The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
One thing that one can say about the Obama administration is that it has no shame. In Libya, on this year’s anniversary of 9/11, a makeshift American consulate in Benghazi was successfully attacked by a large mob armed with rocket launchers, and an energetic, dedicated young American ambassador was assassinated. In response, our President, his Secretary of State, and their minions have assiduously sought to deflect attention from the fact that, as Der Spiegel so aptly puts it, “Obama’s Middle East Policy Is in Ruins,” and they have done so by attempting to pin the blame on a hapless Coptic Christian, resident in California, who put up on YouTube some time ago a video highly critical of Islam. I wonder what they would be doing had the perpetrators of this crime used as a pretext the no less anti-Islamic film Religulous made by big-time Obama donor Bill Maher.
In support of the administration’s attempt to deflect attention from the defects of its policy, our Department of Justice, which is by now little more than an arm of the President’s re-election campaign, has responded by having its subordinates track down and identify the film-maker, release his name and that of at least one of his associates to the press, and haul him in after midnight to check whether he has violated the terms of probation imposed on him two years ago in a bank fraud case. And, of course, the mainstream press – which constitutes this year, as it did four years ago, what one Journolist member in 2008 accurately termed Barack Obama’s “unofficial campaign” – has loyally fallen in line, reporting that the video “sparked” the disturbance in Benghazi and intimating thereby that the attack was a spontaneous outburst.
All of this is meant to obscure the obvious – that the attack was planned well in advance. To begin with, it is not fortuitous that it took place – months after the video was posted – on 11 September. Nor can it have been the case that the perpetrators simply picked up in a fit of righteous anger the rocket launchers in their closets. Equipment of this sort is rarely ready to hand. Moreover, if the attackers bagged an American ambassador, it was surely because they had advance warning of his visit, and this means in turn that they had excellent intelligence of the sort that presupposes the cooperation of someone inside the consulate or the inside the embassy in Tripoli.
To get an inkling of the truth, one must turn from the intrepid investigative reporters associated with Pravda-on-the-Hudson, Pravda-on-the-Potomac, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, and, alas, The Wall Street Journal, who have done little more than to reprint administration handouts, to the foreign press – where one learns that “The killings of the US ambassador to Libya and three of his staff were likely to have been the result of a serious and continuing security breach” and that “the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted, but no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and ‘lockdown,’ under which movement is severely restricted.” Moreover, one must turn to a blogpost to discover that our State Department is in the grip of panic: “The working assumption is that several American embassies may have been penetrated, or are vulnerable to attack, because so many of them rely on local residents for staff needs at the embassy, and as such may be in a position to breach security if they have been recruited by Al Qaida.”
The American people cannot be allowed to discover that Barack Obama’s policy of appeasement has persuaded our enemies that we are weak and feckless and has elicited aggression on their part. Nor can they be allowed to learn that Hillary Clinton and our minions have been grossly negligent with regard to the security of our embassies, consulates, and other installations in the larger Muslim world. Instead, we must ignore the spirit of the First Amendment and vent our wrath on an inept Coptic Christian immigrant from Egypt.
For the most part, the press’s contribution to the administration’s disinformation campaign is deliberate and calculated. But one must not underestimate the role played by stupidity. Consider Peggy Noonan. She fell hook, line, and sinker for the administration’s disinformation campaign, and in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal she wrote the following:
Whatever the exact impact of the anti-Muhammad hate film that went viral, we have entered an age of would-be Princips.
Gavrilo Princip of course was the assassin who killed the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife on June 28, 1914. He was 20, largely friendless and small in stature. He pulled the trigger that killed the archduke which led to the ultimatums that brought the war that misshaped the 20th century. From his act sprang nine million dead, Lenin at the Finland Station, the fall of Russia, the rise of communism, World War II, the Cold War . . .
Maybe all those things would have happened anyway, one way or another. We'll never know. All we know is how it did begin, with one young man and a gun.
Now in the age of technology, with everything disseminated everywhere instantly, it isn't one man with a gun but one man with a camera, or a laptop, or a phone.
To be a Princip is to feel power, whatever the cost to others. It is to need to get your point out there, whatever the price others pay. A Princip has a high sense of authority—he is in possession of urgent truths—and no sense of responsibility.
The maker of the videotape that contributed to the rioting in Egypt is a would-be Princip, as is the American pastor, Terry Jones, who burned the Quran.
We are going to have to think about antidotes to and answers for the new Principism. Because it's not going to go away.
Notice what Noonan did and what she failed to do. She did not compare the murderers of our ambassador with the assassin who killed the Archduke Ferdinand, and she did not suggest that they be hunted down and killed. Instead, she singled out a resident of the United States who exercised in a provocative and obnoxious manner his right under the First Amendment to vigorously criticize a religion he did not like, and she intimated that something comparable to the retribution due Gavrilo Princip should be visited upon the film-maker and anyone who imitates his example.
