Surrendered Without a Fight at Benghazi
Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that three urgent requests from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. Consulate and subsequent attack nearly seven hours later were denied by officials in the CIA chain of command — who also told the CIA operators to “stand down” rather than help the ambassador’s team when shots were heard at approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on Sept. 11.
Former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were part of a small team who were at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. Consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When they heard the shots fired, they radioed to inform their higher-ups to tell them what they were hearing. They were told to “stand down,” according to sources familiar with the exchange. An hour later, they called again to headquarters and were again told to “stand down.”
This is just so wrong, I find myself hoping against hope that it’s also untrue. But I’m certain it isn’t.
I’ll need more info to flesh this out, but I think the Benghazi attack is actually symptomatic of a greater problem in the Obama Administration. He’s turned political power and initiative over to the State Department, and given them carte blanche to run not just American foreign policy but also our intelligence and War on Terror operations. The CIA and military high command are essentially tools for the State Department, and are not allowed to pursue their own agendas (in every sense of the word) without State oversight (heh, “Commisars”).
This explains why the CIA told the soldiers to stand down; I’m damn sure that the State Department was reacting to Egypt (which everyone else in the intel world knew was a feint, at best), and they had no idea what was going on in Libya.Plus, events in Libya proceeded to the level where a rapid-reaction force was needed, which likely required Biden or Obama’s authorization, and both guys generally deferred to the State Department, anyways.
So, ultimately the State Department got caught with it’s pants down, trying to spin the Egypt stuff (and thus, also Libya) and no one was in any mood to help them dig themselves out of the hole they created for themselves. This is what passes for “leadership” under the Obama administration.
I really hope we get a Romney Presidency so all the people involved in this cock-up are fired, and never allowed to step foot in D.C. again.
I hate to say it, I really do. But all this is consistent with (a) a secret operation to have Ambassador Stevens “kidnapped” by pseudo-friendly Libyans, (b) Ty Woods et al knowing nothing about it (and therefore running in to help), and (c) the kidnapping plan going awry when the would-be kidnappers came under fire.
Were that the case, this would be the Administration’s “October Surprise” — an opportunity for the President to be heroic, by dealing with a hostage crisis on the eve of the elections. (It would also explain why, when the President heard about what was happening, he went to bed. At that time, the attack would have sounded like the kidnapping was going according to plan.)
Would the Obama Administration have done such a thing? Who knows; they authorized Fast & Furious, didn’t they? But this would also suggest that it was a CIA op, that Hillary didn’t know about it (or she would not have asked for more security there) — and that incompetent CIA bigwigs didn’t think to let the local Navy SEALs in on the op, so that they wouldn’t get in the way.
My wife keeps asking: “Where is David Petraeus?” And indeed, that’s a flaw in the argument… because he has a strong reputation as an honorable man, and he would have had to know about this (and approve it). Then again, he’s culpable one way or another — because requests for help were sent up the CIA chain of command, and were denied. He had to know about that too.
I also have difficulty believing that the Libyans would keep quiet about something like this. To them, it would look like a double-cross — they were hired to do a job, and they came under American fire while doing it. I’d think that any Libyans in on the original plan, who survived the day, would be all too eager to talk about it.
So. Was this a hare-brained scheme to win support and votes, hatched by a President who had watched “Iron Man” and “The Long Kiss Goodnight” one too many times? I sure hope not.
I don’t it’s the President who’s watched too many movies.
At least our Vietnam surrender managed to pull off a helicopter rescue. No such luck this time.