Benghazi Ghosts Haunt White House

[red states rule]

Since Obama does not have to face the voters again, he will not lose his job over his incompetency and lackadaisical attitude over Benghazi

But Hillary has the most to lose. After all she is "entitled" to be President after all she has been through with Bill





My iPhone buzzes on a regular basis with "news alerts" from Politico, The Hill and other sources. Politico provides breathless, this-cannot-wait-till-you-get-to-your desk "breaking news" sirens on every hiccup emanating from the White House. On April 22, for example, the news flash permitted me to learn without delay that "President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama will on Thursday attend a memorial service for the victims of last week's explosion in West, Texas."


When three career employees of the State Department announced their intention to testify before Congress -- contradicting the Obama administration's carefully constructed storyline about events in Benghazi, Libya -- my phone was silent. News is very much in the eye of the beholder.

One of these whistle-blowers, Gregory N. Hicks, was the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Libya and reportedly the last American to see Ambassador Chris Stevens alive. His testimony about the nature of the Benghazi assault should be illuminating. Mark Thompson, deputy coordinator for the State Department's counterterrorism bureau, will apparently testify that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was keen to obscure the terror links of the attackers in Benghazi and accordingly kept the counterterrorism officers at State out of the loop in planning the response to the attack.


In anticipation of the hearings, which begin Wednesday, a few basic questions ought to be on the minds of members of Congress.


President Obama claimed repeatedly in the aftermath of the Benghazi attack that he would do everything in his power to ensure that the perpetrators are "brought to justice." During the second presidential debate, Obama said, "We are going to find out who did this, and we are going to hunt them down, because one of the things that I've said throughout my presidency is when folks mess with Americans, we go after them." Oh? For three weeks, American officials did not even visit the scene. On Oct. 18, The New York Times reported that one of the ringleaders of the attack, Ahmed Abu Khattala, was sipping a strawberry frappe on the patio of a luxury hotel and scoffing at the idea that he should go into hiding.


He was right. No one has been brought to justice, and there's little evidence that the Obama administration has made any effort. Just this past week, eight months after the attacks, the FBI released photos of three suspects. The Tashkent municipal police department could have moved faster.


If reporting by Stephen Hayes in The Weekly Standard and accounts of what the whistle-blowers will say are correct, the shaky edifice of lies that the Obama administration erected about Benghazi is about to collapse.


Whistle-blowers will confirm what has been reported before -- that the administration knew within hours of the attack that it was a terrorist act. The CIA station chief in Libya said as much. Yet -- Candy Crowley to the contrary notwithstanding -- the president and his spokesmen concocted a fairy tale about an Internet video that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and a demonstration that got out of hand. This narrative was peddled most prominently by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, but it also was mentioned by Clinton and the president himself.


White House emails released to Congress show that an interagency group, getting direction from the White House, altered the CIA's talking points to remove references to al-Qaida, jihadis and five previous attacks by terrorists on Western interests in Libya. Does anyone remember the phrase "politicizing intelligence"?


Read more: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/05/07/benghazi_ghosts_haunt_white_house_118276.html#ixzz 2Sbcp1gLE
Follow us: @RCP_Articles on Twitter (http://ec.tynt.com/b/rw?id=ak-__cGqqr4O4Yacwqm_6r&u=RCP_Articles)

[jimnyc]

Graham: ‘I Think the Dam Is About to Break on Benghazi’Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) wrote Tuesday he believes major revelations about the lead up to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, are imminent, in a Facebook message:

“I think the dam is about to break on Benghazi. We’re going to find a system failure before, during, and after the attacks.

“We’re going to find political manipulation seven weeks before an election. We’re going to find people asleep at the switch when it comes to the State Department, including Hillary Clinton.

“The bond that has been broken between those who serve us in harms way and the government they serve is huge — and to me every bit as damaging as Watergate.”

The post links to a Washington Post column by Marc A. Thiessen on the Benghazi whistleblowers.

A number of major news stories have broken in the last week about the attack, including the news that a team of U.S. Special Forces that was preparing to respond to the attack was told to stand down by the U.S. Special Forces Command Africa.

http://freebeacon.com/graham-i-think-the-dam-is-about-to-break-on-benghazi/

[jimnyc]

Benghazi witness: US military response could have ‘scared’ off attackers, prevented mortar strike

The U.S. military could have prevented one wave of the deadly attack on American personnel in Benghazi if fighter jets had been promptly deployed, a top diplomatic official who was in Benghazi during the Sept. 11 assault told congressional investigators.