You do not have to agree with the outlook permeating the video produced by this Coptic Christian to think that we as Americans should honor and protect his right to freedom of speech; and, for the record, I think his contribution to public discourse even more reprehensible than Bill Maher’s Religulous – for Maher did not attempt to pass off his own disgraceful work as something sponsored by an ethnic group to which he did not belong – and I regret that the Copt produced the video. But what Peggy Noonan appears to be advocating – and what the Department of Justice is evidently attempting – is nothing short censorship.
I read that Google has been asked by the administration to remove the video from YouTube and has refused to do so. Good for them.
Whatever we do, we should not let anyone – whether foreigners in the Muslim world or the spinmeisters in our own government – dictate what we can think and say.
- Comment (50)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (15)
Comments:
Apr '11
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
Dr Rahe, great to hear you are doing well and see you posting again. I wanted to ask you if you are still feeling the same about your landslide prediction (I have been a huge believer in this as well). After the terrible jobs numbers last Fri and the int'l events of this week, I very much expected to see the polls start to shift towards Romney, yet we are seeing Obama actually increasing his lead in all polls except Rasmussen. Any thoughts on what's transpiring with these polls and how these latest events should move them?
Mar '11
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
Indaba: Since one YouTube video unleashed this hell fire reaction, what about the big, upcoming movie on killing Osama made by Hollywood? They had better round up those troublesome film makers for daring to hurt Muslim feelings.
Has anyone in the White House read about The Enlightenment? The Middle East never went through its Enlightenment and it has held them back in medieval times and attitude. · 14 minutes ago
Indaba, over at Big Hollywood, John Nolte had the exact same thought.
I'm sure Peggy Noonan will be leading the charge to get this dangerous provocation suppressed immediately.
Aug '10
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
Why wouldn't every aspect of their governance be equally mediocre ?
Nothing leads me to suspect otherwise .
Mediocre and mendacious .
Edited on September 16, 2012 at 4:57amApr '11
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
I am really confused. I don't understand the reasoning behind or the timing of the attack on the US embassy in Libya and the ambassador's assassination. Oh sure, I understand the symbolism of 9/11 and all of that, but from the perspective of the people who are responsible for this attack (i.e. Al Qaida and/or Iran), what do they have to gain by perpetrating this atrocity now, so close to the US presidential election? It seems to me that this attack would tend to make American voters want to vote for Romney since he will probably take a much tougher line on Islamic terrorism. I'm operating on the assumption that a Romney win in November would not be in the best interests of these terrorists. I'm not usually one for conspiracy theories, but it almost seems that this attack was set up—not necessarily by Al Qaida or Iran—to influence the election against Obama. Am I the only one who finds the timing of this attack slightly strange and suspicious?
Edited on September 16, 2012 at 6:26amJul '10
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
Black Prince: ...I'm operating on the assumption that a Romney win in November would not be in the best interests of these terrorists. I'm not usually one for conspiracy theories, but it almost seems that this attack was set up—not necessarily by Al Qaida or Iran—to influence the election against Obama. Am I the only one who finds the timing of this attack slighly strange and suspicious? · 39 minutes ago
Edited 0 minutes ago
I'm not into conspiracy theories either, but the situation just could be the opposite of what you stated. With the Middle East in flames - and heaven only know what could follow in the rest of the world - regardless of the failure of the policies of this Administration, a sitting president has a good chance of winning in the middle of a crisis. Changing horses mid stream and all.
But I still think Iran is behind all this.
Jul '10
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
Dr. Rahe - Please forgive me for not commenting above on your wonderful progress. It is so heartening to learn that you are cancer free and that day by day your health is improving.
Aug '10
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
This isn't exactly true. Gallup peaked at 7 pts on Wednesday and is now down to 4 pts. The other polls were done the weekend after the convention. It looks like President Obama has a 2-3 point lead at this point. This is definitely not surmountable. The key is, as it has always been, are those debates. Mr. Romney is going to have to hit that ball right out of the park! If he does, we might just get our country back.
Aug '12
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
Apparently while Obama skips about half the face-to-face intelligence briefings, he always reads the briefs on a secure ipad. With respect to follow-up questions, I'm confident Siri is giving him sound national security advice.
Jul '10
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
I am Sam Bacile. We are all Sam Bacile. I am actually very curious to know what Bill Maher's take on this. He is a pretty objectionable man and wrong on nearly everything, but he eviscerates the jihadists and fellow travelers in a way that only Mark Steyn does and Christopher Hitchens could. I doubt he is on Obama's side on this one.
