November 21, 2012

"I am somewhat surprised and frustrated to read reports that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence was responsible..."

"... for removing references to Al-Qaeda from the unclassified talking points about the Benghazi attack that Ambassador Susan Rice and other officials used in the early days after September 11, 2012," says Senator John McCain.
"I participated in hours of hearings in the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence last week regarding the events in Benghazi, where senior intelligence officials were asked this very question, and all of them – including the Director of National Intelligence himself – told us that they did not know who made the changes. Now we have to read the answers to our questions in the media. There are many other questions that remain unanswered. But this latest episode is another reason why many of us are so frustrated with, and suspicious of, the actions of this Administration when it comes to the Benghazi attack."
He's presumably referring to this CBS news story that we were talking about yesterday. How can that news story be true if the Director of National Intelligence didn't know who made the changes? Did the director — James Clapper — dissemble before the committee? Maybe McCain just got it wrong. The cover story is... what? Some faceless entity within the Office of the Director is the scapegoat.

141 comments:

Mr. D said...

It was either Keyser Soze or The Stig.

Chip S. said...

Mistakes were made, okay?

Stop looking for a scapegoat, especially an African-American one.

chickelit said...

The Parable of the Doorkeeper is always timely.

Anonymous said...

My experience in the Pentagon ODCSOPS (not ODCSINT), was that there would be an LTC, an experienced staff officer / PPT Warrior who would collate, reconcile and vet any proposed changes to the briefing slides (aka talking points). When done, the LTC would walk the brief around to the stakeholders and get somebody's initials on the coordination document.

That's of course if you actually "want" to know who changed what :)

Robert Zaleski said...

Like you said before, unless they also added Youtube talking points, We were still lied to.

Nonapod said...

If it's eventually confirmed that, beyond a doubt, this administration deliberately mislead the American people, I wonder how many will really care.

Baron Zemo said...

It was Colonel Mustard in the study with the candlestick.

SteveR said...

After the testimony the administration leaked the alternative story, i.e one that takes it away from the obvious real actor(s).

And yes it was still lying.

Rusty said...

And the cover up just leads to more questions.

Nonapod

You mean there's a doubt?

DADvocate said...

The Obama administration is having a lying contest. So far, it's a umpteen way tie. I guess the transparent government thing expired sometime during his first term. The press will keep the pressure on until the truth comes out. /snark

Roger J. said...

My fellow treadhead Drill Sgt knows the process; and commenter nonapod is on target. The administration is playing rope a dope, and very soon, within a month, Benghazi will be forgotten. Sad, but I think accurate.

Baron Zemo said...

This is true.

Obama will skate on anything he does. The lapdog media will cover up for him. It will never change.

DADvocate said...

Stop looking for a scapegoat, especially an African-American one.

Nor a female. Females can't be held responsible for anything.

damikesc said...

Sounds like perjury charges are in order for Mr. Clapper.

If it's eventually confirmed that, beyond a doubt, this administration deliberately mislead the American people, I wonder how many will really care.

Less than half. The world's opinion of Americans being dimbulbs isn't unearned in some circles.

Aridog said...

All bullcrap. A game of "Hot Potato" to pass around until no one knows what came from whom, when...and everyone else no longer cares. The cliche' "The check is in the mail and I'll respect you in the morning" comes to mind.

You/we have been lied to. Pointedly. Any change to the narrative will also be a lie. Oh, look....SQUIRREL!

Chip S. said...

Females can't be held responsible for anything.

That's right.

One thing I've learned from President Obama is that women are fragile people who must not be spoken to or about in ways that might make them feel bad.

In fact, I've concluded that the world of commerce and industry and politics is too rough and tumble for women. We must protect them by keeping them inside the warm embrace of home and hearth.

garage mahal said...

It was those women bitterly clinging to their tampons, man. I'm telling ya.

Danno said...

As long as we are on a roll today, I say, Clap on, clap off, the Clapper.

Tank said...

Somewhere there is a middle aged or older white hetero male we can blame for this. Somewhere.

In the midst of joking about this, I suddenly remember that four poor schmuck Americans are dead.

Ah fuck.

Michael said...

What there were doing in the "Annex" is what you do not get to know about. That and the gun running to Syria. Otherwise the "investigation" continues.

Roger J. said...

subsumed under the politics of this farce, and politics is what it is all about, is that four Americans are dead--and apparently not a lot of people care.

edutcher said...

Maybe McCain didn't get it wrong.

And I don't think this is going away. That's Commandante Zero's problem. This is going to turn into another hair shirt for him.