The account, contained in a transcript obtained by Fox News, was given by Gregory Hicks during an interview last month with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Hicks, a whistle-blower who is preparing to testify Wednesday before that committee, was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Libya -- after Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed that night, he became the highest-ranking diplomat on the ground.

Hicks, in his interview, argued that after the first wave of attacks on the U.S. consulate, the U.S. military could have prevented additional violence with a quickly scrambled flight -- after the first wave, terrorists would go on to launch a pre-dawn mortar assault on the CIA annex.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/06/benghazi-witness-us-military-response-could-have-scared-off-attackers-prevented/?test=latestnews

[jimnyc]

The U.S. military could have prevented one wave of the deadly attack on American personnel in Benghazi if fighter jets had been promptly deployed, a top diplomatic official who was in Benghazi during the Sept. 11 assault told congressional investigators.

I hope the truth continues to come out. This stuff was no doubt covered up until after the election. And I hope they appropriately hold Clinton responsible and put her in the fire, maybe dampen her '16 aspirations.

[Marcus Aurelius]

Someones head will roll over this. Question is, will it be the right head?

[aboutime]

And, the words of this week in the WHITE HOUSE are......"SILENCE" and "IT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. SO WE SAY NOTHING!"

[Marcus Aurelius]

And, the words of this week in the WHITE HOUSE are......"SILENCE" and "IT IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. SO WE SAY NOTHING!"

I thought it was "I am unfamiliar with that happening".

[aboutime]

I thought it was "I am unfamiliar with that happening".


And, we can't forget what Carney said last Friday...."Benghazi was a long time ago!"

All we need now is another photo like this...4942 with Hillary instead of Harry.

[Jeff]

Someones head will roll over this. Question is, will it be the right head?ed

I don't think so I think she is helping to hide someone higher than her and in return will have his support in 2016

I hope the whole truth comes out and all involved are prosecuted to the fullest

[aboutime]

More to come. Some have scrambled out of sight...but not out of mind on this.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100194182/susan-rice-was-brought-down-by-the-long-shadow-of-benghazi-not-race-or-gender/



http://youtu.be/6oOxAyU8QwM


MS. RICE repeated that statement FIVE Times on that Sunday. FIVE OBAMA/CLINTON LIES!

[red states rule]

NBC is already offering up defenses for Obama and Hillary
<iframe width="520" height="293" title="MRC TV video player" src="http://www.mrctv.org/embed/121143" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

[aboutime]

NBC is already offering up defenses for Obama and Hillary
<iframe width="520" height="293" title="MRC TV video player" src="http://www.mrctv.org/embed/121143" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>


What Andrea really wanted to say was..."My candidate, and most promising Scorned woman on Earth..Hillary...my Baby!"
4945 Amazin' Before Botox photo of Hillary.

[red states rule]

It is common knowledge on the left that Hillary is "entitled" to the Oval Office. She "suffered" under Bill and "stood" by her man - so now it is time for the payoff

The liberal media will not allow her incompetence and piss porr job performance as Sec of State to get in the way of her destiny.

Truth - screw it. It is time to circle the wagons around Hillary and preserve her Presidential bid

[Marcus Aurelius]

NBC is already offering up defenses for Obama and Hillary
<iframe title="MRC TV video player" src="http://www.mrctv.org/embed/121143" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="293" width="520"></iframe>

She said 'taking aim'. I thought the Dems were all against gun metaphors in politics? I guess they're only against the ones Republicans use, huh.

[aboutime]

It is common knowledge on the left that Hillary is "entitled" to the Oval Office. She "suffered" under Bill and "stood" by her man - so now it is time for the payoff

The liberal media will not allow her incompetence and piss porr job performance as Sec of State to get in the way of her destiny.

Truth - screw it. It is time to circle the wagons around Hillary and preserve her Presidential bid


The ONE, and ONLY thing Hillary is Entitled to...just for Benghazi, and the deaths of four Americans is....

A Suite at LEVENWORTH, KANSAS. Nothing more, nothing less. And she can take her Rachel Maddow Boyfriends with her.

[red states rule]

She said 'taking aim'. I thought the Dems were all against gun metaphors in politics? I guess they're only against the ones Republicans use, huh.

You can bet the farm Dems, and the liberal media will target the whistle blowers and get them in their cross hairs

[red states rule]

The ONE, and ONLY thing Hillary is Entitled to...just for Benghazi, and the deaths of four Americans is....

A Suite at LEVENWORTH, KANSAS. Nothing more, nothing less. And she can take her Rachel Maddow Boyfriends with her.

