the war zone, don't be surprised when people die. What a dumb fucking media-created controversy! How many Americans died in the illegal wars? Why no outrage over those senselessly lost? Stop with the red-blue bullshit!
Bingo...divide and conquer at it finest....its blowback and we can expect much more of it
To second GDC.
It's been down the shitter since we first witnessed the pictures out of Abu Ghraib of U.S.A. standing over tortured and murdered "non-enemy combatants" on bags of ice with thumbs raised... followed by elected unconvicted felons withholding evidence in the attack that launched a thousand wars 3 years later that led to FOIA requests that released the "smoking gun(s)" that weren't and never will be part of the Official Commission Report...
It only gets worse from here unless the American people are willing to make some serious sacrifices and restitution for those murdered in their names.
That was NOT an attack. Stevens turned down security because it was all staged. Problem was, some of them showed up anyway, guns blazing.
Then suddenly, shit got real.
The Washington Post is reporting that the Senate report notes that "15 people supporting the investigation or otherwise helpful to the US" have since been killed. And pointedly remarks that there is no explanation in the Senate report of whether their cooperation with the investigation was the cause of their death.
Those informants should have pulled a Sgt. Schultz.
Sixteen if you count Hastings.
And there you have it. Another "bipartisan" report white washing the events, and protecting everybody in the establishment. Nothing to see here citizen, it's business as usual. Move along...... Move along.
Have you considered the possibility that Senate Republicans do not wish to impair Hillary's 2016 candidacy? Think about it - she could be the Democrat anolog to Bob Dole or John McCain, forcing her way into an I'm-next-in-line nomination, and then losing ignominiously. I see that as a strong possibility for 2016.
Get with it Nick. R vs D ? Who gives a shit.
Its all crap in the end.
I've considered the possibility that Senate Republicans know exactly what happened and are not only hiding the truth, but were complicit in the activities that got Stevens and others killed.
Fucking international criminals.
Whew. I was worried I wouldn't be able to vote for Hillary for President.
LOL - like it matters.......
and I'd guarantee you will not find Hillary's name mentioned once. What a farce this government has become under Obama. There is absolutely no one standing up for the little guy.
na, prolly was Bush's fault, or Christies.......
Hillary is 'the chosen' for 2016 and ain't nothin gonna stop that.
Definitely Bush can be held responsible. Bush Sr too.
hey,don't forget trickle down ronnie or trickie dicky. the bastards!
fuckem all with a barbed wire wrapped 2 x 2...
Our government was a farce long before Zero. He is the complete embodiment of how corrupt the system has become.
Zero has brought the entire question of shared equal branches of power in our government into question by his blatant disregard for laws and his willingness to change by his edict any law. All of this is undoubtedly unconstituional. I've never seen nothing quite like this in my lifetime and you haven't either regardless of the farce before zero.
I'm not disagreeing with you one bit. I'm just saying that he is what we get as a result of the years of corruption. Over the years people kept shrugging their shoulders at the little things, and now we have blatant in your face corruption and it's accepted as business as usual. Zero is the pinnacle of corruption in this country, and it's my belief , before this is over, that it will all end with him.
the cia dah will do whatever it takes for the
cause of furtherance of war in the name of peace and god
to perpetuate further and continued debt in the form
of feeding the armaments industries greater populations
of lost and deluded souls crafting strategies for survival.
modern propaganda.
.
they work exclusively in support of the banksters,
humanity can go live in the hell they create on earth.
more gated communities are under construction as
we speaketh ......
.
that is what bengazi means, they will kill their own
to create the atmosphere of conflict and murder just ...
for the hell of it. after all it is good for the business
and their economy and their basic unit/s, the dollar/s.
.
Thomas Leeb - Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd) acoustic cover solo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhsPYRUqphk
blindman,
You might have ended your post with
'the universe is a just place'
whatever that may mean to each of us
thanks for the post
nice rif, and hey have a cigar...music the ultimate escape.
ok,
"and the universe is a just place",
even more than a just place. there
is more in the form of potential joy
than there is of suffering from the
moment of creation. it is better than
just; it is not in balance but arches
in a fortuitous and imbalanced point
and curve,
if you think about it.
