-
Obama’s Drone War
May 23, 2013 | 16 comments
-
How Long Is This War?
May 20, 2013 | 15 comments
-
Next: The Benghazi Select Committee
May 13, 2013 | 94 comments
-
Nobody Died in Watergate
May 9, 2013 | 148 comments
-
Benghazi Bullchips
May 6, 2013 | 184 comments
Loose Canons
Say No to Susan
Don’t reward her bad behavior.
Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, is reportedly being considered as a possible replacement for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is believed to be leaving soon to spend more time with Bill (i.e., to start her 2016 presidential campaign). Because of Rice’s central role in the Obama administration’s attempt to deceive the American people about what happened in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, she should be denied confirmation if she is nominated.
Everyone whose name isn’t Romney must by now understand what happened on September 11 and how the Obama team spent weeks lying and spinning to cover it up and avoid the blame they richly deserve.
Some weeks before September 11, some knucklehead produced a cheap video that portrayed Islam in an unkind (if not entirely inaccurate) light. Predictably, there were protests and riots in whatever corners of the world Islamists chose to riot. One of them was Cairo.
One of them was not Benghazi. On September 11, in the absence of any protests, a mob of armed attackers swarmed the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, beginning an attack that lasted about seven hours and spread from the consulate to a nearby CIA outpost. Two former Navy SEALs, then employed by the CIA, violated orders and left the outpost. They headed to the consulate to help the other Americans under attack. After failing to find Ambassador Christopher Stevens or anyone else, they returned to the CIA facility, and were attacked and killed by terrorists there.
Throughout the attack, several requests for armed assistance were sent by the SEALs and/or the others who died. According to a CIA statement, no one in the CIA denied those requests.
Nevertheless, U.S. armed forces — including fighter/attack aircraft stationed about 350 miles away in Sicily — weren’t ordered in. Again, the attack went on for about seven hours. The F-18s could have been there in less than an hour.
Afterward, the White House and the whole Obama regime went into full spin mode. On September 12, Obama said that we’d find the perps and bring them to justice. He didn’t — despite what he and Candy Crowley later insisted — label the attack a terrorist act. To the contrary, for weeks the administration spun the story that the attack was a spontaneous reaction to the anti-Islam video. It was a lie then, it is a lie now, and they knew it all along.
Nevertheless, the lovely and charming Ambassador Rice went on five — count ‘em, five — Sunday talk shows the weekend after the attack to insist that the Benghazi riot was a reaction to the video. During one she declared that it was “definitely not” a terrorist attack. By then this was an obvious lie. So how did she come to say it?
President Obama, in full indignation mode, said a couple of days ago that Rice was just making a “presentation” on the Sunday shows, and that no one should pick on her because she had nothing to do with what happened in Benghazi. This explains why she was asked to go out on the spin tour: she was the State Department’s Sergeant Schultz, who knew nothing beyond the talking points she was given. She was sent to spin a lie without the ability to answer any question outside the “presentation” the White House prepared for her.
Rice was made to say certain things the administration knew were false. So who crafted her dishonest message?
By now everyone who isn’t named Romney also knows pretty much everything that former CIA Director David Petraeus testified in a secret congressional hearing on Friday. Petraeus committed the sin of telling the truth, at least this time. After the incident, he reportedly told some congressional intelligence committee members that the anti-Islam video was implicated in the attack. But on Friday, he told Congress — apparently in very specific terms — that he believed from the day of the attack that the Benghazi incident was perpetrated by al Qaeda affiliates. For those of you who are students at Berkeley or MSNBC employees: that means the attackers were terrorists and the CIA probably knew that from the time the attack started.
Petraeus also testified that the CIA’s prepared talking points were changed by someone outside the agency before Rice delivered her “presentation” on the Sunday shows. Nobody knows who, but it had to be either her bosses at State, meaning Hillary Clinton, or at the White House, meaning David Axelrod and Obama.
Obama said Rice made a “presentation” and that anyone who takes issue with it should criticize him, not her. “Presentation” is a very odd term in the context Obama used it. But we should take it at face value. What that means is that she was sent out to say something specific on behalf of the administration she serves. When she said that the attack on Benghazi was “definitely not” a terrorist attack, she was presenting Obama’s view, despite the facts.
To blame the CIA’s talking points for Rice’s lies, as the White House is doing, is risible. Obama is to blame for the lies. But doesn’t Rice, as a senior official, have any responsibility for what she says officially?
Of course she does, and the proper place to hold her accountable would be within the White House. But that is as risible an idea as blaming the CIA for what she said. With Barack Obama in charge, the only way to hold her accountable is in a confirmation hearing, either for reappointment to her current post or in considering her rumored nomination for Secretary of State.
No one should be rewarded for behavior such as hers. If she is nominated, Senate Republicans will have the responsibility to question her closely, demand answers about the Benghazi lies, and block her nomination. Rice will neither recant nor repent. She should not be confirmed to any government post. Not even postmistress of her local zip code.
About the Author
Jed Babbin served as a Deputy Undersecretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush. He is the author of several bestselling books including Inside the Asylum and In the Words of Our Enemies. You can follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (136) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Jed Babbin
More Articles From Loose Canons
http://spectator.org/archives/2012/11/19/say-no-to-susan
Follow us:
ADVERTISEMENT
SPONSORED LINKS
FLASHBACK TO: 1995
-
Pope Culture
A man of faith in a godless age is hitting Americans where it hurts.
-
Why the GOP Does Not, Like, Totally Suck
Mr. and Mrs. American Spectator Reader, let P.J. O’Rourke talk sense to your kids.
-
Dames at Sea
-
In the Absence of Guns
In Britain, defending your property can get you life.
-
The Metaphysical Martini
-
Counting the Costs of Clintonism
The debacle of this president’s administration is both a cause and a symptom of the decline of American values. Unless Congress impeaches him, that decline will go on unchecked. An eminent jurist surveys the damage and assesses the chances for the recovery of our culture.
-
Chuck McHagel
It won’t take long for conservatives to scratch this presidential wannabe off their 2008 scorecard.
-
The Legacy of Old John and Mother Fresh-Roasted
-
It’s the Best Time of the Year
The American Christmas, like the songs that celebrate it, makes room for everybody under the rainbow. Is that why so many people seem to be hostile to it?
-
The Bush Crack-Up
Was the President done in by the economy, or by the politics of the economy?
Clip of the Day
ADVERTISEMENT
spike59| 11.19.12 @ 6:24AM
She's either stupidly incompetent, deliberately dishonest, or both; either way, she's not qualified for anything but the unemployment line
Aristocat| 11.19.12 @ 7:46AM
Susan: Did you lie on your own, or did somebody tell you to lie?
TLP| 11.19.12 @ 9:34AM
This guy's on a Roll.