And perhaps Drill could translate some of the acronyms. I know LTC and can dope out ODCS, but some people are probably lost.

Nonapod said...

You mean there's a doubt?

I guess technically it hasn't been specifically uncovered that Obama or one of his immediate surrogates like Valerie Jarhead gave the order to change the talking points and thereby inventing a fictitious narrative.

I often try to understand how liberals must try to rationalize these unpleasant realities when they can no longer deny them. My guess is in their heads they think "So, he invented a story to help win an election. Big deal. He's still better than that evil Mitt Romney!".

Chip S. said...

four Americans are dead--and apparently not a lot of people care.

Don't be ridiculous. Everybody cares.

Well, almost everybody.

Roger J. said...

Oh well--it is what it is. No one will be held accountable and we will never know what happened. And it will soon be forgotten. Except by the families of the dead.

n.n said...

It sounds like the Republicans are preparing to compromise. I wonder what they have been promised in return.

With the limited evidence made available to the general public, a reasonable person would have been skeptical of the conclusion drawn in the reports presented to the public. The only legitimate excuse that Rice, Clinton, and Obama could use is that they are either incompetent -- with respect to worldly matters -- or are corrupt.

Tank said...

Roger

For all intents and purposes we know what happened.

Don't you think you pretty much know what happened?

Baron Zemo said...

Well RogerJ you actually had some of Obama's most dedicated sycophants on this board saying "Who cares?" And stuff like "It was only four people and Bush and Reagan killed a lot more Americans."

So there is no chance that they would even want this to be investigated. They lied when they said they wanted to wait until after the election to investigate this. As they have lied about so many other things.

This will be forgotten in a few weeks.

chickelit said...

Roger J. said...
My fellow treadhead Drill Sgt knows the process; and commenter nonapod is on target. The administration is playing rope a dope, and very soon, within a month, Benghazi will be forgotten. Sad, but I think accurate.

The Middle East is still in turmoil and we still have a feckless and reckless Administration with divided loyalties, an aversion to responsibility, and ultimately, narcissistic urges. What else could go wrong?

Tim said...

Now, this is premature.

We have to wait for that investigation Obama and his trolls tells us about.

The investigation Senator Harry Reid says the Senate will not do.

That investigation.

Just wait.

Chip S. said...

So, chickelit, what you're saying is things have to get better?

Thanks, I needed to hear that.

jr565 said...

I will say that Obama's handling of the whole Benghazi issue from lack of proving security all the way through coverup was not optimal.
Also, his handling of the economy -not optimal.
Also, his pronunciation of SAN SUU KYI’S name - not optimal.

Tim said...

"The Middle East is still in turmoil and we still have a feckless and reckless Administration with divided loyalties, an aversion to responsibility, and ultimately, narcissistic urges. What else could go wrong?"

More Fore! Years!

Forward!

The greens await.

Chip S. said...

But he does an excellent McKayla Maroney pose.

glenn said...

My money is on the night shift janitor. That's who was responsible when the local school district came under fire for embezzeling and misuse of public funds.

Roger J. said...

Tank and Baron Zemo--actually I care--and while not privy to the details of the events, I can only conjecture--and yes, Baron, I agree that the administration has played rope a dope with this, and the whole thing will be forgotten in a few weeks. Again, with the exception of the four families of the American's killed. I understand that my view is pessimistic, but I think it is quite accurate.

GT said...

Everyone is focusing on who removed from Rice's "presentation" the true facts (that it was a terrorist attack; that substantial planning was involved; that Al Quaeda affiliates were heavily involved; etc.). But that is only half the story. Who put in the false "facts" that Rice repeatedly asserted (that the attack was really a spontaneous demonstration that got out of hand; that a movie triggered the demonstration; that there was adequate security at the consulate; that the former SEALs were security contractors whose deaths proved that security was adequate; etc.).

Roger J. said...

Chicklit: one whole hell of a lot can go wrong as I suspect you know.

Baron Zemo said...

You are right on the money Roger.

Many of us care. But not enough. It seems that 51% never did and that is all they need.

Remember the one thing the Barack Hussein Obama stands for.

"I won."

Roger J. said...

Pardon my cynicism, but with holidays coming up, NFL playoffs, BCS, and inauguration galas, no one, with the exception the families of the dead will remember, and worse, even give a damn. Benghazi is already in the rear view mirror and will dissapear entirely in 30 days. That is very sad IMO.

carrie said...