Then Bill will really be able to go wild with Hillary is the slammer

Man, the parties he would be able to throw at taxpayer expense would be something else

[aboutime]

Then Bill will really be able to go wild with Hillary is the slammer

Man, the parties he would be able to throw at taxpayer expense would be something else


Actually, red states rule. That will be the opportunity Bubba and Obama have been waiting for in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN DC.

[revelarts]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XdBZ0o-1NI0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

no answer on the stand down order

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

Graham: ‘I Think the Dam Is About to Break on Benghazi’

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) wrote Tuesday he believes major revelations about the lead up to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, are imminent, in a Facebook message:

“I think the dam is about to break on Benghazi. We’re going to find a system failure before, during, and after the attacks.

“We’re going to find political manipulation seven weeks before an election. We’re going to find people asleep at the switch when it comes to the State Department, including Hillary Clinton.

“The bond that has been broken between those who serve us in harms way and the government they serve is huge — and to me every bit as damaging as Watergate.”

The post links to a Washington Post column by Marc A. Thiessen on the Benghazi whistleblowers.

A number of major news stories have broken in the last week about the attack, including the news that a team of U.S. Special Forces that was preparing to respond to the attack was told to stand down by the U.S. Special Forces Command Africa.

http://freebeacon.com/graham-i-think-the-dam-is-about-to-break-on-benghazi/

Jim, it will not bring down the Obama regime unless the media takes up the cause and they will not do so. In fact, they'll do their best to stop the cause and prevent any justice coming out at all.-Tyr

[aboutime]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XdBZ0o-1NI0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

no answer on the stand down order


Can anyone smell the smoke coming from Carney's pants? 4947 Just repeating what the boss told him to say.

Notice how he managed to push all of the response to the Pentagon, when everyone with a Brain....sans Obama, knows Obama, or Clinton would have been the final decision maker who either approved, or disapproved any Military actions.
LIARS keep jumping out, and the OBAMA press has been trained to Ignore the truth.

[aboutime]

http://youtu.be/O0b9zXzSnKk


WHO DO WE BELIEVE?

[SassyLady]

When we can hear from the survivors what happened, then I might start believing something. Am I the only one that thinks it's crazy that none of the survivors have said anything?

[revelarts]

Can anyone smell the smoke coming from Carney's pants? Just repeating what the boss told him to say.
Notice how he managed to push all of the response to the Pentagon, when everyone with a Brain....sans Obama, knows Obama, or Clinton would have been the final decision maker who either approved, or disapproved any Military actions.
LIARS keep jumping out, and the OBAMA press has been trained to Ignore the truth.

For some reason i can Imagine Obama saying those words and it made think of a high dollar used car salesman. trying to snow you with useless facts.
then thoughts jumped to other presidents and their used car lying Styles.
Clinton was probably the most pleasant liar, soft sell southern charm. Funny looking pinched face then wided eyed false sincerity. Bush was a bit annoying in his lies. More insistent. like a jerk at the bar where he and his buddies get the joke is on you.

politicians can't live with um , can't get rid of um.

[red states rule]

Lets hope the truth about the murder of four Americans comes out today





Let's all hope that Sen. Lindsey Graham's suspicion is correct (http://freebeacon.com/graham-i-think-the-dam-is-about-to-break-on-benghazi/) -- not for the sake of politics, but for the sake of Patricia Smith (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2012/10/11/video_griefstricken_mother_of_benghazi_massacre_vi ctim_rips_wh_for_outright_lies) and Charlie Woods (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XL1h-xNGllE). They, and the American people, deserve the truth. The journey toward facts and accountability resumes tomorrow:



“I think the dam is about to break on Benghazi. We’re going to find a system failure before, during, and after the attacks. We’re going to find political manipulation seven weeks before an election. We’re going to find people asleep at the switch when it comes to the State Department, including Hillary Clinton. The bond that has been broken between those who serve us in harms way and the government they serve is huge — and to me every bit as damaging as Watergate.”