Stkman| 11.19.12 @ 2:20PM
Jelly or cinammon?
vtwin| 11.19.12 @ 9:39AM
What Petraeus testified to behind closed doors is known only to those present and those briefed afterwards so the only lies being told are Babbin’s. Babbin like others from what David Frum (R), Joe Scarborough (R), and Steve Schmidt (R) call the “conservative entertainment complex” make a living telling lies to gullible fools like you. You know, the same people that told you Romney was going to win in a landslide.
benny havens| 11.19.12 @ 12:18PM
Why are they behind closed doors anyway? We the people should know what the hell happened. They are supposed to work for us, according to the Constitution.
bjb57| 11.19.12 @ 10:23PM
And it sounds like you would prefer not to know how 4 of your fellow Americans were not properly protected and therefore lost their lives or how the American people were told about this tragedy in the days afterward. I guess in your case, ignorance is indeed bliss.
spike59| 11.20.12 @ 5:33AM
ex-ACTLY!!!! brain-dead Obamadrones like vtwin would rather NOT let the American people know that this administration allowed 4 Americans to die, and then lied about it in order to protect the President's chances at re-election-andthe reason they are so vehement about it (screeching 'racism' and 'sexism') is because THEY KNOW IT HAPPENED
philippic| 11.22.12 @ 7:10AM
yawn. here's what we do know.
we know you don't care.
we know politics trumps the deaths of Americans for you.
we know you are dishonest. there's plenty of info that has leaked on this. there is plenty of information - including time sequenced communiques - that have been released.
we know you are uninformed beyond imagination. I remember listening the "day of" to military experts dialing in to various news/talk media providing analysis backed by experience that pointed to obvious conclusions drawn from the facts of the situation.
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 7:47AM
Oh, contraire, mon frere:
Susan Rice is EXACTLY what this country wants in positions of power. She is a glittering jewel of affirmative action revenge; she is a paragon of liberal values.
I say we nominate her for the Supreme Court. No openings, at present, you say? So what? Obama can kick Alito or Thomas off with a wave of his royal hand.
Or, better yet, let's ask Obama to appoint her president in 2016 (if he chooses to step down, peace be upon him)!
After all, she's a woman - and she's black. That means she's not only right and honest all the time, she's doubly right and honest all the time.
In a sane America, this incident would be a no brainer. It is obvious what happened here and where the buck stops.
But we don't live in a sane America. We live in liberalville, which we got to by going down the rabbit hole, making a left at False Consciousness Avenue and and then banging another left down the Alley of Narcissistic Greed.
And that great sucking sound you hear is the GOP rolling over and playing dead. Ah, the mainstream media has trained them well. Good geldings know their place.
Please remember: There are no rules in this brave new world but what Obama and his cronies tell us are the rules. And this is what America wants.
Bon appetit!
gene| 11.19.12 @ 8:32AM
"...She's either stupidly incompetent, deliberately dishonest, or both; either way, she's not qualified for anything but the unemployment line....."
Actually it sounds like she's qualified for the Top Job considering who just got illegally re-elected.
Mike in N.C.| 11.19.12 @ 2:52PM
illegally elected? You've been involved in the right wing circle jerk for far too long. You have lost all perspective.
philippic| 11.22.12 @ 7:13AM
and you have been engaged in the left wing circle jerk too long: ME policy, such as it is, is not producing beneficial results. it has led to increased violence and deteriorating American influence/security.
Gary B| 11.19.12 @ 8:48AM
Grzmlyk, you said what I'm thinking.
Obama's pattern is to rub our noses in it. Pushing Rice for Secretary of State and floating Kerry for Secretary of Defense are examples.
The key word in his entire campaign was "revenge." It connected with huge numbers in his base on the most basic emotional level.
The Republican "brand" is kaput. It has been successfully framed by Democrats and the press as a mean spirited put down by wealthy white men. That image - the image of "the man" - remains the target of Obama's revenge. Since the perceived grievances are vague and non-specific, it can't be rebutted. Add to that the propensity of the Republican establishment to surrender on every issue and you've got an untenable situation. I don't think wheeling out a Cuban or Mexican candidate who offers amnesty light is going to help much. Kicking the establishment in the ass and sticking to conservative principles is the only way to save the country. In other words it's up to the Tea Party to take a gun to a gun fight. It's going to be close because the damage this time around may be irreparable.
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 9:17AM
Gary, I've come to realize that the seven deadly sins now run America and the West. Lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. This could be the Democrat platform in 2016 and not a single media person would bat an eye.
Progressivism has successfully pulled off an incredible magic trick right before our yes: They have inverted morality.
I'm glad you included the GOP establishment, which, ever since Romney-RINO lost, have been saying the way to beat Democrats in the future is to become Democrats.
As Charles Krauthammer said, be nicer to illegals. Or, as Bill Kristol said, it's ok to raise taxes on the evil rich. Or, as the Wall Street Journal's Brett Stephens said, "stay out of people's bedrooms" (meaning embrace homosexual marriage and the whole gay agenda). Or as Bobby Jindahl said, whatever you do, don't admit that Dems win by buying votes. Or as one "conservative" person posted on this site, "embrace the unions." Or as Romney himself said, keep that college loan grift going, embrace protectionist policies, bow to affirmative action and pursue green energy.
There IS no GOP anymore.
Unfortunately, the Tea Party has been successfully demonized; they are now equivalent to Nazis in the eyes of America.
There IS no way to save the country. The sooner the whole rotten edifice collapses, the better.
TLP| 11.19.12 @ 9:47AM
TLP| 11.13.12 @ 8:40AM
The worst thing we can do, at this point, is to Drag This Out over the long haul.
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!
I say - Give the people what they want, IN SPADES.
If any of you have Kids? Then you know that, for the most part, you can't tell'em anything once they hit the Tweens and the Teens. Because they're your Kids, you Love Them. Because you love them, you try to make their Life's Journey a little less Rocky, by imbuing them with the knowledge you've gleaned from every Wrong Decision that you've ever made in your life. And, they NEVER listen. So you stand by, and suffer through it, as they learn one Hard Lesson after another.
Unfortunately.......This Country can't afford that. We don't have the time.
This Country needs an INTERVENTION.
The Muslim wants Higher Taxes on the Wealthy. The People knew this, when they cast their Votes. Give the People what they want. Step Aside and let the Tax Hammer fall.
He desires Higher Gas Prices, Higher Food Prices, and More Regulations. He has Promised since 2008 that: "My Policies will make Electricity Prices, necessarily SKYROCKET". Everyone who voted for him, knew that going in.
He Promised that he would: "BANKRUPT the Coal Industry".
He still got Reelected.
REPLY TO THIS
TLP| 11.19.12 @ 9:47AM
TLP| 11.13.12 @ 9:03AM
I say - Give the MFer what he wants, cause he's gonna get it, anyway. To Negotiate with him, knowing that he holds all the Cards while you have No Spines, is tantamount to Pissing Your Pants up on the stage, while you're stammering through your lines in your 4th Grade Thanksgiving Play.
I say that we give him everything he wants.
Like with our Kids? This bunch of Americans will never believe that they can get burned, by touching the Stove, until they touch the Stove and get burned.
It's time to let Nature take its course.
It's time to SETTLE THIS.
Once and for all.
Let him FINISH what he has Started. And, let him do it all by himself.
Do nothing, and remember what Paul Neuman's character said in the Uber Classic - Cool Hand Luke - "Sometimes NOTHING, can be a Real Cool Hand."
Indeed.
REPLY TO THIS
TLP| 11.19.12 @ 9:48AM
What took you so long?
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 10:01AM
Interesting analogy - don't forget what happens to Cool Hand Luke. He dies essentially for nothing - however, he also lived essentially for nothing. UNTIL his moment of truth came, and then he finds a higher purpose to his life, which gives his death meaning.
And, in the end, he does attain a modicum of freedom.