I bet that Axelrod is that faceless entity--I think his fingers are everywhere.

Chip S. said...

@RogerJ, without people continuing to push, you'd be right. But maybe enough people will keep pushing.

Props to Althouse for being one of those pushing.

carrie said...

I bet that Axelrod is that faceless entity--I think his fingers are everywhere.

David said...

"The cover story is... what?"

It's a lie. Indeed it's several contradictory lies. Which makes me think hands very close to the President made the edit. Very close, as in attached to his arms.

machine said...

"Maybe McCain just got it wrong."

Maybe he was holding a press conference during the briefing...

Roger J. said...

ChipS--I appreciate yours and the professor's diligence about this, but again with my cynicism rampant--who in the hell are we going to push? The pushees dont give a shit--they are back in power and its all FORWARD

Chip S. said...

Maybe he was holding a press conference during the briefing...

Maybe he read a transcript of the briefing.

Tim said...

"Props to Althouse for being one of those pushing."

Right.

But until the major news media bird-dogs this, it really doesn't matter.

The palace guard that is the mainstream news media will protect Obama and the Democrats from this, no matter what.

Willys said...

This is a result of the government we have built. If any have been mislead, it was during the journey to this point. Any answers are in the path you choose next.

Chip S. said...

But until the major news media bird-dogs this, it really doesn't matter.

This is true. The operative term is "until".

Giving up on pushing this b/c of a forecast that it won't matter makes it self-fulfilling.

Titus said...

There will be another huge calamity just around the corner. It is little solice to losing this last election though.

Oh well.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!!
Ding Dong, Ding Dong.

Happy Holidays...uh oh, War on Christmas will be arriving next week.

exhelodrvr1 said...

Not to worry - the left will show their outrage once the truth comes out. They've promised that they will.

Chip S. said...

the left will show their outrage once the truth comes out.

They will.

Of course, their outrage will be directed at the people who flushed out the truth.

Roger J. said...

When we have Justin Bieber and the Kardashians to occupy the media who gives a damn about deployed armed forces and four dead americans--The answer is, sadly, not many.

exhelodrvr1 said...

The dead were all white males.

ricpic said...

Nothing counts but that the total turd known as Obama watched the attack at Benghazi for SEVEN HOURS and forbade his commanders to come to the aid of Stevens, Smith, Doherty and Woods. Now watch the feckless GOP let it slide.

edutcher said...

All, it goes away only if we let it go away.

As the survivors of Auschwitz said, "Never forget".

carrie said...

I bet that Axelrod is that faceless entity--I think his fingers are everywhere.

You would have to share that jackpot with a great many people.

Lydia said...

Of course, their outrage will be directed at the people who flushed out the truth.

Yeah, 'cause they're all just irascible douches.

(Warning: That's a link to The Sullied Dish.)

Hagar said...

The Libyan "militia men" held in the CIA "Annex" were not "prisoners," they just "temporarily detained."

See how eeasy that could have been?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Liberals had a kanipshin when they thought they caught Bush politicising 9/11/01.

There is evidence here leading to the conclusion that Obama tried to play down this attack for political advantage.

But, as has been pointed out, nobody saw nothing.

And... even if something more hitherto unsavory were to be dicovered, the makeup of the senate disabuses the house of even considering the I word.

Paul said...

Comparing Benghazi to the Valerie Plame non scandal shows how much power the media has to influence the general public. We are well and truly fucked. We now live in what is essentially a banana republic with corruption so penetrating and intractable we have no hope to restore America to it's former stature as the beacon of freedom in the world.

They stole the election. The criminals have won, and they are moving to further consolidate their power and control the narrative and the historical record.

The USA used to be the force in the world that could resist and defeat this type of regime, but no more. We have been fatally infected with the socialist bacillus and the last hope for humanity is a flickering light that will be extinguished in many of our lifetimes.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I feel bad for the families of the victims... they may never get to find out what part, if any, the US played, that led to the death of their loved ones.

Chip S. said...

the makeup of the senate disabuses the house of even considering the I word.

James Clyburn is already preparing that battlespace.

Roger J. said...

It seems to me talk of impeachment is foolish. Reality: the Senate votes to convict and there are not enough votes to convict. Count em up folks.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Remember when the military initially tried to hide how Pat Tillman died?

They tried to hide how these people died in Benghazi.

edutcher said...

Roger, I'm sure you know impeachment is the indictment by the house and the Senate tries the impeached.

I don't think the Demos want 2 Presidents in a row impeached, so there is leverage here.

