Quote:
Originally Posted by
AggieAlum http:///t/397608/benghazi-its-baaa-aaack#post_3544807
The reports state that "a mob formed outside the gates of the Embassy around 8:30PM" The initial reports was that "mob" was protesting some anti-Muslim film or something of that affect. That was later rebuked. Read the transcripts again. You right wingers took Obama's statement of "an act of terror", and twisted it around to mean a "terrorist attack" .
Clinton: Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior, along with the protest that took place at our Embassy in Cairo yesterday, as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet. America’s commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear — there is no justification for this, none.
Sept. 12: Obama delivers a morning speech in the Rose Garden to address the deaths of U.S. diplomats in Libya. He said, “No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character, or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.” He also makes reference to the anti-Muslim video when he says: “Since our founding, the United States has been a nation that respects all faiths. We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. But there is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence. None.” He uses the term “act of terror” later that night when talking about the attack at a campaign event in Las Vegas.
Sept. 12: After his Rose Garden speech, Obama tapes an interview for “60 Minutes.” Obama says he didn’t use the word “terrorism” in his Rose Garden speech because “it’s too early to know exactly how this came about.” Steve Kroft, the show’s host, wonders how the attack could be described as a “mob action” since the attackers were “very heavily armed.” Obama says “we’re still investigating,” but he suspects “folks involved in this . . . were looking to target Americans from the start.”
Kroft: Mr. President, this morning you went out of your way to avoid the use of the word terrorism in connection with the Libya attack.
Obama: Right.
Kroft: Do you believe that this was a terrorist attack?
Obama: Well, it’s too early to know exactly how this came about, what group was involved, but obviously it was an attack on Americans and we are going to be working with the Libyan government to make sure that we bring these folks to justice one way or the other.
Kroft: It’s been described as a mob action. But there are reports that they were very heavily armed with grenades. That doesn’t sound like your normal demonstration.
Obama: As I said, we’re still investigating exactly what happened. I don’t want to jump the gun on this. But you’re right that this is not a situation that was exactly the same as what happened in Egypt. And my suspicion is, is that there are folks involved in this, who were looking to target Americans from the start.
Sounds like Obama was very CLEAR as to whether this was a "terrorist attack" or not, and stated that THE NEXT DAY, not "weeks after it happened".
So the UK pulls their ambassadors out because they saw the writing on the wall. Stevens was informed of the same intel the UK had, and decided to stay. There was a CIA Security team a mile away from the Embassy. You want to keep rehashing this event, when ultimately it was the incompetence of Stevens and his staff for staying there in the first place. This is what happens in the Middle East. It's not a safe place to be. This isn't the first official we've lost in that region, and it may not be the last. Seems to me if the Republicans were so concerned with the safety of our Embassy personnel, they'd pass a resolution that would close all our Embassy's in that region until further notice. Instead, they keep exhuming this event from the dead, literally.
And to continue
The Administration knew within 2 hours terrorist were involved and notified the Libyan government of that the next day
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/obamas-claim-he-called-benghazi-an-act-of-terrorism/2013/05/13/7b65b83e-bc14-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_blog.html
"Oct. 24: White House, State Department Emails on Ansar al-Sharia
Oct. 24: Reuters
reports the White House, Pentagon and other government agencies learned just two hours into the Benghazi attack that Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamic militant group, had “claimed credit” for it. The wire service report was based on three emails from the State Department’s Operations Center. One of the emails said, “Embassy Tripoli reports the group claimed responsibility on Facebook and Twitter and has called for an attack on Embassy Tripol.” The article also noted, “Intelligence experts caution that initial reports from the scene of any attack or disaster are often inaccurate.” (It should be noted that Reuters first reported on Sept. 12 that unnamed U.S. officials believed that Ansar al-Sharia may have been involved.)"
Several members of the administration claimed there was no evidence of terrorism for better than 2 week after.
Just over an hour before the consulate was attacks Chris Stevens was outside the gate and reported "All Quite" when he signed off for the evening
-style:inherit; margin:0px; padding:0px; vertical-align:baseline">Oct. 9: ’Everything Calm’ Prior to Benghazi Attack, No Protests
Oct. 9: At a
background briefing, senior state department officials
reveal there were no protests prior to the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi — contrary to what administration officials have been saying for weeks. A senior department official says “everything is calm at 8:30 p.m.” (Libya time) when Stevens was outside the building to bid a visitor goodbye. The ambassador retired to his bedroom for the evening at 9 p.m. The calm was shattered by 9:40 p.m. when “loud noises” and “gunfire and an explosion” are heard. (The background briefing provided on
Sept. 12 also said the attack began at about 10 p.m., or about 4 p.m. EDT, but it did not provide information about what happened prior to the attack.)
A senior official says it was “not our conclusion” that the Benghazi attack started as a spontaneous protest to the anti-Muslim video. He also said “there was no actionable intelligence of any planned or imminent attack.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/01/16/al-qaeda-benghazi-role-known-early/4520871/
The head of AFRICOM knew "within minutes of it's start" it was an organized attack
"
But Gen. Carter Ham, head of AFRICOM at the time of attack, said Defense officials did not believe the attack was from an out-of-control demonstration and had no evidence of it, according to declassified testimony released this week by House investigators.
Ham said a U.S. military surveillance drone was sending back to Washington real-time video of the attack within minutes of its start.
"When we saw a rocket-propelled grenade attack, what appeared to be pretty well-aimed small-arms fire — again, this is all coming second- and third-hand through unclassified, you know, commercial, cellphones for the most part, initially," he told House Armed Services.
"To me, it started to become clear pretty quickly that this was certainly a terrorist attack and not just not something sporadic."
He said his conclusion was relayed to then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, a member of the White House Cabinet."
.More interesting FACTS
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/16/13896494-ambassador-rice-benghazi-attack-began-spontaneously?lite
"Rice’s comments came a day after Libyan President Mohammed Magarief
told NBC News that “foreigners” were involved in the planning and execution of the attack.
He expanded on the assertion Sunday, saying on CBS’ "Face the Nation" that about 50 people, not all Libyans, have been arrested in connection with the Benghazi attack, which he said was planned by al-Qaida-linked foreigners, some from Mali and Algeria.
Magarief said there was little doubt the assault was planned rather than a spontaneous reaction to the video, as came on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S."
