Obama Watched Benghazi Terror Attack?

[lucky4034]

At the very least he could have had the balls to say what it really was.

This...

and aren't most drones armed? And if there was a drone there... at what proximity was it launched. Benghazi is right on the Medateranian Sea, we have bases and hubs that litter that general area

 

[Willie]

Too many questions and too little real answers ...

Even the Dems in Washington will have to come to the conclusuon that this needs investigated and soon.

 

[cobber]

And what kind of range is a helo loaded with marines going to have??
Remember, they'll probably have to repel down. Hard to land a helo downtown.
Then the helo has to make it back.
Yes, things should have been done BEFORE it got that bad.
But I can understand how it went down once it did.

Also, how long did it take them to realize what was happening?
At first, they thought they could deal with it. Or the Libyans could.
Then, they started to worry about what would happen if those trigger happy Marines started shooting civies (not my thought).
Then they started to realize things were getting out of control.
Make a few phone calls, make some decisions. The decisions had to take time, to calculate political pitfalls first. (If you don't think that's going to happen no matter what party is in power, you probably are sitting next to your unicorn).
Etc.

Lots of excuses here. They didn't even try.


And they should have had a contingency worked out. It was 9/11, didn't we learn anything in 2001? Apparently the Dems did not.


There's a vacancy for ambassador of Libya. Would you feel comfortable taking the position at this point?

 

[IndyDave1776]

Lots of excuses here. They didn't even try.


And they should have had a contingency worked out. It was 9/11, didn't we learn anything in 2001? Apparently the Dems did not.


There's a vacancy for ambassador of Libya. Would you feel comfortable taking the position at this point?

Agreed.

I am not so sure. It could just as easily be that they saw no reason for terrorists to die when US citizens could do so instead. Similarly, the SEALs did a security assessment of our embassy in Beirut immediately before the bombing that killed a couple hundred of our people. Marcinko delivered his assessment to the ambassador along with the recommendation that radio frequency devices be installed at the corners of the compound which would detonate car bombs (he had detonated two bomb-making locations during a taxi ride a few days earlier, as radio signals were the prevailing method of detonation at the time as cell phones are now). The Ambassador reacted in indignation at the suggestion as it could kill Lebanese citizens. As Marcinko pointed out in his book, (in the reckoning of the diplomatic/bureaucratic mentality) there is no reason for Lebanese to die when Americans can die instead.

If Hillary called and offered me the job, if I were in a good mood, I would tell her to go f**k herself. If I were in a bad mood, I would tell her to go f**k Bill.

 

[Classic]

And what kind of range is a helo loaded with marines going to have??
Remember, they'll probably have to repel down. Hard to land a helo downtown.
Then the helo has to make it back.
Yes, things should have been done BEFORE it got that bad.
But I can understand how it went down once it did.

Also, how long did it take them to realize what was happening?
At first, they thought they could deal with it. Or the Libyans could.
Then, they started to worry about what would happen if those trigger happy Marines started shooting civies (not my thought).
Then they started to realize things were getting out of control.
Make a few phone calls, make some decisions. The decisions had to take time, to calculate political pitfalls first. (If you don't think that's going to happen no matter what party is in power, you probably are sitting next to your unicorn).
Etc.

Not accounting for decision time in DC here is a summary of what the Blackhawk is capable of:

Maximum range of the UH-60A on internal fuel and at maximum take-off weight is 319 nautical miles (368 statute miles.) The maximum range with two 230 ESSS-mounted external tanks is 880 nautical miles (1,012 statute miles) and with two 230 gallon and two 450 gallon tanks is 1,200 nautical miles (1,381 statute miles.)

And btw, they can air refuel.

 

[lucky4034]

There's a vacancy for ambassador of Libya. Would you feel comfortable taking the position at this point?

I think a better question is... Do we even need an embassy in Libya? Why spend millions of dollars a year to keep an embassy in Libya? Why unnecessarily endanger American lives in that **** hole?


We need to abandoned this Empire mindset or you will surely continue to see more of the same. We don't want terrorists to attack us... yet we position ourselves nearly unprotected right in the hornets nest.

 

[Kutnupe14]

I think a better question is... Do we even need an embassy in Libya? Why spend millions of dollars a year to keep an embassy in Libya? Why unnecessarily endanger American lives in that **** hole?


We need to abandoned this Empire mindset or you will surely continue to see more of the same. We don't want terrorists to attack us... yet we position ourselves nearly unprotected right in the hornets nest.

Well, to be fair, the actual embassy was located in Tripoli, but closed during the civil war. The attack occurred at a consulate, which often has very limited defense option. I would think that the State Department was using it a springboard to reopen in Tripoli.

 

[Super Bee]

Wow. I really can't say anything else. Just Wow. The depravity of this administration in deference to it's own public appearance -if this report is true- is inconceivable

I would say it is legit. The NY Post is now running with it too.