Willie is still on record as being impeached and any trial would force a great many facts to be divulged publicly.

I have great respect for your opinion, experience, and intelligence, but I would say, "Go, do it".

Let's get this thing out where everybody has to look at it.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Obama panicked.

An al Qaeda, or al Qaeda sympathisers attack, so close to the election, after these Americans, for months, had requested more security.

They cooked up the video and lied and lied and lied again.

Roger J. said...

Edutcher--the house, as you point out, impeaches and the senate convicts--not being a constitutional scholar I am not sure what the President might have done that would constitute high crimes and misdeamenors. (regretebly the founders did not include incompetence) And on the political side, a move by the house to impeach would only further public disgust at the republicans. I dont see any positives for the republicans on an impeachment motion. the democrats would have a pep rally on the white house lawn, and that would be about it.

Dante said...

The DNI is a cabinet level post. And now we have to get into word parsing. He didn't know who made the changes. But the Director takes his direction from the president. If he took a committee of people and said "Go in this room, and when you come out, I want this to be about a Youtube Video," does he know who made the change?

The simplest answer here is accountability. Imagine if a business did something like this. Said their cars were safe, when they weren't, and it was a proven cover-up. There would be severe sanctions, regardless of who did it.

Here, the lines are pretty darn clear. A lie was foisted on the American people, one quite favorable to the president. The head of the organization takes his direction from the president. Maybe he gave the direction on his own. But that he did not personally review this message, that because he did not know who made the change? What an incredibly lame excuse.

It's Bullshit. Now we will see what kind of press we have. Is our press going to be the kind that waits for the Demcrats to police themselves, or will the press do its job. I'm not holding my breath.

edutcher said...

Roger, I'm thinking malfeasance, nonfeasance, and misfeasance - which have brought down many a politician.

Keep in mind, when Willie was impeached, as the facts came out, that was the end for him until the bushes decided to rehabilitate him in the name of bipartisanship.

Unknown said...

Sorry, I'm not buying this excuse. There's no way any responsible and competent president is going to go out in public without first seeing some raw analysis of what actually went down. This is smoke-and-mirrors pure and simple and even IF the intelligent report to POTUS had been "editted" (isn't that like the "cherrypicked" charge made about the Bush administration re: Iraq?) Obama is at minimum guilty of laziness and at worse guilty of malfeasance, dereliction of duty and public mendacity in promoting the spontaneous-protest-did-it meme.

And remember, the administration specifically claimed the reason it floated the protest-did-it meme was because early intelligence reports explictly stated that - which we now know is yet another bald-faced lie.

Anonymous said...

Dante said...
The DNI is a cabinet level post. And now we have to get into word parsing. He didn't know who made the changes. But the Director takes his direction from the president. If he took a committee of people and said "Go in this room, and when you come out, I want this to be about a Youtube Video," does he know who made the change?


my understanding was that the edits "dumbed" the brief down, e.g. removing facts abot AQ and terrorists...

I did not think the edits added "hateful video" into the talking points. I think she was winging that.

anybody else know?

exhelodrvr1 said...

"Obama is at minimum guilty of laziness and at worse guilty of malfeasance"

Please stop with the racist code words.

Hagar said...

Removing mention of AQ and terrorists.

There has not been anything said anywhere that I have have seen about "the video" being mentioned in the intelligence briefings, classified or unclassified.

This whole argument therefore has an air of unreality about it. The mess in Benghazi and the insistence that it was due to "the video" does not seem to have any visible connection, so one naturally wonders why they so desperately want us to believe that it was caused by "the video."

SteveR said...

There is nothing to indicate this rises to the level of impeachable. Should have been on the long list of reasons for Obama not being re-elected. Free stuff got more votes.

exhelodrvr1 said...

Oh, they knew. They/he took a calculated risk - and apparently it was the right choice politically. They knew, almost immediately, that the attack was not caused by the video. But with the media in their pocket, and additional cover provided by the easily-duped/duplicitous Obama voter, they knew that it would be easy to delay the truth coming out until it wouldn't affect the election. At that point, it wouldn't matter anymore, because that same media and the Democratic politicians would be able to keep the administration from being held accountable.

Chip Ahoy said...

For all intensive porpoises we do know what happened

Our beloved diversity hire president is a project come fruition and we speaking like this about the administration he's been put is very damaging to that project indeed so just knock it off already.

You know he is the living proof that affirmative action works and works beautifully now quit messing it up. And try being helpful once in awhile. Jeeze Louise it's why you're being called racist all the time, you seem a little bit resistant to getting with the program.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

And so Benghazi ends for the Althousians. Not with a bang, but a wimper.