The question is, do you want to die a free man or live a slave? It's not a bad question to ask now that Orwell's 1984 is here in spades (oops - Chris Matthews would call that a none-too subtle "Dog Whistle").
And let's not forget what got Cool Hand Luke into trouble in the first place - cutting the heads off of parking meters in a drunken act of vandalism (i.e., defying the powers that be). Not a nice thing to do, but not in line with the punishment he endured.
If you've been reading my posts - particularly since election day - you wouldn't be asking "what took you so long."
WaffenSS| 11.19.12 @ 10:08AM
"What we have here is, failure to communicate".
TLP| 11.19.12 @ 3:37PM
I have been reading your posts.
That why I said the you're Late to the Party
Stkman| 11.19.12 @ 2:23PM
It's because Boehnor has had a "failure to communicate".
Drunken Sailor| 11.19.12 @ 4:03PM
Boehner's problem is he's "still shaking it boss, still shaking it.
JmsA| 11.19.12 @ 1:28PM
Gary B,
Here's a quote by a Cuban, just for you:
"Liberty is the right of every man to be honest, to think and to speak without hypocrisy."
Why the disdain if not hate to a group who only totals about 1/6th of 1% of the total U.S. population, and voted more than 80% for Reagan, twice, as well as 74% and 78% for GWB?
It also voted 58% for Romney, though the actual breakdown of the vote continues, and might actually be higher when all is said and done (CTP/University of Miami).
Whether you're ignorant or actually refuse to believe the truth, which applies to many others posting herein, it was the Mexicans who benefited from Reagan's 1986 amnesty that have been voting and continue to vote democrat.
If the "Cuban" candidate is nominated, the republicans will get the only true "Hispanic" (Celtiberian) vote, that of Cuban-Americans, but not the Mexican vote, etc.
Stop blaming Rubio for what others, i.e., democrats and chamber of commerce republicans have done and are doing insofar as amnesty for the illegal aliens is concerned.
If the rest of the country had a clue and voted like Cuban-Americans have for decades, the country wouldn't be in the fix it presently finds itself in.
"Truth isn't mean. It's truth." --A. Breitbart
JmsA| 11.19.12 @ 1:42PM
Quote attribution: Jose Marti, through whose eyes and writings Latin America came to know the U.S. I highly recommend his essay on Walt Whitman.
Doctor Right| 11.19.12 @ 10:29AM
It's time for a litter reality check:
Let's stop pretending that the GOP establishment in Congress and the Senate has either the inclination of the balls to stop this confirmation.
They're timid little pussies who are afraid of being called "racist" and "sexist."
In short, they are utterly, 100% worthless...and they're NOT going to change.
That's why I've left the GOP...for good. This last election was the clincher. Obama was such low-hanging fruit, but Romney (who otherwise ran a good campaign) and his handlers would NOT go after him on critical issues like Benghazi.
I urge ALL like-minded Conservatives to ditch the GOP and register as independents.
That will either force the GOP to grovel for our votes and give us good candidates, or it will kill the GOP once-and-for-all.
Honestly, either outcome is OK with me.
Until this happens, we will have one-Party rule in this country. The demographics and the freeloaders are simply too numerous for a bunch of whining, wimpy pansies like the GOP-establishment to deal with.
Susan Rice will be nominated for Sec-of-State, and she WILL be confirmed.
Stop dreaming, and act.
KennesawJack| 11.19.12 @ 3:11PM
Doc, I've always thought you couldn't win a war if you weren't on the battlefield but, this time, I think you're correct. Time to leave the Republican Party and open up a new front in the war against liberty. Independents, here I come.
Occam's Tool| 11.19.12 @ 6:12PM
Start the American Conservative Party. Tenets:
1: Our enemies overseas must pay for their attacks on us, without "Nation Building." We do not need to wait for an open attack to strike, but we should avoid helping scum who bite the hands that feed them (think Somalia).
2. Life begins at Conception.
3. All non-defense US spending needs to be guided by the "Grandmother Rule." Is it worth putting your Grandmother in prison if she doesn't pay her taxes for it? (Thanks to PJ O'Rourke, whom this idea is stolen from)
4) Taxes should be used to pay for Government, NOT for social engineering. They should be kept as low as possible, because the Power to Tax is the Power to Destroy.
5)Most non-defense spending should devolve on the States. No Federal Rules should be unfunded by the Federal Government and enforced on the States---unless it has to do with interstate/international defence or trade, or the security of the nation (think major plague) the Federal Government should NOT BE INVOLVED. This will allow States to determine (and pay for) being Sweden or Texas, and take their own consequences.
6) Government is rarely good; at most it tends to function as a necessary evil. This always needs to be kept in mind when considering any domestic spending program at State or Federal level.
The idea is to push all government activities down to THE LOWEST LEVEL that they can be, and decentralize control as much as possible.
SUBVET| 11.19.12 @ 8:35PM
OT....again today, we're beyond the point now where words or policies are gonna change anything. Been there, done that. We now have to be patient. Only "events" are going to upset the current status quo. You see, folks, the Republicans will win again. But it has crossed my mind that the American people still are the most resilient bunch. But it will be the "events", and it will be the decline due to these big government policies that leads to the Republican victory. It will not be a bunch of Republicans running around saying things, obviously. It's clear that the Republican Party today, and this could change next year. I mean, this is still the postelection aftermath......RL
I think Rush is right the EVENTS will change the way the people think and deal with this.
When the sh*t hits the fan only and only then will things change......buckle-up the ride will be crazy....only if you are not prepared.
CJW| 11.19.12 @ 5:34PM
Can't register as indepedent in Pa because then you cannot vote in the primaries. Only registered Dems can vote in Dem primary and registered Reps in Rep primary. Need to check the primary rules of your state. Some allow anyone to vote in primaries.
RAM| 11.19.12 @ 4:47PM
Her boss is the same way, and it got him reelected!
Joellen| 11.19.12 @ 6:49AM
Nor should Obama, either Clinton, Biden, etc., have been rewarded with their jobs. And please, that phoney "he-man" challenge that Obama try to feign in defense of Rice - oh yea that was as believable as MSNBC reporting real news.
Stephie| 11.19.12 @ 7:43AM
Per the spew on yesterday's morning programs, "it stopped at the "deputy's committee". What the hell is that!! This is where the buck will stop, giving obama cover for the deaths of the 4 in Benghazi.
Von Mises Jr| 11.19.12 @ 8:10AM
Regardless if Obama committed murder by abandoning our Ambassador and his detail, he is responsible for lying to the American people.
Not only does this reach the level of High Crimes and Misdemeanors, but it clearly seems to be Treason that is in violation of Article III Section 3 of our Constitution.
Nixon was run out of Office for much less and nobody got sodomized, tortured or died.
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 8:44AM
Lying to the American people? That is rich. Good luck with that. In case you haven't noticed, the truth is what the Media-Propaganda comlex tells us it is.
In the case of Nixon, not only was it a classic feeding frenzy on a wounded GOP president, it was payback for Alger Hiss. You don't mess with the American Communist Party and live to tell about ti.
Obama's a Democrat (that is, a Communist). He'll receive the Congressional Medal of Honor for this, possibly presented by that paragon of courage, John Boehner - or maybe the quivering Mitch McConnell.
