September 12, 2012

"The attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens was planned by attackers who used the protest outside the consulate as a diversion..."

Say U.S. sources say, according to a "CNN Breaking News" email.
The sources could not say whether the attackers instigated the protest or merely took advantage of it, and they say they don't believe Stevens was specifically targeted. Stevens and three other Americans suffocated trying to escape a fire after a grenade was thrown into the building, a senior U.S. official said.
So it was not causally connected with the feelings-hurting movie?

48 comments:

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Didn't I just say that?

Of course it's not about the movie, which was FOR SOME REASON translated into Arabic right before this happened.

Come on. This is never about free speech or insulting a religion. It's about power and violence.

F said...

This makes Obama's mid-east policy look even worse. We helped oust Qadaffi and put the current government (whoever that is) in place and this the thanks we get? Killing our diplomats? It's a shame the President didn't think to start his administration with an apology tour to Muslims. That would have made friends an overcome their hostility to us. Oh wait. . .

Christopher in MA said...

This must be Bush's fault.

Somehow.

Matt Sablan said...

Isn't that, though, really how these things work? Get protestors riled up while your extremists get in and do the dirty work?

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

The enemy has a propaganda arm. We don't have to believe them.

We had the same problems with the Communists.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

It was the anniversary of 9/11. What happened to increased security measures?
Oh yeah - Obama is going to be on Letterman.

Michael K said...

the White House is frantically seeking the right message. Bush did it.

Seeing Red said...

It's an act of war.

David said...

Who are these "three other Americans?"

What really happened at the Embassy?

Why was American security so weak?

Why weren't we especially vigilant on 9/11?

Why did Obama not criticize the Libyan government for failure to provide a safe environment? What was the government's involvement really?

Why did we have no intelligence on the attacks? Or did we have it and not use it?

This is an outrage. Back in the day, it would have been a reason for a military demonstration of some kind. Is our military going to get involved? Should they?

Why did this film--out for 8 weeks--suddenly become an issue?

Why is this not evidence of a massive failure of Obama's entire approach to the Muslim-Arab world? After all the fawning and vacillation, who in that world truly wants to come to our defense?



Matt Sablan said...

I can answer one question David. They were "three other Americans" in the earliest reports because their family had yet to be notified.

BarryD said...

Did anyone in the US, or anywhere, know anything about the existence of this movie, before yesterday?

In old Hollywood, they would have considered the attacks to be a world-class publicity stunt...

If someone insults Mohammed in the woods, and nobody hears it, is it really an insult?

tim in vermont said...

I think we see here how Obama thought we should have responded to 9-11; ignore the evidence of our eyes and blame it on a small group of malcontents.

David said...

I do not believe "US sources" in this matter any more than I believe Libyan sources.

Pathetic, isn't it?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

The cool thing about Obama - he's the first president to possess absolutely zero responsibility for anything.


Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

David...
A list of solid questions our hack in-the-tank media refuse to ask.

avwh said...

I can't imagine Obama skipping more than 60% of his national security briefings since he started campaigning last year will have ANY bearing on the public's perception of the job he's doing. Nor that this is the first ambassador killed since Carter in 1979. Nor that his campaign responded to Romney's statement 8 hours BEFORE there was any White House comment about the attacks.

Luckily, the MSM will give him a pass, so he won't have to answer any tough questions or do any explaining - he can keep his Letterman and "Pimp with a Limp" appointments and tee times and fundraising dinners and campaign appearances without any of that nasty POTUS stuff getting in the way.

David said...

I understand the notification issue, Matthew.

But were they Marines, as one report puts it? Diplomats? Contractors? Is our government--who must know quite a bit--going to tell us what went on? Or are they holding everything back out of fear of political backlash against the President? Careers are at stake here, and not just Obama's.

My assumption is that more energy is being put into the political manipulation of this event than informing the public and responding against the perpetrators. I do not automatically--as our government and press seem to have done--exclude Libyan authorities from responsibility.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Who cares about briefings?

Most of that stuff is details that don't matter. When something like this happens, what matters is action, not whether you have a paper trail of covering your ass by going to meetings.

What's the President going to do? Go to Vegas and wait for the story to be buried?

Matt Sablan said...

My understanding: the ambassador, a Department of State official and two Marines were killed (I believe the DOS official's name has been released.)

grackle said...

If a Republican were in the Whitehouse we would now be witnessing a MSM shit-storm against the administration. But the MSM isn't biased, right?

exhelodrvr1 said...

AprilAPple,
"The cool thing about Obama - he's the first president to possess absolutely zero responsibility for anything."

Same with those who voted for him.

hombre said...

"Why did Obama not criticize the Libyan government for failure to provide a safe environment? What was the government's involvement really?"

One report says the Libyan gov't helped the Ambassador relocate, then told the attackers where he was. I'm still checking this.

David said...

Thank you for that info Matthew.

It's just such an ugly and vicious way for these people to die. Stevens could have been making megabucks as a trade lawyer or a businessman with his language and other skills. Instead he chose a dangerous and difficult life as a moderately paid diplomat. The others must have made similar choices. God bless them please.

KCFleming said...

Clearly, we need to send Libya and Egypt more money and weapons.

Seeing Red said...

They plan fast.

Carnifex said...

I don't know why no one would believe "American sources" over "Libyan sources". We/re both led by Muslims. We're both lied to by Muslims.