For a topic that got as many as four posts a day from Ms Althouse and literally thousands of posts from the punters there appears to be no there there. Such is life.

I have now run out of easily remembered cliches.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

And so Benghazi ends for the Althousians. Not with a bang, but a wimper.

For a topic that got as many as four posts a day from Ms Althouse and literally thousands of posts from the punters there appears to be no there there. Such is life.

I have now run out of easily remembered cliches.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
damikesc said...

Who put in the false "facts" that Rice repeatedly asserted (that the attack was really a spontaneous demonstration that got out of hand; that a movie triggered the demonstration; that there was adequate security at the consulate; that the former SEALs were security contractors whose deaths proved that security was adequate; etc.).

THAT is the question.

Remove ties to terrorism due to sketchy evidence? Fine.

Where the hell did they come up with it being a protest?

Drago said...

arm: "Not with a bang, but a wimper."

Precisely the opposite of how it ended for the 4 Americans in Benghazi.

Hagar said...

It is not a question of "where," but "why."
They knew it was not a protest riot.

Anonymous said...

Hear, hear ARM. What a pathetic exercise in divisiveness.

Big Mike said...

This is only the first of whole bunch of questions related to Benghazi:

(1) Let us stipulate that Susan Rice merely parroted the talking points she was given, even though Central Intelligence claims that it knew almost from the start that Benghazi was a terrorist attack. Then who gave the false talking points to Dr. Rice and why?

(2) Why were Stevens' requests for security turned down? And who turned them down? Has that person been requested to resign? Or at least assigned to count snow ptarmigans in Alaska in the winter?

N.B., There's been a lot of squid ink spread through the water on this one. Responsbility for embassy and consulate security rests with the Department of State. Not with the Department of Defense and not with Central Intelligence. If the responsible party was not Hillary Clinton then who shortstopped the requests?

(3) Who made the decision not to send in troops or at least air cover to support the Americans fighting for their lives? And on what grounds?

If the problem was that we couldn't get an effective counterforce there in a timely manner then there's a follow-up question. What, precisely, is this administration doing to make our troops more agile?


These are not unreasonable questions. How will we fix things if we don't ask them and get some good answers?

Inga claims to be a nurse, but apparently is unaware that it is standard practice at good hospitals to perform clinical audits for cases that had unexpected adverse outcomes. In this case Congress is performing much the same function.

Hagar said...

And then, of course, there is the question of how on earth they could think they could get away with it.

Anonymous said...

Nothing wrong with investigating, I was one of the first here who called for one.

X said...

shut your lying piehole Inga. you peddled the video story lie more amateurishly and disgustingly than anyone. and you're dreaming if you think it's over.

Anonymous said...

In the future, blame will be assigned to people selected at random from the population at large.

"Benghazi was the fault of Wilbur Dinkwood of 42 Crabtree Lane, Flushing. Step forward, Mr. Dinkwood, to get what's coming to you for your failure."

Of course, people in the regime and their cronies will NOT be eligible for this lottery.

Drago said...

In related news, Hillary is still "investigating" how her Rose Law firm billing files were somehow "discovered" in the first family's private quarters in the White House 2 years after being subpoenaed by a Federal judge.

LOL

"investigation".

somefeller said...

The truth is still out there, ladies and gentlemen. Never give up!

bob said...

It reminds me of when Valerie Plame claimed she hadn't suggested her husband for the job of investigating whether Iraq sought uranium from Africa. Her reply? "It wasn't me. Someone passed by -- And he suggested, 'Well why don't we send Joe?' Yeah, it was a faceless passerby who nobody remembers who had the brilliant idea. After all, you couldn't possibly find a qualified investigator inside the CIA. Let's send a former ambassador.

X said...

I was one of the first here who called for one.

what a liar. you wanted the video maker investigated.

Hagar said...

But there is still the question of why.

All we know to date indicate they would have been better off just to go with the intelligence estimate as it was. And there was no need to send Susan Rice out to "carpet bomb" the Sunday gasbag shows. Why not just let it muddle through in the normal manner?

edutcher said...

AnUnreasonableTroll said...

And so Benghazi ends for the Althousians. Not with a bang, but a wimper.

Troll is so happy.

Nobody said it was over, chump, just that you wouldn't see any justice from Harry Reid's Senate.

Just as Monica ruined Willie, this will ruin Zero.

somefeller said...