Say what you will about Graham's politics, he's been as dogged and tenacious (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/02/08/video-lindsey-graham-destroys-white-houses-benghazi-talking-points-n1508345) on Benghazi as anyone on the planet. Tomorrow's hearings will contain dramatic, on-the-record testimony (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/marc-thiessen-a-benghazi-bombshell/2013/05/06/d7a4e3fe-b651-11e2-92f3-f291801936b8_story.html) from three State Department officials. These men will tell the truth, despite alleged threats of professional reprisals. They'll testify about the unforgivably lax security measures at the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi leading up to the 9/11 attack, the Washington-based chain of command's paralysis and inaction during the raid, and the administration's intentional scrubbing (http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/benghazi-talking-points_720543.html?page=1) of public talking points describing the massacre. (For previews of these revelations based on existing reports, read this (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/05/01/lawyer-for-benghazi-whistleblower-the-administration-is-obstructing-justice-n1584304), this (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2013/05/06/whistleblower-on-white-house-benghazi-lies-my-jaw-hit-the-floor-n1588061) and this (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/05/06/whistleblower-special-forces-rescue-team-ordered-to-stand-down-during-benghazi-raid-n1588396)). As an additional primer, be sure to check out former Marine Bing West's piece at National Review. It's an insightful glimpse into US military leadership's serious shortcomings (http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/347608/benghazi-do-i-say-or-i-do) during the multi-hour siege. A snippet:



The military did nothing, except send a drone to watch the action. Defense Secretary Panetta later offered the excuse, “You can’t willy-nilly send F-16s there and blow the hell out of place. . . . You have to have good intelligence.” As a civilian, Mr. Panetta probably didn’t know that 99 percent of air sorties over Afghanistan never drop a single bomb. General Dempsey, however, knew it was standard procedure to roar menacingly over the heads of mobs, while not “blowing the hell out of them.” A show of air power does have a deterrent effect and is routinely employed. A mortar shell killed two Americans during the tenth hour of the fight. A mortar tube can be detected from the air. The decision whether to then bomb should have resided with a pilot on-station — not back in Washington. As for the alleged lack of “good intelligence,” three U.S. operations centers were watching real-time video and talking by cell phone with those under attack. Surely that comprises “good intelligence.”


...The integrity of the Pentagon is not in question. The purpose of an After Action is to perform better the next time. Is the public seriously to believe that in ten hoursDempsey and the $600 billion dollar Defense Department could not dispatch one ad hoc rescue team, as our embassy in Tripoli did, or order one fighter jet to scramble? Have our military’s best and brightest lost the capacity to improvise? Clearly, that merits an assessment. Will General Dempsey ask for a review of his own procedures? Do as I say, or as I do? The chairman of the joint chiefs is the only general who can answer that.


http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/05/07/the-dam-is-about-to-break-on-benghazi-n1590396

[red states rule]

Will this Mom be getting an IRS audit soon?






Mother of Murdered Benghazi Victim Tears Into Hillary Clinton During Emotional Interview: ‘I Blame Her’

Pat Smith, the outspoken still-grieving mother of slain State Department official Sean Smith, blasted the Obama administration over its non-existent efforts to investigate the Benghazi attack that took the life of her son and for failing to ensure the safety of staff overseas on Sept. 11, 2012.


Joining Jake Tapper on CNN Tuesday, Smith said she blames former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for not being on top of her department before the attack and for not getting Americans the help they needed after the assault began.


“How are you holding up?” Tapper asked the mother.


“Terrible,” she said. “I cry every night. I don’t sleep at night. I need answers.”


Among the questions that Smith wants — and deserves — answers to, she wants to know: “Why was there no security for him when they were supposed to have security, and the security that they did have was called back.”


“It’s just things do not add up and I’m just told lies,” she added.


Smith agreed that the deadly Benghazi attacks have become too politicized and wants people in Washington, D.C., to “just do their job.” It shouldn’t be a political issue, she explained.


She said she got one call from a clerk within the Obama administration shortly after the attack happened, but since then “all they have told me is I am not part of the immediately family so they don’t want to tell me anything.”


Tapper then played video of Clinton’s testimony before Congress, during which she yelled, “What difference, at this point, does it make?” when asked about the cause of the attack.



for the video of the interview

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/05/07/mother-of-murdered-benghazi-victim-tears-into-hillary-clinton-during-emotional-interview-i-blame-her/

[red states rule]

http://media.townhall.com/Townhall/Car/b/gmc10910420130507080200.jpg

[red states rule]

Not surprisingly, the NY Times is downplaying the upcoming hearing today




snip


But much of what the witness, Gregory Hicks, is expected to say — that he appealed in vain for fighter jets to buzz the besieged compound, and that other American officials sought to send a group of commandos to the rescue but were told to stand down — would raise questions that have already been addressed in hearings and in a critical report by the State Department.