Oct '10
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
First, their Pawn just took our Rook which is good for them no matter what day it happens, but is greatly enhanced by the symbolism of occurring on 9-11. Second, while you are viewing the world through the prism of US Presidential politics, there is no reason to project that on to Islamic fascists. They've been at this a long time, measured in decades or centuries depending on the point being made. This November we'll hold the ninth US Presidential election since Iran sacked our Embassy in Tehran. It will be the fifth since the first bombing of the World Trade Center and the third since 9-11. Soon, al Qaeda will have Afghanistan back regardless of who wins an election 51 days from now. Anyone thinking soberly understands this. We’ve exhausted ourselves financially and emotionally, but al Qaeda will be training and planning its next attack from where its most recent campaign began. Why should radical Islamists much care about our elections?
Edited on September 16, 2012 at 9:06amOct '10
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
As I've said before, and, sadly for you, will say again: MSM delenda est. That includes WSJ and FoxNews, by the way.
Aug '11
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
The Obama administration is surely on a disinformation campaign. Peggy Noonan and her colleagues can only guess and poke around these incidents that show a State Dept and WH failure. I am appalled that the DOJ under Eric Holder has the job of investigating the deadly attacks in Benghazi on Sept 11. Eric Holder and his DOJ have done nothing but stonewall on major issues, such as Fast and Furious. Do the people in charge at the WH and State Dept have a clue that Americans won't be satisfied with this:
Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland passed responsibility to the DOJ, headed by Attorney General Eric Holder:
Edited on September 16, 2012 at 11:12amRe: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
In October, when this whole thing gets real and everyone is paying attention, I expect a seismic shift in Romney's direction.
Nov '10
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
I once wondered why WSJ kept Peggy around: she writes as if her brains fell out of her head long ago. Then I realized: it's because she generates so much correspondence. People pour in to take a shot at poor old Peggy. It's sad: she used to be big. She's Norma Desmond.
May '11
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
..which will be after the election.
Jun '10
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
I don't know how many Coptic Christians live in Egypt, but it has to be at least a few million. Does nobody in the administration see that by blaming this film maker publicly they risk provoking a genocidal outbreak of violence against Egyptian Christians? Or is it that they just don't care? The administration has crossed the line from shameless to reckless.
Apr '11
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
Great points!
HVTs
First, their Pawn just took our Rook which is good for them no matter what day it happens, but is greatly enhanced by the symbolism of occurring on 9-11. Second, while you are viewing the world through the prism of US Presidential politics, there is no reason to project that on to Islamic fascists. They've been at this a long time, measured in decades or centuries depending on the point being made. This November we'll hold the ninth US Presidential election since Iran sacked our Embassy in Tehran. It will be the fifth since the first bombing of the World Trade Center and the third since 9-11. Soon, al Qaeda will have Afghanistan back regardless of who wins an election 51 days from now. Anyone thinking soberly understands this. We’ve exhausted ourselves financially and emotionally, but al Qaeda will be training and planning its next attack from where its most recent campaign began. Why should radical Islamists much care about our elections? · 6 hours ago
Apr '11
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
Good point! I can see how these attacks might present an opportunity for Obama to "change horses midstream", but given his past track record, I don't see him fundamentally changing his policies with respect to Islam and the Middle East. Now, maybe Obama doesn't have to change in order for this to work for him. Maybe things will quiet down in a few days and he'll take credit for de-escalating the situation and use this as "proof" that his policies work.
barbara lydick
But I still think Iran is behind all this. · 8 hours agoI'm not into conspiracy theories either, but the situation just could be the opposite of what you stated. With the Middle East in flames - and heaven only know what could follow in the rest of the world - regardless of the failure of the policies of this Administration, a sitting president has a good chance of winning in the middle of a crisis. Changing horses mid stream and all.
Oct '10
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
Tom Roberts
... (until) after the election.
Yes, that's the point is it not? How terribly convenient that an abject national security failure, which demonstrates deadly incompetence in the Executive Branch just two months before an election, should suddenly be deemed the province of the Justice Dept.
Romney (himself) needs to denounce this obvious and pathetic ploy to hide important information from the voters (if he hasn’t already!). The House should open an investigation and subpoena the relevant bureaucrats and Cabinet Officers. The voters can all watch “the most transparent administration in history” claiming Executive Privilege and pleading the fifth on national TV, while an inset picture shows a dramatization of the Ambassador’s last few hours on the planet.
This is why we have the Separation of Powers, so the truth will out. And this is why we need candidates who will not flinch from going for the jugular. I think Romney is up to it … sure hope he proves me right.
Dec '11
Re: The Unofficial Campaign’s Latest Disinformation Offensive
When Peggy Noonan is on, she is really good. But she is part of the old guard that respects the establishment - both media and political - and laments thgroundswell of change from the Tea Party contingent. I doubt Reagan would have much good to say about her current series of essays. He would see her for what she is - a palace guard to a crumbling empire.