The American government believes that protests against the film Innocence of Muslims “are likely to continue over the next few days, if not longer.”
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says that the Pentagon has “deployed our forces to a number of areas in the region to be prepared to respond to any requests that we receive to be able to protect our personnel and our American property.”
He declined to provide more details on reports that the military may be moving additional military forces so they can respond to unrest in any of a number of regions of concern.
“I think our approach right now is to not do anything until we’ve been requested to do it by the State Department,” Panetta told reporters traveling with him aboard a U.S. military aircraft to Asia. But he noted that, “I think that we have to continue to be very vigilant because I suspect that … these demonstrations are likely to continue over the next few days, if not longer.”
Protests by furious Muslims erupted in countries around the world in recent days, with some spawning violence and even deaths over an anti-Islam video shot in California that denigrates the Prophet Muhammad. In places like Libya, Sudan and Tunisia, protesters stormed U.S. embassies, and an American fast food restaurant was burned in Lebanon.
In response, the Pentagon dispatched elite Marine rapid response teams to Libya and Yemen, but a team deployed to Khartoum on Friday was turned back when the Sudanese government objected.
Asked about Sudan’s decision, Panetta said host countries have the right to reject such military deployments.
“My understanding is that they felt that they could provide sufficient security to be able to protect our embassy and our personnel there,” said Panetta. “And you know, in many ways, as all of you know the primary responsibility for protecting embassies rests with the host country.”
Our response to Sudan’s rejection of an augmented security force was to close the embassy and order out family members and non-essential staff.
Clearly, the Obama administration has learned the lessons of Tehran, 1979. And they are probably willing to shed blood to prevent another hostage situation.
The question is: Will the security upgrade deter the fanatics from repeating what happened in Libya, or our other embassies where the US was humiliated by the replacement of our flag with al-Qaeda’s banner?
Making martyrs of them is exactly what they want. But so is chasing us out of the Middle East. It’s always better to let the local police and army handle the situation, but what happens when they stand aside as they did in Khartoum and Tunis?
Assurances from a government that is running a failed state or near failed state, as is the case in Sudan and Tunisia (as well as Yemen and Libya), ring hollow indeed. Let’s hope that the Marine’s rifles have bullets to shoot and that their aim is true — if it has to be.
“Protests”? With RPGs?
Here’s the lesson Poland, the Czech Republic, Taiwan, and especially Israel should take from this week–thanks to the influence of our elites (particulalry the MSM), anytime there is an absence of public demand to take action, the United States government usually isn’t that great at defending *our* people from those who would wish to be “top dog” and are doing it via small steps–much less helping anyone else fight off bullies.
Right now and for the forseeable future, only public outcry will make our elites act, if you are a traditional American ally or of the Western tradition. Keep that in mind as you look to your futures. Only.public.outcry. For the forseeable future.
– Little Bread.
The protests will continue until Islam improves.
You know, when I consider the near-certainty that Obamaites are going to try, one day, to have the man “deified” in some way, (Mount Rushmore, national holiday, aircraft carrier, NASA center, or something)–pretty much solely justifiable to date by his skin color, perhaps the only justification that matters to them–I remember the movie “The Wind and the Lion”, and that T.R. was portrayed as having Captain Jerome of the Marines take over the Bashaw’s place in Tangiers in order to avenge a wrong done to the flag and to control the situation. Something entirely in line with the real T.R.’s inclinations, even though it was just a movie. It’s a great scene, one to make one proud as an American.
And I have to wonder about the B.O. of the future “Wind and the Lion” movie, where our next “presidential bad-a$$ Hall of Fame” inductee has his press folks clam up until the “investigation is over” (as well as the election), where everyone blames Mitt Romney for somehow preventing us from truly responding, where he has the filmaker arrested in the dead of night so as to appease the Muslim street, all while jetting off to fundraisers in Vegas. I think it will lack a little, you know, *something* , but I’m sure his psychophants in Hollywood will be able to spin it.
And we will all be denounced as racists by the thought police when we don’t cheer in the theatres at the right spots. Which, the way things are going right now, will be considered to be the point where the embassies were attacked by the righteously offended Islamists.
– next to last line:
“…nothing in this world is certain…”
(Jerome was the maiden name of Churchill’s mother Jenny.)