Heck, there may be another Nobel Peace Prize in it for the Big O. Nothing as inconsequential as reality will be permitted to sully the narrative of Our Dear Leader and the Arab Spring. Why, it's one of our most treasured, if newly-minted, myths. Not unlike the late Kim Jong Il's making 15 holes in one the very first time he played golf.
America will never, ever impeach a Democrat president. Certainly not the vacuous, petulant, ignorant, angry, entitled blank slate in which fools and crooks and vandals see their own images.
Again, this is the leader what we WANT. The is the America we chose.
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 10:22AM
Just to clarify, VMJr., my dystopian bile is not really directed at you. It is directed at the corrupt tyranny under which we live and the corrupt, vain, puerile, ignorant,greedy, felonious, narcissistic, lazy fools, like VTWIT and PURP, who put us there.
When the socialist house of cards comes crashing down - and that's going to be soon - they will STILL blame conservatism, of course, for the havoc they themselves have wrought, but the rubble will not show partisanship as to upon whom it falls.
I will take delight in witnessing the Great Crushing.
Von Mises Jr| 11.19.12 @ 10:59AM
I understand and share your sorrow and disbelief, my friend. But we are now seeing a backlash of much of the country. A government cannot survive without the consent of the people unless they wish to use force. I hear people from places like LA saying "bring it on."
I refused to support the welfare state a few years ago when my very small business failed after the Sub-prime debacle. Instead of work to pay for other's greed, I will simply drink beer, read books and listen to the Blues.
I don’t have the disposable income I used to enjoy, so I gave up expensive French Burgundy. But you can still buy some tasty beverages and enjoy life on market profits.
I actually enjoyed working helping myself and others. Now I just worry about numero uno.
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 11:18AM
Americans will lie down and take this tyranny. After all, even our own pundits are in on the canard. The LIKE the status quo.
No backlash is forthcoming. I used to hope that working America would "go Gault," but that doesn't happen. The company I work for, a Fortune 50 insurance company, simply bends further over every year and its reply to every new government regulation is, "thank you sir! May I have another?" To the employees, the executive class portrays all of these new regulations and interventions in our business as wonderful and marvelous. Our company is as infected with political correctness as your average college campus. It is the wages of years of "go along to get along."
But you are right. The truth is that we've already lost the battle. Personally, I think we should do a little Cloward-Piven ourselves. Put down our work and get in line for government benefits - every last one of us.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. I WANT MY HANDOUT.
I do believe more coercion IS forthcoming, but, like my company, a critical mass of business in this country will play go along to get along - fascism on the way to Communism.
We lost America to the corruptocrats because we did not deserve to keep it.
RCV| 11.19.12 @ 7:36PM
I figured you were a real productive guy.
benny havens| 11.19.12 @ 7:13AM
Is anyone really surprised at this? This Administration has been lying for four years.
Axelrod & Obama; Just tell them it was the video, after all, we have a campaign to run. We’ll deal with this matter after the election.
Gr0w1er601| 11.19.12 @ 7:18AM
Oblunder does it again: welcome to the new Secretary of State.
Hardcard| 11.19.12 @ 7:42AM
Now the media pivots and turns to amb.rice this is all so obvious. rice is only a small part of this monster. Deflect, defend, confuse, misinform, accuse, deceive. While the moslem and hilary are hiding in Asia As the web is weaved. None dare call it treason.
PJ| 11.19.12 @ 7:45AM
We all know that Susan Rice is a lying snake like her boss. To me, that's enough not to support her nomination.
Yet I read somewhere, either at Breibart or PJMedia that Russian President Putin dislikes her. That would be enough reason for me to reconsider her nomination if its true.
OP4| 11.19.12 @ 7:55AM
Perhaps Putin dislikes serial liars, I certainly do.
PJ| 11.19.12 @ 8:08AM
Diplomacy with other countries, esp competitive ones, is a bit different compared with day-to-day interactions among ordinary persons. I'm sure lies abound in the diplomatic world. Do you really think Putin is as honest as they come?
Having Susan Rice as Secretary of State means that Putin will be very careful on how he deals with USA & possibly international situations. Putin is leading a weak country & he knows it.
I don't like Susan Rice, but it's Obama who has to leave. She & everyone else will follow.
OP4| 11.19.12 @ 8:18AM
There is the normal diplomatic vagaries and tactical falsehoods. Then there is being in a room with a person who you know is incapable of any sincerity. If she told me it was sunny outside, I wouldn't believe her without looking out a window.
With such a lying snake, diplomacy is impossible.
Mike G| 11.19.12 @ 8:50AM
You're saying that Putin dislikes Obama, even though Obama promised to "be more flexible"? Who woulda guessed??
Drunken Sailor| 11.19.12 @ 12:00PM
Putin dislikes women in power period. Sometimes it really is that simple.
Ted R.| 11.19.12 @ 7:48AM
There you go again. Willful obstruction. You just got shellacked, and you're still acting as if it's 2010. Just who do you think has the Senate? No, Rice is going to State - and she's got a big future ahead of her.
And if you filibuster? Ah, not this time. We've got filibuster reform locked and loaded, just waiting for you guys to trigger it with some more dumb obstruction. Bring it ON.
OP4| 11.19.12 @ 7:58AM
"filibuster reform" makes me laugh. It is based on the assumption that the Democrats will never lose the Senate.
spike59| 11.20.12 @ 5:41AM
"Willful obstruction"
-----------------------------------------------------
the bizarre workings of the Progtard 'mind' never cease to amaze me; the assumption that since ObaMao got elected, those in the House and Senate of the other party must 'go along' with whatever idiocy The One comes up with.
Here's a news flash, dumbass...EVERY Senator and Congressman ALSO won their last election!
Please tell me: are you Progtards merely being intellectually dishonest when you spout off your infantile 'obstructionist' charges, or are you REALLY AND TRULY that stupid?
spike59| 11.21.12 @ 10:08AM
here's what even the OmaMao worshiping MSM had to say about 'big future' Rice 4 years ago:
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-157587
she's only proved more incompetent with time
Frank Drackman| 11.19.12 @ 8:15AM
Elections have consequences, if you reject Moe, Larry, and Curly, you'll end up with Shemp, or even worse, Joe Besser.
Besides, she's sort of hot, as I remarked on my Facebook page, thats getting more hits than Tina Turner...
boy, I'm dating myself..
Frank
Bob Grant| 11.19.12 @ 9:04AM
Frank,
You pretty much outed yourself a couple of weeks ago when you made a Jerry Clower reference.
Not a problem. Just keep posting your gems.
TLP| 11.19.12 @ 3:41PM
PENALTY!
Bob Grant| 11.19.12 @ 3:54PM
A Jerry Clower fan I see.
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 1:25PM
I dated myself once, but I broke up with me. Too much me and not enough me time, you know?
Bob Grant| 11.19.12 @ 1:33PM
And there's that stalker problem when you break up with yourself...
Albert Constantine Jr.| 11.19.12 @ 5:43PM
Of course, there was Curly Joe for a while in the early 60s (I can't get that "Sand Which is here" line out of replay loop nearly 50 years later).
However, back to Susan Rice, I didn't realize that she was black. My wife is darker than her.
Al Adab| 11.19.12 @ 8:33AM
Susan performed like the good soldier she is. She repeated the party line while knowing (or else her boss lied to her) it was false. For whatever reasons of politics and/or State she did her job flawlessly.
