Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
So, consider this story. It tells us the following about the talking points that were delivered to Ambassador Susan Rice–the very same ones that she delivered to the public:
- General Petraeus reported in congressional testimony that someone removed references to “terrorism” and “al Qaeda. He also said that it wasn’t the CIA.
- The Obama administration won’t tell us who made the changes.
- Later on, the CIA said that “a senior level in the interagency process” is where and when the changes were made, and that the changes were made in order to protect intelligence sources and methods.
- Later on, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported that actually, the changes were made because the connections to terrorism were too “tenuous” to make public.
- Still later, acting Director of Central Intelligence Michael Morell said that it was the FBI who made the changes, and that the changes were made to ensure that an ongoing criminal investigation would not be compromised.
- After that, someone from the CIA spoke up and said that Morell was wrong. It was actually the CIA that made the changes. No reason for the changes was given.
- Oh, and there is this as well:
Speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on behalf of the White House five days after the attacks, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice did not directly say an al Qaeda affiliate was suspected or point to terrorism. She said the “assessment at present” was that the attacks began “spontaneously” in response to an inflammatory anti-Islam video posted on YouTube. She added that “extremist elements” then joined the effort.
Tuesday, for the first time, Rice stated outright that there was never any protest or demonstration. Republicans who have read the same intelligence that Rice accessed say it’s laced with references to al Qaeda and terrorism, and they’re mystified as how she could have come away with a primary narrative about a spontaneous protest and a video.
And to top it all off, according to Obamaphiles, we aren’t supposed to care about any of this, and the nation should just move along because there is absolutely, positively nothing to see here.
Does that sound plausible to you? Because I sure ain’t buying it.
- Comment (14)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
Comments:
Jan '11
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
Well, I'm just so glad that the White House is moving on. Now they can get back to finding the real killers.
Yes, it's come to this.
Nov '11
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
Does Bill Newell still have his job? Has Kevin O'Reilly been interviewed by the Oversight Committee yet? If the answers are still "Yes" and "No", then yes, of course we're not supposed to care about any of this.
Oh, sorry, wrong scandal.
Feb '11
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
1. Why is everyone talking about not promoting Susan Rice. The subject should be removing her from her current position!
2. The notion that we accept John Kerry as a compromise is crazy. Until Obama's "Come and get me" speech, I assumed that Rice was a stalking horse for a Kerry nomination, to make him appear a safe choice.
Mar '11
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
The administration is taking its cues from the American people, who said: "Benghazi what? Where? Forward!" 'round about November 6th.
Thankfully, we can safely say that an administration which has been this bold in its deception of the American people won't dare do worse after such a narrow re-election and once all political constraints have been removed by term limits. Right? Right?
May '12
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
It seems plausible that Obama supporters, an electoral majority, don't care about any of this so long as transfer payments are assured and the tax code gets more progressive.
I think it is important and glad most of us here care, but the reality is we are a shrinking minority. The Benghazi scandal will be swept under the rug of history at the Obama library.
Raising the debt ceiling again in a few weeks, which Mr. Boehner seems eager to do is a bigger threat to our nation's survival than anything in Libya.
Sep '12
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out why the whole Susan Rice affair was so important to McCain & Graham - I realize she put out a deceptive story etc. but why dwell so much on her? So in googling I came across Andrew McCarthy's article of a week ago, which gave it a lot of perspective - http://pjmedia.com/andrewmccarthy/2012/11/20/as-the-benghazi-plot-thickens-congress-must-not-get-sidetracked/ . Benghazi dwarfs scandals like Watergate; and Congress, the press and the American people must not let it become another Chappaquiddick.
Sep '10
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
Rice lied for Obama. Powell for Bush. Republicans are acting outraged just like the Democrats did a few years ago. The American people are treating this like a bad movie they have seen a dozen or so times. While the circumstances and details may be different there is nothing new here. Irresponsible politicians of both parties have been getting people killed and lying about it for decades. Isn't that SOP in DC?
May '12
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
Another reason McCain and Graham are so hot on this subject is to direct attention away from their more liberal positions on spending , immigration, etc.
I don't think either of them are in danger of being labeled 'conservative' on a domestic issue so they jump on the Benghazi cover up in an attempt to grasp at credibility.
They are so brave 'investigatin' Susan Rice, let's see how much spine they have when there is a vote on raising taxes, the debt ceiling, or the Dream Act.
Sep '10
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
In addition to the orchestrated lying campaign that the White House went on, I would like to know what happened during the attack itself. Is anyone asking about that?
Jun '12
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
BrentB67: It seems plausible that Obama supporters, an electoral majority, don't care about any of this so long as transfer payments are assured and the tax code gets more progressive.
I think it is important and glad most of us here care, but the reality is we are a shrinking minority. The Benghazi scandal will be swept under the rug of history at the Obama library.
Raising the debt ceiling again in a few weeks, which Mr. Boehner seems eager to do is a bigger threat to our nation's survival than anything in Libya. · 2 hours ago
Exactly.
"I got my Obamaphone, who cares what else he did?"
Ladies and gentlemen, this nation has raised an incredibly selfish and self-absorbed generation, and as a result, this country is doomed to fall because of their endless calls for more stuff without paying for it.
Edited on November 29, 2012 at 2:28pmJun '10
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
You do realize, Mr. Yousefzadeh, that the only possible reason you continue to follow up on this line of questioning is that you can't stand the fact that the UN Ambassador is both black and a woman!
The entire situation has been explained to any rational person's satisfaction.
Since it was Rachel Maddow who said that, you're probably homophobic too.
Aug '11
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
There is somewhat of a difference though. Powell's "lies" were based on (ultimately) inaccurate information that was difficult to assess at the time. He wasn't functionally lying or being misleading. And that was something that was ultimately near the end of his career in the Bush White House.
Susan Rice had ample reason to think that what happened in the Benghazi wasn't a spontaneous protest due to a video. This doesn't even pass the smell test. But she went on and said it anyways. No one called her between shows to update her? And now she is supposed to get a promotion for that?
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
Um, no.
Nov '11
Re: Presumably, We Aren’t Supposed to Care about Any of This
Mothership_Greg: Does Bill Newell still have his job? Has Kevin O'Reilly been interviewed by the Oversight Committee yet? If the answers are still "Yes" and "No", then yes, of course we're not supposed to care about any of this.
Oh, sorry, wrong scandal. · November 28, 2012 at 9:06pm
Well, maybe Bill Newell has been fired, not that anyone here is terribly interested in that.