How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
If not for the fact that the Republicans hold the House of Representatives, we'd still be in a complete information shutdown about the circumstances surrounding the assassination of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens.
But as the The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee prepares to hold its first hearings about the disaster today, government officials are working overtime to shift blame.
Here's how the AP reported it:
The State Department now says it never believed the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was a film protest gone awry, giving congressional Republicans new fodder for criticizing the Obama administration's initial accounts of the assault.
The State Department's extraordinary break with other administration offices came in a department briefing Tuesday, where officials said "others" in the executive branch concluded initially that the protest was based, like others in the Middle East, on a film that ridiculed the Prophet Muhammad.
That was never the department's conclusion, a senior official told reporters.
Now, everyone with even a mild interest in this assassination figured out that it had nothing to do with a YouTube video. And, of course, some of us were aghast that the administration were asking the First Amendment to carry so much blame for the general violent protests that were tangentially related to the YouTube video.
But State now says there was no protest in Libya. Period.
The Administration is digging in, pointing to a CIA "talking points" memo went out to members of Congress and senior Obama officials that did try to blame the YouTube videos.
So why did the CIA say that? Did they have actual intelligence that made that claim? Why is the Obama Administration so tight-lipped about the whole terrorist attack? Why hasn't Jay Carney held a press briefing in 15 days?
I could be wrong here, but as much as Americans are saddened by the assassination on September 11, we would have been more understanding of whatever failures led to the terror attack than we are now. The cover-up of the problem is always, always, always worse than the initial problem. And while they can hide a lot of things, covering up a successful al Qaeda terror attack on September 11 is probably beyond the capabilities of government bureaucrats and politicians.
In the meantime, this is a great argument for a divided government and for having different parties in charge of different branches. Just imagine how little we'd know if Democrats still held the House.
Well, that, and it's also fun to see Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama go after each other.
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May '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
I don't think it's so much an argument for divided government as it's an argument against corrupt Democrats.
Apr '11
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
T he party in power though never benefits from more information getting out about the things that go wrong.
May '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
Valiuth
T he party in power though never benefits from more information getting out about the things that go wrong. · 10 minutes ago
That's true. But not all politicians put power above truth.
Jul '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
katievs
Valiuth
T he party in power though never benefits from more information getting out about the things that go wrong. · 10 minutes ago
That's true. But not all politicians put power above truth. · 4 minutes ago
Yeah! Name three!
Jun '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
One of the early theories (from TheBlaze) was that Stevens was tagging along on a CIA operation--a negotiation with rebels--as the political guarantor of the operation, and as a secure interpreter.
Dec '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
So what's the count on successful terrorist attacks under Obama? I don't think the underwear bomber and the Times Square count as successful, but it you count Fort Hood as terrorist (because it was) then at least twice we've been hit on Obama's watch.
Jul '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
Valiuth
T he party in power though never benefits from more information getting out about the things that go wrong. · 18 minutes ago
That may seem to be true, but never seems to work out that way. Had the party in power spoken out early and honestly often the overall damage would be significantly less. The fear of criticism seems to outweigh good judgement.
Sep '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
Intel is only as good as the the Officer in Charge that acts on said information.
If the OIC fails to act on said information they are negligent if that act results in a disaster, a trial would determine if they are criminally negligent.
Edited on October 10, 2012 at 4:19pmJul '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
Yes, and Ft. Hood is a clear case of PC getting in the way.
May '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
Begun the Obama-Clinton War has.
If so, this is the end of Obama. Bill Clinton, maybe the only truly effective advocate Obama currently has, will come to the defense of his wife, at which point Obama. Is. Done.
May '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
Devereaux
katievs
Valiuth
T he party in power though never benefits from more information getting out about the things that go wrong. · 10 minutes ago
That's true. But not all politicians put power above truth. · 4 minutes ago
Yeah! Name three! · 6 minutes ago
Okay. I said it badly. Let me put it this way: Some politicians really are serious about going after corruption, even in their own party. Sarah Palin is one, Jim DeMint is another, Rand Paul is another. Republicans routinely ask members who have disgraced themselves and their office to step down. Democrats tend to circle the wagons.
Jun '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
All I can think of is the scene in Casablanca where the French policeman is "shocked" to know that gambling is taking place at Rick's (?).
I am "shocked" that the Obama administration would make up a completely false narrative. Shocked!!
Jun '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
katievs
Republicans routinely ask members who have disgraced themselves and their office to step down. Democrats tend to circle the wagons. · 4 minutes ago
I'm not suggesting that conservatives never create convenient narratives or circle the wagons, but its seems inherent in the leftist mind that, given their "noble ends," the means (including the worst mendacity) are always OK.
Edited on October 10, 2012 at 4:31pmAug '12
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
How intelligent in the Intelligence Community? Actually, there is no way to know. One needs to view intelligence-gathering organizations as circles-within-circles. Usually within the innermost circle there is a LOT of intelligence and knowledge. It is a culture however where the knowledge is currency, and there is only so much of it in the bank. Spend it wisely. very wisely. The result of that is that not much of value makes it outside the outermost circle.
Jun '12
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
And this is blowing up at just the wrong time for the Gang of Chicago Thugs that have taken over the West Wing.
Schadenfreude, anyone?
Jul '11
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
Many of the data sharing policies during the Bush era have gone as various aspects of our community are now politicized.
This is a dangerous trend.
Sep '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
That was never the department's conclusion . . . Sounds like Hillary's going all Newspeak on The One.
Jan '12
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
I'll have a shot, on the rocks
Sep '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
The CIA produced its "memo" because it is led by a political "yes man". Who at one point was the GOP's most popular general. In order to advance to the higher ranks of DOD or the intelligence community one must become more politician than either general or intelligence officer. This is demanded by both parties. The one general who dared raise questions about Iraq was quickly retired. I bring up this as a demonstration of how corrupt the GOP is. I assume I need not do the same for the Democrats. Washington has been almost totally corrupted and neither party has a desire to clean it up.
Jun '10
Re: How Intelligent is the Intelligence Community? (Benghazi Edition)
If you know all that, you should be testifying at the Capitol today.