Just as her boss later spoke at the U N and knowingly repeated the same falsehoods for reasons of international peace, or was it political advantage? Newspeak folks. We live in a brave new world.
CJW| 11.19.12 @ 5:41PM
Al
I believe Susan Rice testified because Hillary and Panetta refused, and Rice was stupid enough to believe and recite the WH talking points.
The Reps should fight on each issue, from Rice to Supreme Court nominations to funding Obamacare and all others. Adopt the same tactics as Harry Reid did agains GWB after 2004.
Mme.B| 11.20.12 @ 8:38AM
I think you are correct that Hillary and Panetta refused. Rice was more than willing to be the WH spokesman, she saw it as an opportunity. The ever obedient Andrea Mitchell reported yesterday that Rice's 5 appearances were to be her time to shine.
Anthony| 11.19.12 @ 8:34AM
What did anyone expect from this totally corrupt and amoral Obozo administration?
Neither Obozo nor Hillary wanted to be front and center with the Benghazi disaster, with 4 Americans dead and blood on their hands, so they ran for the tall grass and sent out the clueless Rice.
If these bastards in the Obozo administration could have gotten away with sending the Sec. of Labor to front for Obozo and Hillary they would have.
Lord knows, the whores in the MSM wouldn't have given it a second thought.
We need to hold these people accountable, even if the media, the feckless Rs, and the Washington establishement don't.
It's up to us now folks to save our Republic, what's left of it.
Nancy in NC| 11.19.12 @ 8:46AM
If one is a black Democrat they get a pass in this country. Does anyone think Charlie Rangel would have got a pass if he were a Republican? I wonder if Anthony Weiner might still be in Congress if he were black.
If one is a black athlete they get a pass. OJ got many free years because the color of his skin. Still can't figure out how he managed to actually do something to land his sorry butt in jail.
And Susan Rice will get a pass because the color of her skin. The excuse will be she just was telling what she was told. God only knows no one would expect her to have any principles or to think for herself. She was a puppet following the party line.
Let's face it readers, integrity and character are difficult to find in America. And it's almost impossible to find in the District of Corruption.
So much for the dream of MLK. We still judge people by the color of their skin, not the content of their character.
vtwin| 11.19.12 @ 9:48AM
“Integrity and character are difficult to find in America.” Agreed, but racist are aplenty.
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 12:11PM
That's right. Everybody knows blacks can do no wrong; why, to accuse a black person of wrongdoing, or a crime, or malfeasance, is ipso facto racism. Duh. Everybody who listens to Rachel Maddow knows THAT.
Unless, of course, a black person happens to escape the liberal plantation and starts thinking for himself. Then it's, "release the hounds, boys, we got us some uppity folk who don't know what's good for 'em!"
For people like Clarence Thomas and Thomas Sowell, you liberals start using terms like "Step-n-fetchit" and "house N....er."
But you hide behind concepts like "Noblesse Oblige" and "Affirmative Action" and "Compassion" in order to practice your racism.
You are a bigot a thousand times over.
spike59| 11.20.12 @ 5:43AM
just check out the CBC, and you'll find a whole gaggle of them!
philippic| 11.22.12 @ 7:14AM
so are left wing/progressive bigots.
Stephie| 11.19.12 @ 8:48AM
I fear nothing will come of this or someone small from the "deputy's committee" will take the fall for it.
Am somewhat happy with Graham and McCain tho. Or is all that just empty blustering.
Gary B| 11.19.12 @ 8:55AM
It's empty blustering. McCain is a backstabbing little shit whose forte is reaching across the aisle every chance he gets. How 'bout that tough investigation of Fast & Furious by Darrell Issa? How's that working out for us?
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 12:28PM
If a Democrat does it, it's legal. If a Democrat does it, it's moral. If a Democrat does it, it's the wisest course of action.
I agree with Bob Grant below: Graham and McCain are liberalism's little neutered lapdogs who occasionally growl, but generally do what they're told so they can continue to enjoy the tasty treats the Democrat party gives its pets when they behave.
God forbid they ever get off Democrats' laps and DO something.
There is no law in this country but what Obama's thugs tell us is the law.
And that is what America wants.
Bob Grant| 11.19.12 @ 10:16AM
Empty blustering from Graham and McCain. At the end of the day (man, I hate that phrase) McGraham will ask a couple of perfunctory uncomfortable questions of secretary of state nominee Rice and go ahead and approve her nomination on the grounds that she "sufficiently passed the threshold" of a secretary of state.
They will claim a vigorous nomination hearing was held but at the end of the day (man, I really hate that phrase) a president should maintain the right to nominate whoever they desire for their cabinet positions.
McGraham can maintain their Reasonable RINO status and fierce loyal opposition to obama.
Finally, they will go on FOX News and brad about how tough they were on rice and obama.
obama wins yet another battle, and to reward himself he will play a few extra rounds of golf, and if he's up for it, invite the entire Chicago Bulls over for a hoops session.
Meanwhile, America continues it's cascade downward.
Hardcard| 11.19.12 @ 8:58AM
empty blustering !
sickofit5| 11.19.12 @ 8:59AM
Had to laugh, not really, while watching Lindsey Graham defend his position on Rice not being qualified for SOS by telling the moderator that he supported Kagan and Sotomayor for the SCOTUS. Wow Lindsey, that sure makes me feel better.
sickofit5| 11.19.12 @ 9:05AM
I agree with Stephie, nothing will come of this. Right now all the junior sycophants crapping on themselves for fear of the finger of responsibility pointing at one of them for "changing" the CIA's talking points. Petraeus has lied twice, when he initially reported on 9-14 and again last week when he said he didn't lie on the 14th and told the senators that terrorist were involved. There are no men of courage in this administration.
Gary B| 11.19.12 @ 11:16AM
When everyone is afraid of you, do you run the place? Everyone is afraid of the press. Does that mean they control just about everything? Yup, it does.
The press isn't Obama's lapdog; he's their lapdog. They made him and they sustain him. They can drop him down a rat hole any time they wish.
Gary B| 11.19.12 @ 11:19AM
Ten tough questions in a row, then pile on for days and he's done.
Gary B| 11.19.12 @ 11:20AM
So, who really runs the place?
Drunken Sailor| 11.19.12 @ 12:03PM
The inmates at the asylum apparently.
Louis Jenkins| 11.19.12 @ 9:14AM
Go ahead, let her have the spot. She's right in line with Hillary, only she's black, and that makes her even more right for the job. She lied? What's the big deal? Yes, I saw her lying face on the five talk shows, well, not really, only saw her on two but one was enough to figure out that she was lying. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Her and the big cheese will get along just fine. The next four years will be nothing but lies, so readers, get used to it. The only time there will be truth is when a little item is overlooked by the political machine, and that will be seldom.
Kwan| 11.19.12 @ 9:44AM
Rice's mission was to support the Obama myth that once he had whacked bin-Laden Al-Qaeda was finished. Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans would lose their lives due to the fact that the Obama administration was no longer connected to reality, as they actually reduced security personnel at the Benghazi compound. Disconnection from reality has been a continuous problem with the Obama Administration as we've seen with the 800 billion stimulus, the approaching disaster soon to destroy our healthcare system called ObamaCare, the fantasy about an Arab Spring, the call to raise taxes in the midst of a recession, and now a call to install a carbon tax to deal with the non-existent problem of global warming. Yes in the alternative universe of Obama Land all is well and good, but in the real world the clown-circus called the Obama Administration continues to produce one disaster after another.