Gen. Carter Ham, the head of the military’s Africa Command, has said American F-16 fighters in Europe were not on alert the night of the Benghazi assault, and would not have been useful anyway in a confused situation in a major Arab city. Mr. Hicks, who was serving as deputy chief of mission at the American Embassy in Tripoli at the time, is expected to testify that the four Special Operations troops would have been sent on a Libyan aircraft from Tripoli, the capital. But they would not have arrived until after the second attack on a nearby Central Intelligence Agency annex.


Far from bringing any resolution to the questions over how the Obama administration handled the attacks, the hearing by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee may serve only as the prelude to a longer investigative process that could lead to subpoenas for Mrs. Clinton and others.


“Anybody who was personally involved is somebody I think we’d ultimately like to hear from,” said Representative Jason Chaffetz, Republican of Utah.


“I think there will be additional hearings,” he added. “I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. And we’ll see how cooperative the administration is going to be. It’s up to them.”


At the center of the controversy is Mrs. Clinton, who once deplored the machinations of a “vast right-wing conspiracy” out to destroy her and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and now finds herself at the center of a controversy that in many ways echoes her fight with the political right in the 1990s. This time there are accusations of lying to investigators and a broader cover-up by the administration to further Mr. Obama’s political ambitions and her own, since she is frequently mentioned as a likely 2016 presidential candidate.


No fewer than five House committees are looking into what she knew at the time of the attack and how she might have contradicted herself in testimony before Congress. Some House Republicans and a number of influential conservative groups like Citizens United have called for a select committee to pursue its own investigation, a move that Speaker John A. Boehner has resisted.


Many Republicans say they have unearthed a scandal bigger than Watergate. Or, in the words (http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2012/dec/12/rep-king-benghazi-10-times-bigger-watergate-iran-c/) of Representative Steve King, Republican of Iowa, “If you link Watergate and Iran-contra together and multiply it times maybe 10 or so, you’re going to get in the zone where Benghazi is.”


The story of what might have happened inside the Obama White House on the night of the attack and the administration’s response in the days that followed has captivated conservatives on Capitol Hill and beyond for almost eight months now. It is a subject of continuous debate and coverage on Fox News, among conservative talk show hosts and bloggers, and at town hall-style meetings with members of Congress.


The questions that have been raised fit neatly with conservative portrayals of a president and an administration indifferent and disengaged when it comes to terrorism. They include why the president hesitated to call the attack terrorism outright and whether or not he went to bed that night knowing the compound was under assault or ordered his aides to rewrite the explanation of the attacks that Susan Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations, gave on television to deceive the country about their cause.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/08/us/politics/state-dept-official-to-testify-on-benghazi-attacks.html?ref=politics&_r=0

[red states rule]

looks like Hillary has more questions to answer





Hicks: Higher-ups at State told me not to talk to GOP congressman about Benghazi; Update: “Effectively demoted”


Via the Daily Caller (http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/08/top-libya-ambassador-on-questioning-susan-rice-interviews-the-sense-i-got-was-that-i-needed-to-stop-the-line-of-questioning/), the five most essential, damning minutes from today’s hearing. And Jordan does an expert job framing them. The money line, when Hicks is asked whether he’d ever been told before not to meet with a congressional delegation: “Never.”


I won’t slow you down with further comment. None is needed — except this: Cheryl Mills is no run-of-the-mill State Department apparatchik, even among the top tier. She’s been one of the Clintons’ right-hand men for decades. She worked in Bill’s White House legal office, then as counsel to Hillary’s presidential campaign, then became chief of staff at State when Hillary was appointed secretary. If she’s the right-hand man, what other conclusion is there than that Hillary’s the one who wanted Hicks to keep his mouth shut when meeting with Chaffetz?


One last point, per today’s theme (http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/08/benghazi-witness-no-there-was-no-protest-about-the-mohammed-movie-before-the-attack/) of ghettoized media (http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/08/report-cbs-grumpy-that-sharyl-attkissons-benghazi-scoops-are-wading-dangerously-close-to-advocacy/). As I say, these five minutes are obviously the biggest news to come out of today’s hearings (so far). Note that, then note tomorrow how many news outlets spend any time on them vis-a-vis other ancillary issues from the testimony. For instance, Politico’s lead story as of 2:45 ET is … “Benghazi hearing gets emotional.”

(http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/benghazi-hearing-house-oversight-committee-91066.html?hp=t1_3)

Update: As of 3:30 ET, Hicks just told the panel that he was “effectively demoted” after challenging State’s leadership about its handling of Benghazi. Of course he was. How else could they discredit him later?


http://hotair.com/archives/2013/05/08/hicks-higher-ups-at-state-told-me-not-to-talk-to-gop-congressman-about-benghazi/