US had drones flying over Benghazi as the consulate was being attacked - NYPOST.com


What I do not understand is why this story took so long to come out. Glenn Beck talked about this over a month ago from his "source" inside the State Department. At least it is out now.

 

[lucky4034]

I don't think we need an embassy anywhere in Libya... hell we have a giant Naval installation about 500 miles away in Sigonella....

 

[Kutnupe14]

What type of assets did the US have, in the area, that were able to make a difference during the attack?Should the drone, if armed, engaged the crowd?

 

[Kirk Freeman]

What type of assets did the US have, in the area, that were able to make a difference during the attack?Should the drone, if armed, engaged the crowd?

1. An s pot full.

2. Crowd? It wasn't a crowd. It was an organized attack. Yes, kill those who attack us.

Do we even need an embassy in Libya?

Yes.

We need to abandoned this Empire mindset or you will surely continue to see more of the same.

Empire? What are you talking about? This was a consulate. Under international law it was ours and we are authorized to defend it.

 

[GREEN607]

What type of assets did the US have, in the area, that were able to make a difference during the attack? We have many defense resources in the region, that could have been there within 2-3 hours. This attack and subsequent assaults lasted 6 hours or more.

Should the drone, if armed, engaged the crowd?

Engaged them??

We should have sent every single man involved to meet Allah.... RIGHT THERE.

 

[ArmedProgrammer]

I think a better question is... Do we even need an embassy in Libya? Why spend millions of dollars a year to keep an embassy in Libya? Why unnecessarily endanger American lives in that **** hole?


We need to abandoned this Empire mindset or you will surely continue to see more of the same. We don't want terrorists to attack us... yet we position ourselves nearly unprotected right in the hornets nest.

You need an embassy anywhere you have or want to have semi-friendly relations with another country. It has NOTHING to do with Empire. If we wish to conduct trade or have any kind of presence in the country, you have an embassy. If we EVER wish to be on friendly trade or diplomatic terms, that's the price we must pay.

One place we DON'T have an embassy for example - is North Korea. And Iran - anymore. Pulling your embassy from a country is the diplomatic equivalent of saying, "yeah well screw you too!".

Also - the embassy in a country usually has a few employees on the CIA payroll. That is true of ALL countries, not just ours. THAT is how we keep our ears to the ground. And THAT is a large portion of why we haven't seen further terrorist attacks.

"international relations" is the business of one country screwing another. Always has been, always will be. Nations , like people , seek their own interest.

 

[ArmedProgrammer]

What type of assets did the US have, in the area, that were able to make a difference during the attack?Should the drone, if armed, engaged the crowd?

Uhhmm.. so you buy the lies of the Obama administration that it was a "crowd" and NOT an armed assault?

If an armed assault - engage. If a "crowd" - not so much.

By all accounts it was an armed assault.

 

[sepe]

Some day someone will wake up and see that being the babysitter of the world isn't going all that well. Unless a country is a direct threat, let them ruin themselves if they want.

 

[hornadylnl]

Some day someone will wake up and see that being the babysitter of the world isn't going all that well. Unless a country is a direct threat, let them ruin themselves if they want.

We're Americans. We have our **** so together that we have nothing better to do than worry about what everyone else is doing, be it our neighbors or other countries.

 

[Kutnupe14]

Uhhmm.. so you buy the lies of the Obama administration that it was a "crowd" and NOT an armed assault?

If an armed assault - engage. If a "crowd" - not so much.

By all accounts it was an armed assault.

I'm not buying anything. I am, admittedly, poorly informed on the entire issue.

 

[Willie]

So, will Romney bring up the Libya mess Monday night??

 

[Super Bee]

So, will Romney bring up the Libya mess Monday night??

I think the chances are fairly good.

Being this is debate is on foreign policy, and this is turning into a huge cover-up, I can see Mitt bringing this subject up in every question.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Far be it from me to defend this administration but what were their options? Their handling of the situation has been deplorable but to put together a force sufficient to defend the compound and the people in it within a couple of hours is asking alot.

In the first place, we now know the Libyan government AND the CIA both communicated that problems could be expected on an upcoming date. IT WAS 9/11 FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! We also know the Ambassador was concerned about the safety of the Consulate and had requested more security measures - and had been turned down, repeatedly. Anyone who doesn't list 'wishful thinking' as a job-enhancing skill would have taken the rather broad hints and either pulled the Consulate out or provided more security AHEAD OF TIME!

If it was any agency other than the State Department, I'd said there was Criminal Negligence involved; with the State Department, it was just business-as-usual.

We also now know that State was watching the latter hours of the attack in real time.

There was PLENTY that COULD have been done if State and the Administration had paid attention to reality instead of indulging in 'wishful thinking'.