Butch| 11.19.12 @ 3:41PM
If you look at Obama as the Manchurian Candidate front-man for anti-American forces, these disasters are actually successful.
Stimulus--most wound up in their pockets;
ObamaCare--best way to control the population;
Fantasy Arab Spring--Sharia takes over and, coupled with EPA domestic energy production control creates a dependent nation without energy;
Raise Taxes During Recession--Revenge on the achievers.
A smashing success if you are anti-American.
TLP| 11.19.12 @ 3:42PM
Mr. Kwan.
Why have you deserted us?
Mike in N.C.| 11.19.12 @ 10:39AM
In this story, the incredible hypocrisy of the right is on full display. Let's assume that Susan Rice decided to ignore the official "talking points" and to go on the Sunday talk shows to announce that the attack on Benghazi was instigated by terrorists. In other words, that she decided to go rogue. Once discovered, is there anyone who believes that the right wouldn't be screaming bloody murder, accusing her of undermining national security by leaking classified information? The right wing propaganda machine is pathetically transparent. Nevertheless, you have your cause célèbre to feed the useful fools still reeling from their loss on November 6th.
Tom Kyba| 11.19.12 @ 11:01AM
Apparently the dangers of blatantly projecting your psychosis onto others isn't being taught at NAMBLA these days.
Mike in N.C.| 11.19.12 @ 11:16AM
I see you have nothing to bring to the table.
Mike in N.C.| 11.19.12 @ 11:22AM
Besides your emotionally and intellectually stunted nonsense, that is.
JD| 11.19.12 @ 7:02PM
Mike from N.C.,
I doubt Rice would have been condemned for "going rogue" as you say, since the Right would have been more preoccupied with the implications of her claims against Obama.
However, even if she had, your accusation of hypocrisy is flawed. The simple reality is that serious mistakes were made with regard to Benghazi, and when serious mistakes are made, no followup action immunizes one from criticism. You are either guilty of what went wrong or guilty of lying AND of what went wrong.
Oh, and the Benghazi story and the Right's focus on it predate November 6.
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 12:47PM
I thought last week that you were misguided.
Now I realize that you're just a garden-variety ideologue/idiot. Or perhaps a liar - but then all liberals are liars. Lies are the oxygen you breathe.
Let's talk for a moment about the incredibly hypocrisy of the left: Valerie Plame was supposedly "outed" - even though she was a desk jockey no longer operating "under cover" - by Richard Armitage.
There was no "there" there whatsoever - no government secrets revealed, nobody harmed (Plame and Joseph Wilson DID get a cover picture on Vanity Fair, however), no national security compromised.
But that didn't stop Democrats from screaming bloody murder, accusing Bush himself of undermining national security by leaking a covert operator's name and demanding Karl Rove's and/or Dick Cheney's criminal prosecution - eventually settling for Scooter Libby's scalp.
Now in the Benghazi affair, people actually died - and why did they die? Because Obama didn't want the myth of his brilliance in destroying Al Qaeda to be dowsed by the cold water of truth. But according to you assholes, there's nothing to see here. Move along.
And WE'RE the hypocrites? Are you really that stupid and ideologically blinkered, or just a typical liberal liar?
You libtards may all share the same collective mind, but, individually, you are separate pieces of shit. Not much diversity to celebrate there, though.
Mike in N.C.| 11.19.12 @ 2:49PM
So, if there was nothing to cover up, why did Scooter Libby perjure himself and end up going to jail? C'mon, Grzmlyk.
Warrior| 11.19.12 @ 5:50PM
Grz calling you an idiot was really an understatement. Judge who wouldn't allow evidence with a stacked jury for a trial where no actual crime had been committed to warrant an investigation. The proof that Libby changed his statement (because of time and memory) was prosecuted on the changed statements of others because of time and memory.
You have proven my Lancelot Link theory from Friday. Congratulations.
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 8:10PM
And like all liberals, Tweedle dee, you entirely miss the point, which was the double standard about hypocrisy, and how your friend, Tweedle Dum, implied that Dems never cry like stuck pigs - (which they they did to no end during the Plame incident) and yet, the difference in seriousness between the two incidents couldn't be greater - uh, in case you can't figure it out, the Plame affair was a politically-motivated non-event. In Benghazi, people died. So, hard as it is for you to grasp, the
Benghazi incident was worse.
If you could get an adult to read my post to you, you might see that I mentioned nothing Libby's conviction - although I'd be happy to explain the difference between process crimes and real crimes to you some day.
But you morons never do see the forest for the ideological trees. Capice now, Tweedle Dee?
Warrior| 11.20.12 @ 10:58AM
The only thing I disagreed with you on was calling Mike and idiot, which I told you was an understatement. I would have called him a product of Oedipal love or Lancelot (a name which I have found a new appreciation for). Tweedle dee does have a nice sound to it...at least better than Tweedle dum.
Occam's Tool| 11.19.12 @ 6:15PM
Because Judges and Lawyers are idiots, Mike. I deal with their stupidity every week.
SUBVET| 11.19.12 @ 8:39PM
OT....I would to if I made 350K a year.
Grzmlyk| 11.19.12 @ 9:01PM
You are a dishonest little shit, aren’t you? But then truth means zero to you people.
You changed the subject, which, incidentally, YOU brought up. You know, the ludicrous hypothetical you invented about Republicans screaming bloody murder of Susan Rice had "gone rogue?"
The point I was making (please try to follow) was that this is a serious incident in which people died, and any government official would be derelict in his duty if he didn't "scream bloody murder” if an underling lied in contravention of the president's orders.
In contrast, you assholes actually DID scream bloody murder – and cried and cried and cried about national security being undermined by the Valerie Plame "outing" – over an inconsequential desk jockey who wasn't even under cover at the time; it was all a complete fabrication.
Oh, how you wrung your little hands and squealed about national security being undermined. Of course you didn't give a damn about Plame or the truth. What you wanted was to bring Cheney or Rove down any way you could; what you got was Scooter Libby.
But you were able to keep this non-event in the press for months, thanks to the propaganda arm of your party. If you didn't rewrite history every single day, most of you cretins would be in jail.
Susan Rice is a loyal order taker; we all know what went on here - Obama let people die for political gain and sent her out to lie so as to preserve your Lord and Savior's sanctity.
Bob Grant| 11.19.12 @ 3:48PM
If Susan Rice proclaimed the attack on Benghazi was instigated by terrorists, people on the right would say "No Sh*t Sherloquia, what took Barry so long to state the obvious?"
People on the right are simple
Bob Grant| 11.19.12 @ 3:51PM
...People on the right are simple, straightforward people.
Just acknowledge what is obvious before our own eyes and don't lie to us.
bjb57| 11.19.12 @ 10:31PM
She either didn't ask the right questions when receiving the talking points or she willfully ignored inconvenient information that was provided to her. Either way, I think this disqualifies her to be SOS. What is your opinion on the merits of her being SOS? Do you want the best qualified person possible or is it just important that your side wins?
spike59| 11.20.12 @ 5:44AM
"In other words, that she decided to be honest."