Not that I care that a bunch of US criminals got taken out and made the world a bit safer, but like any of this is so called report is going to be the truth.
"Is it a lie if a liar is telling you the truth?"
The first mistake was getting rid of Qaddafi.
Sorry but I don't believe one bullshit word of it.
Where are the interviews with those familiar with what really happened? Oh, that's right, they've all been hidden away or off'd.
Or appointed National Security Advisor (Susan Rice).
She's already an Obama ball licker, she's not going to rat him out. And her as National Security Advisor, what a FUCKING JOKE! I wouldn't let her advise me how to wipe my ass.
If we hadn't let Reagan get away with Iran Contra none of this would have happened.
Bad precedence. So, Hillary is correct. It makes no difference at all. Just a black op gone bad and expendible people were expended.
Too bad they won't come right out and say it though, then all the right wingers would have to shut up and realize this is their game, the current admin is just borrowing it for a couple years.
war profits, bitchez.
You are overlooking FDR, the greatest serial liar in American history. Since his administration, the country has essentially been at war (or ready to start one) ever since. If we continue to insist on meddling in the affairs of other countries, we'll continue to be bled to death for our perpetual folly.
Cleat?
OCR scanning of the printed report mistook the word "clear" and spelt of "cleat". Copy and paste from the pdf and you'll see it is true!
Quite inconsequential, but I guess they felt safer printing and redacting items by hand before scanning:
"NSA urges use of better redaction methods"
http://gcn.com/articles/2006/02/16/nsa-urges-use-of-better-redaction-met...
"UK Ministry of Defence Accidentally Posts Secrets on Internet"
http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/computing/it/uk-ministry-of-defence-...
Here is a summary of the summary
This is the senate version , where is the house version?
"Baffling"?? It was about running the clock out on the fucking ELECTION, moron!!
And it gave time for the Bloody Bitch of Benghazi to fake an illness and declare "What difference does it make?" as her best defense for hanging up at 3am.
I don't need to read this stuff. It's obvious best effort was given, but the agencies involved are so resource limited, they were unable to muster the intelligence, and boots to prevent this preventable tragedy.
I would hardly say the NSA is "resource limited"
This statement is stunning:
— "The report recommends that the intelligence community expand its work to analyze social media used by extremists, noting that little of that was done before the attacks and it's possible there were hints in web postings of trouble ahead."
What the heck is the CIA and NSA doing if they aren't monitoring the web/social media used by extremists..."little of that was done"..wow, this is exactly what the NSA said they have been doing with all this spying power they have. absolutely useless.
Arrest Hillary Clinton before the Carlyle Group puts her into office of the presidency and she gets a chance to push the MAD switch.
For Christ's sake I want a German American for president; someone that represents the majority of citizens in the United States of America.
Que?
in all fairness hillary got fucked! was totally kept out of the loop,period! she was set up too fail. obama had totally emasculated the sos!!!
biden should be president once obama is impeached!?!
jmo
ps. btw i had a 500 word min. comment that was blocked with 'web-page-expired' having some disparaging data regarding rahm, alxelrod,hall, gates and gibbs just to name a few of the click
emmanuel ran the wh like cheney did #43, and now chicago is a detroit wtf!
hillary... again, wasn't given intel nor support for squat regarding benghazi after extensive research from yours truly.
ps. read woodward's book 'obama's war' c.2002 and backtrack from there into the future with ' the despensible nation' by vali nasr c.2013 and make some abstract/ analytical judgements yourself, with 'age of deception'-- a biography of iaea director m. elbaradei that should open many a closed eye!
thankyou tyler
I'm personally relieved that at least the president with his statements of "If the Congress continues to stand for only disfunction and delay then, I'm going to move ahead without them. I will do whatever I can without them!" At last his trueintentions all along become obvious from his own words.
Take him seriously! Executive Orders and using Agencies to by-pass are old tools. Perhaps State of Emergency and emergence as "Great Leader" could follow soon perhaps even this year! He has changed more Military leaders in his tenure than any other president I can find. That's known in some Nations as "Coup protection." Harry has to know.