The truth is still out there, ladies and gentlemen. Never give up!

As I told him last night, it's staring us in the face.

He's responsible.

EOF, as they say.

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

PS For those breathing a sigh of relief or clapping themselves on the back, remember, it can always come back.

I'm sure, among those 30 rescued from the consulate, there's at least one budding Mark Felt.

somefeller said...

That's the spirit! There is always next season.

Dante said...

I did not think the edits added "hateful video" into the talking points. I think she was winging that.

If she did, then she should be fired. I don't believe that, though. I think the director said "Take out the terror references." The video talking points were in there from the beginning. Even the Obamao talked about it. So did Jay Carney, press secretary.

Oh, some faceless committee did this. Garbage. The Director of National Intelligence is responsible for that the DNI. He must have approved it, and if he didn't he should be fired. And the person who hired him should be fired for having such poor judgement.

Hagar said...

There was reference to "the video" in the report on the Cairo disturbance.
It is possible someeone conflated the two; like O'Reilly frequently does not bother get his facts straight.
But surely briefing our ambassador to the U.N. before she goes on the Sunday shows to make statements on such an urgent matter is held to a higher standard than the O'Reilly show? Isn't it?

hombre said...

A Reasonable Man wrote: "I have now run out of easily remembered cliches."

You could just say what you and your ilk really think: "Who gives a shit? It was only four guys and the coverup helped get the best POTUS e-v-e-r re-elected."

McTriumph said...

I'm thinking the same guy that had Hillary's missing Rose law firm files made the changes.

PianoLessons said...

Drago said - so wisely - that "Hillary is still "investigating" how her Rose Law firm billing files were somehow "discovered" in the first family's private quarters in the White House 2 years after being subpoenaed by a Federal judge.

Unfortunately the Benghazi "investigation" is again all about Hillary's signature style.

Hillary guided the whole thing - and she also is probably the mastermind (or a major one) for Fast and Furious. It's the Clinton imprint.

And I am just flabbergasted that she is a potential 2016 Dem Presidential Candidate.

Say it ain't so - but we'll just have to wait and see how far voter fraud technology gets us until then.

Technology happens really fast - have you all noticed? LOL.

harrogate said...

Chip Ahoy writes

"Our beloved diversity hire president..." and then a bit later, the requisite whinefest "Affirmative Action" blah blah blah.

Garden variety small mindedness. A new Chip Ahoy persona solidifies. The truer one?

Tra la.

edutcher said...

somefeller said...

That's the spirit! There is always next season.

Yes, and maybe some phony folksy can find a real achievement for the Hildabeast in the next 4 years.

He may not have plenty of time, however; as the economy crashes. Mom may actually send him out to look for a job that involves something besides lurking.

Roger J. said...

OT--but it is thanksgiving eve. I wish a blessed thanksgiving to the Althouse commentariat--enjoy tomorrow, forget politics, and enjoy your families.

edutcher said...

And you, too, sir.

The best of everything.

Lydia said...

A bit off topic, but does anyone know what Candy Crowley is saying about Benghazi these days?

Joe Schmoe said...

Drill Sgt said: ...an experienced staff officer / PPT Warrior...

We're now teaching soldiers how to use Powerpoint as a weapon?!

Joe Schmoe said...

You can bore someone to death with a really boring Powerpoint presentation.

cf said...

Well, this takes me back to that first day of all this, . . . why, golly gee, it was september eleventh!

We were getting reports out of Egypt about protests, and a good Twitter storm took place about how our USEmbassyCairo was apologizing to their own attackers.

Remember?

This is what Gov. Romney rightfully protested that PuffHo&Co smeared him over.

Remember?

Turns out THAT was by lowly staff and personal, too. Good to know we are in such capable hands, aye?

I remember being alerted to the whole awful thing by IowaHawkBlog tweets that day. They were awesome and angry, not quite his usual calm wit, and I appreciated how it notched it up for such an occasion.

I was just trying to go back and search it all, trying to recall how it came down and what we knew when.

Funny that lots of articles linked to the Embassy's statement, which is no longer available, scrubbed.

Here's Jake Tapper's entry on it, stamped 11 pm sept.11:
"In a statement online [link to now-scrubbed embassy file], the Embassy of the United States in Cairo said that it “condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.” "

First Friendly Fire Shot Across the bow in this new war against America's Free Speech. That was followed by the Friendly Firing Squad of President Cunt and his leggy line of Vaginettes.

No, this doesn't die.

jr565 said...

It was the one armed man that changed the Intelligence reports!

somefeller said...