There-fixed it for ya
Mme.B| 11.20.12 @ 8:55AM
Mike
You might not have been paying attention to the Benghazi issue until last week, but many of us have since 9/11/12. Your logic is flawed. If we take your scenario, how would mentioning that the attack was caused by terrorists been leaking classified information? One could mention terrorists and not be specific as to which ones and claim things are under investigation (which she did). Why would the WH need the strawman of the video, which they knew was false ? Terrorist doesn't just mean al Qaeda.
The assassination of US Ambassador meant that Benghazi would be investigated after the election, not to punish BO but to find out what went wrong.
It's not about leaking classified info, but about purposefully creating that false narrative.
philippic| 11.22.12 @ 7:22AM
non sequitur. and a reformulation of the problem statement designed to obfuscate.
1) it was known from the start this was a terrorist event.
2) somewhere in the chain the decision was made to perpetrate a lie.
- why?
- who?
- either susan rice has the experience and analytic ability to understand the events in Lybia or she doesn't. if not...she shouldn't be SoS. if she does....then she had to know she was being paraded to mask the truth. either way, there are obvious conclusions to be drawn about: her integrity, her competence, her analytic skills, her willingness to be used...etc...etc.
Stick| 11.19.12 @ 11:36AM
What does it say for our WH that when they decide to lie, they do it so poorly? YouTubeVideos? Its like Mr. I hate ATMs was in the room and decided this was plausible. Only in a Candy Crowley America can kindergarten lies be given credibility. Maybe I have lived too long.
djn1313| 11.19.12 @ 11:42AM
Replace one incompetent LIAR with another. There is no end to garbage the demoRATS dump on this nation. To be a liar guarantees you a spot in a demoRAT administration. Demorats consider lies a virtue.
Boar Hunter| 11.19.12 @ 11:45AM
I for one never assumed anything other than Rice is a liar since she works for Obama who is a liar. How nice that Holder lies on their behalf, all while "their people" decry the racism of others, while voting repeatedly to return cheats, drug users and whore mongers to office.
Shame on the blacks, they deserve what the next Obama term will bring them. They seem to love Detroit, Philly, Chicago, Atlanta and all the rest of the destitute cities liberal policies have brought, let them rot in their own filth.
I am glad Obama is president.
Obama is the president of the left, who shake their fists at God and dares him.
Lovers of lies, drug users and homosexual marriages. Obama is the president of them all.
Obama is the president of failed green energy companies. What do his supporters care, they are the party of the "Obama Phone."
Obama is the president of lost jobs and food stamps for millions.
Oh and thank you for Obamacare it will be the death nell of our country, congratulations to all the left. You parasites have killed the host..
Frank Drackman| 11.19.12 @ 11:48AM
is it just me or is that Lindsay Grahm a little lite in the loafers?
Frank
Drunken Sailor| 11.19.12 @ 12:05PM
I hear he once got punched in the nose and leaked dextrose. Talk about sweet.
Mike in N.C.| 11.19.12 @ 2:57PM
Unlike the other idiot from South Carolina sitting in the Senate, Graham occasionally shows flashes of sanity.
nathan| 11.19.12 @ 11:55AM
I have a serious question for you all. Skip the name calling if you can and try for a moment to consider a serious response.
We talk a lot about the "Arab Spring". Basically we're talking about the people in several Arab countries, confronted as Jefferson said in the Declaration, with despotism to use his word, in several cases like Egypt, for several decades, doing what Jefferson told them they had both a right and an obligation to do, deal with the despot. Let's face it Mubarak was ghastly, horrible human rights record, stole the country blind, in every regard met TJ's definition of despot. And so on with some of the others. And in many cases enabled for long periods of time by us.
The question I pose to you is this: What would you have had them do? Continue to suffer under despotic rule? If you had been in Egyptian living in Cairo, what would any of YOU had done? Sit there and take it? Why? In a lot of cases you may have seen a family member tortured and killed. So for you now what?
Were the outcomes of these TJ actions messy? Sure. But Americans are spoiled by our own "revolt" are we not? Ours is the exception not the rule. As we saw with the French Revolution (read a Tale Of Two Cities) and so many others, most of these end up getting really ugly. We're not seeing anything particularly unique here. This is actually pretty normal isn't it? But again what would you all have done if you had been there? Comments?
Occam's Tool| 11.19.12 @ 6:21PM
Nathan:
the problem is that things are getting worse for the average Egyptian, and will continue to get worse. Mubarak wanted his money and power, and ignored that which wasn't essential to that maintenance: he was a corrupt authoritarian. He has been replaced by a Totalitarian regime.
The difference is between Franco and Stalin.
What would I have done? I would have tried to get the hell out. The US, along with a few other countries (and only Israel in the Middle East), is an exceptionally free and decent country that respects the individual. Islam has no concept of individual rights as we understand them.
So basically, the Egyptians have gone from an 80 year old tired despot to a despot running on religious fanaticism. It sucks even more.
See, Nathan, no name calling. There is no Arab Spring because Islam is a totalitarian philosophy. It brings only winter and cruelty.
Warrior| 11.19.12 @ 7:58PM
Maybe you should ask the Coptic Christians how the two compare. I agree with OT, you are trying to compare men who valued liberty with those who want to kill anyone who practices it.
nathan| 11.20.12 @ 7:47AM
Occam I'm sorry but Mubarak systematically violated human rights on a grand scale. Read "Ghost Plane". Cairo I believe was a destination for some of those detainees and I think that's where the Canadian ended up.
The problem sir is you can't get out. Who is going to take you? So again you've got a man who engages, similar to the Shah in wide spread human rights abuses and is stealing the country blind. He meets every any definition of despot. TJ says, deal with the despot. They had no obligation to continue to suffer under him. Would you have just lived there and done nothing?
I referenced Dickens "Tale Of Two Cities" for a reason. You both talk about religious fanaticism. Well France wasn't muslim. What accounts for the horrible brutality of THAT revolution? That was a catholic country was it not? And yet those people in overthrowing the monarchy look not dissimilar to what we see in Cairo maybe worse? So bad that refugees from the violence will come penniless to our shores. A bill will come before the House for money for their relief. Madison in one of his more famous quotes will say sorry, I cannot find the article in the Constitution that allows for benevolence spending.
Gentlemen to both of you. Revolutions are messy. By their nature. Who knows how Egypt and some of thes places look 30 years from now. What we do know is that people living in Cairo had simply had enough and while the future might be scary, the present was intolerable.
philippic| 11.22.12 @ 7:28AM
wow. what an irresponsible declaration of abject ignorance.
"I believe in human rights"
"Coptic genocide? Revolutions are messy"
"We shouldn't contemn. There are no grounds for judgment for 30 or more years"
what a pathetic post. core logic: let's replace heart disease with cancer.
Indy1776| 11.19.12 @ 12:46PM
Oh goody, another double diversity candidate: a (partially) black female. It gives me a warm feeling knowing we have the Obamanation in the oval office nominating such scum for high office. After all, she meets all his criteria.
spike59| 11.20.12 @ 5:47AM
no, TRIPLE diversity; she also represents the 'mentally challenged'
Aloysious| 11.19.12 @ 1:31PM
The former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense thinks we can airstrike a firefight in a city in a foreign land to save a handful of people?
He's unfamiliar with the term "counterintelligence"? He's unaware that screaming "al Qaeda" isn't the best way to lure al Qaeda into a false sense of security for a few moments?