Here's the shameful part...Some are going to argue that this was "arranged" by the Zero administration to save his election chances. Gin up jingoistic patriotism. Don't change horses mid-stream etc.

And credence will be given because this is something that has been bandied about for a year now. That Zero would arrange some sort of crises that would either unite the country in his favor, or failing that, allow him to declare martial law.

While I do think it is not beyond the pale for Zero to arrange an American crises, I don't think the Key Stone Cops running the WH could coordinate something this elaborate outside the country.

I'e got plenty of reason to despise Zero. Him going all false flag ain't one of them.

Ps.

In another post late last night I commented that it was 3 am and the phone was ringing. Apparently, no one heard at all. Not even the chair,

Seeing Red said...

What was it, a mass tweet, come on, boys, grab your weapons, there's a party at the US Embassy?

David said...

How about a moment of Althouse blog respect for the four Americans who died? The politics will wait for a little while. They are not going away.

Rumpletweezer said...

Wow, CNN? They're like "Columbo" smart!

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

This was a planned operation with a concurrent disinformation campaign. This has nothing to do with the damn youtube. Ignore it: it's bullshit, it's cover, and talking about it is a waste of time. The enemy wants you to waste time on the stupid video. You think they care? Or do they have a political goal that they are using violence to further?

The Muslim Brotherhood just scored a huge victory. They humiliated us, boosted their street cred as the leading anti-American power, and aren't going to suffer any consequences at all. It's all win for them. And what's good for them is going to be bad for us.

Ignore the mobs and look at the leaders. Nothing happens in Egypt without the Brotherhood having something to do with it.

They really are like the Communists, the Bolsheviks to Al Qeada's anarchists. Be skeptical, be suspicious, and be vigilant.

rcommal said...

They have released the name of a second victim, an information management officer named Sean Smith. The other two are still pending family notifications, it appears.

rcommal said...

This is so appalling.

edutcher said...

This has the fingerprints of Al Qaeda all over it.

When Dubya left office, Al Qaeda was gutted and disgraced.

4 years later, we have a return. Who to blame...

rcommal said...

In the case of the marines, I believe the military does nitifications on person. ThT would account for the delay. Things take time.

rcommal said...

Sorry for typos. On mobile.

MadisonMan said...

Extremists don't need a reason to kill.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

MM-

They decide to kill, then look for reasons.

Crimso said...

"But were they Marines, as one report puts it? Diplomats? Contractors?"

http://www.pcgamesn.com/eve/senior-goonswarm-member-killed-libya

One was a very high-level member of the notorious Goonswarm Alliance in Eve Online, and had served a term on the game's CSM (sort of a player-run council to represent the interests of the players in dealings with the company that runs the game, CCP). He was apparently doing IT contract work for State.

TosaGuy said...

"How about a moment of Althouse blog respect for the four Americans who died?"

Calm down. It's not like we are going to Vegas or anything.

Joe said...

In 1979, the British embassy warned the US that there were rumors of an attack and recommended that all non-essential US embassy personnel leave. They offered to allow essential US personnel to stay in the British embassy. The Brits were ignored.

I'll wager that, once again, there was intelligence that an attack was being planned and the US chose to do nothing under the fear of offending the host country.

Canada recently closed their embassy in Iran and expelled Iranian diplomats. A year ago, the British embassy in Tehran was attacked. They closed it. The US embassies in Libya and Egypt will likely remain open.

This was an act of war and US officials are acting like it was a faux pas on par with using the wrong fork for the salad.

furious_a said...

who used the protest outside the consulate as a diversion...

...like the way the "mostly peaceful" Occupy contingent provides cover for the embedded Black Bloc vandals.

Richard Dolan said...

"How about a moment of Althouse blog respect for the four Americans who died?"

Respect like civility is a wonderful thing, but there is nothing to suggest that silence (or commentary) is the more respectful approach. It all depends on what one says and how one says it. I suspect that calls such as that one for 'respect' are advanced with an agenda of their own, much as the 'civility' meme was as well.

Carnifex said...

You people just don't understand. Allah and Mo are sensitive. That's why the muj is so protective. Any little aspersion causes them incredible humiliation. Of course I would be humiliated too, if I were a boy loving misogynistic pederast. With a teeny little dick, that didn't work.

Anonymous said...

I think little of the violence in the middle east is casual. Most of it is opportunism. Like the little cells in the US of anarchists who dream of beings today's Lenin. Just they are a little bigger in the ME.

hombre said...

“Assuming we don’t die tonight,” the message, which was first reported by Wired, read. “We saw one of our ‘police’ that guard the compound taking pictures.”

Post on a gaming site by Sean Smith, now murdered in Libya. Somewhat inconsistent with the Administration narrative about Libyan good guys.

Dick Stanley said...

The movie/video is just a pretext the Democrat media seized on to take the heat off their champion who has spent so much time bragging about bin Laden's slaying. WSJ is reporting: “According to the Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram, the Cairo mob chant[ed]: “Obama, Obama there are still a billion Osamas.”

TMink said...

The problem with the Muslims is that their god is a wuss. Jehovah does not need His followers to kick ass, HE kicks ass.

But then He is the supreme being of the universe, so it goes with the job description.

Trey

TMink said...
This comment has been removed by the author.