I remember being alerted to the whole awful thing by IowaHawkBlog tweets that day. They were awesome and angry, not quite his usual calm wit, and I appreciated how it notched it up for such an occasion.

Yes, that was a glorious day, my friend! A day of internet awesomeness that no American should forget. If only there could be a ribbon to commemorate Iowahawk's majesty that day.

jr565 said...

bob wrote:
It reminds me of when Valerie Plame claimed she hadn't suggested her husband for the job of investigating whether Iraq sought uranium from Africa. Her reply? "It wasn't me. Someone passed by -- And he suggested, 'Well why don't we send Joe?' Yeah, it was a faceless passerby who nobody remembers who had the brilliant idea. After all, you couldn't possibly find a qualified investigator inside the CIA. Let's send a former ambassador.

That was my friend Mike they were talking to. He used to mop the floors at the CIA headquarters. One day, some guys opened the door and asked him, while he was mopping "Hey, Should we send Joe?" And he answered "Yeah, I guess so. Who's Joe?".
The rest is history.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Obama said Romney shot first and asked questions later.

September 12 2012 4:14 pm

Four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens, were killed after an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi tied to the production of an amateur anti-Islam film. (That attack appears to have been independent of the Cairo violence, but both appear to have been related to the production of the film.)

Darrell said...

Obama said Romney shot first and asked questions later.

Obama asked an infinite amount of questions and never managed to shoot his load. Four Americans died.

Althouse Lefties cite the original lies published at in-the-bag media sites as proof that the original lies were true. Circular logic from circular jerks.

cf said...

somefeller said...
"Yes, that was a glorious day, my friend! A day of internet awesomeness that no American should forget. If only there could be a ribbon to commemorate Iowahawk's majesty that day."

Well, yes, considering that the United States government was using internet awesomeness to surrender our liberties that no American should ever forget.

Please do consider that the unnamed Schmoe tweeting for USEmbassyCairo on nine-eleven "Condemned" the American that pasted together a ratty, nasty burp of a video.

How does the word "condemn" translate for Egyptian tweets?

And that man they were blaming then is in prison now.

...Molly Norris? . . . Molly Norris? . . .

Methadras said...

Inga said...

Nothing wrong with investigating, I was one of the first here who called for one.


Want to lie some more about that? I distinctly remember you calling for the video maker to go to jail for offending the religion of muslims.

Jenner said...

Didn't you know they found Jill Kelley's email in Clapper's Gmail account?

Just kidding. But doesn't it make you wonder what's up with the sudden urge to take responsibility in direct contradiction to actual testimony a week earlier?

Methadras said...

AReasonableMan said...

And so Benghazi ends for the Althousians. Not with a bang, but a wimper.

For a topic that got as many as four posts a day from Ms Althouse and literally thousands of posts from the punters there appears to be no there there. Such is life.

I have now run out of easily remembered cliches.


Too bad for you that isn't the case. The idea that Clapper fell on his sword for the president flies in the face of his prior testimony. There is more lying to be wrangled with. The whimper you hear is the one you have during digestion. I recommend a couple of tums to fix that particular problem. Carry on.

Darrell said...

Maybe someone will admit to hiring Craig Livingstone--that director of the White House's Office of Personnel Security that no one would admit hiring. The one that collected hundreds of raw FBI files for Hillary. The possession of one or two sent Chuck Colson to jail. Craigie boy's qualification was playing "Chicken George" a costumed chicken that challenged GHW Bush to debate Clinton wherever Bush made an appearance.
Perhaps Livingstone created the false Benghazi scenario. Democrats don't treat government/national security as a joke--ever. The guy they first put in charge of their auto industry realignment may have never had a real job, but he owned a car once. None of the other people they had available could say that.

Nathan Alexander said...

I'm thinking that what this issue needs is someone to investigate and write a book, with impeccable sources.

That way, even if the MSM doesn't want to cover it, the research is done and the information assembled. Those who actually care about American lives will buy and read the book, and with enough interest, the issue will come to the forefront again.

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Anonymous said...

Methadras, you unashamedly LIE about what I said, but that doesn't surprise me about a person who wishes others dead and to burn in hell, I think there is seriously something wrong with you.

Feel free to find that comment you just lied about and post it here.

I have commented here for about a year or slightly longer, during that time I've run across some great folks from both sides, but there are only two here that are as vile, nasty and hate filled, truly evil as you Meth. You make my skin crawl.

Ugh, just seeing your avatar and name turn my stomach.

edutcher said...

somefeller said...