He thinks Obama intelligence should always be instant and sufficiently accurate to assess "x" then immediately respond with military force "y", and should be able to be assured of mission success and everyone living happily ever after and not having sent force y to be included in the massacre?
I think the fact of the matter is our victims were doomed from the start of the attack, and this immediate loud and constant manufactroversy is what thwarted any chance of a mission most certain to successfully kill and capture those responsible.
But, that's just me.
Occam's Tool| 11.19.12 @ 6:26PM
Yes, we can airstrike a firefight in a foreign city to save a handful of American citizens, ESPECIALLY an Ambassador. Used to be, that's what Great Powers did. THAT's why you didn't mess with an Embassy.
Jimmy Carter changed that. The correct response would have been to Nuke Teheran with a 1 megaton Groundburst if they did not give up our people in 1 week. Demonstrate resolve by hitting another city with an immediate groundburst.
That would have allowed the Islamic world to draw a completely different lesson than they drew.
They should fear harming our people.
Aloysious| 11.20.12 @ 8:33AM
Enlist in a combat arms MOS, I recommend 13F, then get back to me in 6 years.
Did the ground forces have a laser target designator, or should we have just leveled the area for a 400m diameter, including friendly forces?
They don't fear harming themselves, and there is no greater honor than to martyr oneself for Allah.
Conventional and/or rational thinking does not apply to religious zealots.
Paul McGrath| 11.19.12 @ 6:53PM
To a certain degree you are correct: the United States can not possibly anticipate every attack or attempted attack on us. We must, however, be forever on the alert and intelligent about where and when an attack might come.
In Benghazi, the amabassador himself expressed fear for his safety months before the attack. The British and the Red Cross abandoned Benghazi. And the date, 9-11, was also of obvious significance. Should we not have been more concerned? Should we maybe have done something? Anything?
The attack lasted for six hours. We were aware it was going on and we did nothing. Just the presence of an attack aircraft might have been enough to have run off the terrorists. I really don't know, but again, we did nothing.
The aftermath is what is so alarming. What we did or didn't do before or after our ambassador was murdered is certainly deserving of some inquiry. This was a very disturbing event. But what did we get? Lies! One lie after the other, by Rice, by Hillary, and by Obama himself. Well after all of them had to have known the truth about this event.
And you seem to be okay with this?
Aloysious| 11.20.12 @ 8:56AM
If by "certain degree" you mean "100%", we agree.
Ambassador Stevens, according to you, had months to call for his extraction from Libya if he felt his safety was so threatened, and did not take a hint from the Brits or Red Cross.
But my point is, the former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense obviously must be either stupid, completely full of shit, or conducting counterintelligence.
If I have to explain further, you wouldn't understand, which is the only thing supporting this manufactroversy.
The public is better than 100% ignorant of intelligence and military capabilities and operations because everything they think they know is wrong, they learned it from movies.
That vast ignorance is being used to convince people the preposterous is plausible (airstrike) due to a singular fallacious cause when this manufactroversy actually prevented the success of any military reprisal, so none came.
Joe D.| 11.19.12 @ 2:26PM
She should be fired for what she did not rewarded. Tell the Republican Senate to stop it, if she is nominated. Do they have the guts???????
Mike in N.C.| 11.19.12 @ 2:55PM
Clever fellow. Did you think this up all by yourself? Of course not. You are a parrot. Polly wanna a cracker?
Stkman| 11.19.12 @ 2:31PM
Did anyone go to the local gun show this weekend? No, why the hell not? There's a party about to start and you will need your party favors if you want to be on the winning side of the charades game.
Mike in N.C.| 11.19.12 @ 2:56PM
Don't shoot yourself, sport.
Stkman| 11.19.12 @ 2:59PM
We won't have to worry about that, I don't look anything like Purp.
Frank Drackman| 11.19.12 @ 3:35PM
Gun Show? If I want 80's nostalgia I'll listen to some Wham!
AlGores Internets is where's it's be's at's homey, Nome Sane? I mean if I wanta order 1320 rounds of 7,62 x 39(armor piercing, please) its much easier to have the UPS guy lug it to my doorstep than me schlepping it a 1/2 mile through the East Bug Tussel Community Center & Plow Emporium Parking lot...
Frank
Elle| 11.19.12 @ 3:34PM
Rice is nothing but Mortimer Snerd in female clothing. We should not waste fire power on the dummy.
RCV| 11.19.12 @ 7:41PM
Susan Rice would likely make a fine Secretary of State. But the President would be foolish to nominate her to give the Right Wing another forum to use the death of our Ambassador for political hay.
Instead, we'll probably get the mediocre and unimpressive John Kerry, who will have no trouble getting approval from his colleagues in the Senate. A better choice would be to appoint Mrs. Clinton's husband to succeed her. A more realistic choice, and one I would support, would be to name John Huntsman, who would also make a fine secretary of state as he did an Ambassador to China.
Bob Grant| 11.19.12 @ 7:51PM
Susan Rice a fine secretary of state?
She's a horrible UN ambassador and you want her promoted?
Look clown, we can't afford to have the Peter Principle played out in the secretary of state position. Especially now when a regional war in the middle east is all but a certainty.
We'll need a strong negotiator for the United States in the coming years, ala James Baker or George Schultz, and not some second-rate hack for a Socialist president.
You need to rethink your position before your next posting.
Got it???
bjb57| 11.19.12 @ 10:35PM
But yet you and your fellow travelers seem to have very little interest in what happened in Washington while the Benghazi tragedy happened and in what this Administration chose to tell the American people about it. What forum is the correct one so that the American people get some answers? Do you even care or are your interests simply partisan?
spike59| 11.20.12 @ 5:46AM
"Susan Rice would likely make a fine Secretary of State."
------------------------------------
as in, would be a carbon-copy of the incompetence at the top of every other Cabinet Department in the ObaMao misadministration
Ralph Novy| 11.20.12 @ 3:07PM
I disagree, RCV.
I think he should stick to his guns here and make the Republicans ram their faces straight into the brick wall of indisputable fact. Make 'em eat sh*t over this! They deserve to be forced to eat every savory spoonful of the stuff they served up.
As an alternative, however, if the situation changes, I'd suggest Ryan Crocker.
Ralph Novy| 11.19.12 @ 9:52PM
Babbin can't be stupid enough to believe what he's saying.
So he's lying.
About EVERYTHING.
Pretty small man.
spike59| 11.20.12 @ 5:54AM
"Rice can't be stupid enough to believe what she's saying.
So she's lying.
About EVERYTHING.
Pretty small woman."
-----------------------------
FIFY-ur welcome
derfel cadarn| 11.22.12 @ 2:18PM
This is only bad behavior if you are antiquated enough to expect your public servants to tell the truth. For Liberals Progressives this is exactly what they wanted her to do. Liberalism is based on results and any means can be used to get to this goal. Lie, cheat, steal or kill as long as the end is achieved. Real Americans do not behave in this fashion, it is time for REAL Americans to step up and retake control of this once great nation.
youngwarrior| 11.26.12 @ 2:05AM
You're fighting over scraps, running after make believe conspiracies, shut out of power, compromising on your "no tax" pledges. Stop playing around the edges and try something just and beneficial, rather than a make believe world of survival of the fittest. The United States, in a modern world, means that Govt and people must work together, and compromise MUST be the way.