I remember being alerted to the whole awful thing by IowaHawkBlog tweets that day. They were awesome and angry, not quite his usual calm wit, and I appreciated how it notched it up for such an occasion.

Yes, that was a glorious day, my friend! A day of internet awesomeness that no American should forget. If only there could be a ribbon to commemorate Iowahawk's majesty that day.


Unfortunately, some phony folksy is still struggling toward adequacy.

wildswan said...

Election 2012
New media vs. Old - New media loses
Tea Party candidates vs. Obama - Tea Party loses.
That was this year but four years from now it will be different. Thanksgiving commemorates the starving time the Pilgrims suffered and the good times that came after. Celebrate Thanksgiving today, my digital friends, determined to survive the starving time. Four years from now we will celebrate the good times.

JAL said...

How can we impeach the MSM?

chickelit said...

JAL said...
How can we impeach the MSM?

Ignoring them hurts them the most.

Unknown said...

There appears to be no there there.

There is someone there it's the same old nobody who's apparently not been there for the last four years.

For someone who's never there when stuff happens he seems t get a lot of really bad stuff done.

jr565 said...

Inga if you truly thought that an investigation were warranted you wouldn't have implied in all the posts about this that there was nothing to this and a republican witch hunt.
Perhaps you don't realize what you're writing, but the problem is WE DO. Your posts on this subject are only a few weeks old. It's not like we have to go back far to see where you said no such thing. Shall we start going back over your posts and quote them back to you?
Oh my god, arguing with liberals is truly like arguing with someone talking out of both sides of their mouth.
That usually denoted either someone who's crazy or a liar. If someone with dementia.

I know you're not crazy, and I don't think you have dementia. So what's left?

Anonymous said...

Jr.
For gosh sakes, go and find the statement that that vile disgusting creature Meth is referring to. Find it, post it or shut up.

I'm sick of you people. You hear only what you want to hear, you believe what you are so desperate to believe, it's amazing, bu it's getting very tiresome.

Lydia said...

Inga,

This September 15th post of yours doesn't outright call for the film maker's arrest, but it does show you thought that he should be the one investigated. Also showed your utter contempt for freedom of speech:

AllieOop said...

Do you Althouse commenters not recognize the possibility that this guy was engaging in a much bigger, more sinister plot to incite some sort of holy war? You are screaming about his freedom of speech, he is yelling " fire", people have been trampled and are now dead. Oh poor bad movie guy, taken in for questions by the brownshirts.

9/15/12 10:26 PM

Anonymous said...

Yes, so what? I was calling for him to be investigated, rightly so. What did we know about him? Why do you continue to try to canonize this pedophile felon parole violator? I certainly did not say he should be jailed for making a anti Muslim film, now did I?

Also when you quote me, also post a link to the thread this is from.

Anonymous said...

Honestly, you folks have nothing, there is no there as ARM said upthread. I know it's dissapointing, another dissapoinment on top of losing the election, but either you can spend the next four years mashing sour grapes or you can work on expanding your own party and electing someone who can actually win an election in this country , with the demographics we have.

Anonymous said...

And I'm gonna stop giving you good advice, from now on I'll tell y'all to keep marching ever further to the right>>>>>>>>>>.

Ralph L said...

forbade his commanders to come to the aid of Stevens, Smith, Doherty and Woods
Don't forget there were about 30 Americans at the two sites. Some were injured. Were they all undercover? Have they all disappeared? Perhaps one or two will deep six their USG careers and come forward. You'd think they would be a little upset at the lack of American help.

Big Mike said...

Yes, so what? I was calling for him to be investigated, rightly so. What did we know about him? Why do you continue to try to canonize this pedophile felon parole violator?

Really, Inga? How does investigating him address the questions I posted at 4:03?

And I'm gonna stop giving you good advice ...

I was going to ask when you ever gave anyone good advice, but then decided that would be too snarky.

Unknown said...

The demographics we have are the problem. The demographics we have prefer that the gravy train keep running. The demographics we have have taken us off the fiscal cliff. The demographics we have are not going to allow us to continue on the European path, nor are they going to provide a safe landing place for Europe any more. The demographics we have are what sold our souls to China.

No conservative is going to embrace that scenario. So, we're going to lose. All of us. Even Inga and garage and shiloh and ARM.

You won the election. You own the consequences.

Rusty said...

Inga said...
And I'm gonna stop giving you good advice


Thank god.

dave in boca said...

The old military adage is still valid: "shit rolls downhill."