Althouse: "Sen. Lindsey Graham... is threatening to place a hold on key administration national security nominations unless President Obama explains..."

February 10, 2013

"Sen. Lindsey Graham... is threatening to place a hold on key administration national security nominations unless President Obama explains..."

"... how the White House reacted to the Benghazi attacks and who 'changed' the talking points used by U.N. ambassador Susan Rice during back-to-back appearances on the Sunday political talk shows in September."

50 comments:

dhagood said...: good for him.; 2/10/13, 7:31 PM
David said...: Susan Rice?

Oh boy have they screwed her over.

Well she retaliate? Doubtful, since if she does the best job available to her will be as an assistant to Anita Hill.; 2/10/13, 7:32 PM
garage mahal said...: The Huckleberry Closet Queen made an announcement to garner attention to himself? It has been a whole week since he's preened for us.; 2/10/13, 7:39 PM
Sam L. said...: As well he should.; 2/10/13, 7:41 PM
Anonymous said...: Recess Appointment

If George Bush, the elder did it, why couldn't President Obama do it?; 2/10/13, 7:43 PM
kentuckyliz said...: Good for him. Stonewalling can be a two way street.; 2/10/13, 7:48 PM
Mr. D said...: Huckleberry Closet Queen

NTTAWWT; 2/10/13, 7:48 PM
edutcher said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/10/13, 7:51 PM
Calypso Facto said...: why couldn't President Obama do it?

Because Congress is not in recess?; 2/10/13, 7:51 PM
Anonymous said...: It's cute how they still think that Obama should be responsible for murdering the ambassador and then shredding the first amendment.

Haven't they talked to John Roberts yet? Obama gets a free pass on anything he wants to do.

Enjoy the decline, bitches!; 2/10/13, 7:52 PM
edutcher said...: If Brigitte Gabriel and Webb & Murphy are right, Senator Grahamnesty may just redeem himself.

Inga said...

Recess Appointment

If George Bush, the elder did it, why couldn't President Obama do it?

Because the last time Choom tried it, they were all thrown out?; 2/10/13, 7:55 PM
Anonymous said...: Why am I skeptical? He's full of it. Him and the Maverick will cave.
http://politicalsyn.blogspot.com/; 2/10/13, 7:57 PM
MadisonMan said...: Lindsay Graham will do no such thing.

No one believes him for a second.; 2/10/13, 8:00 PM
Titus said...: He's a big queen and hoping to be reelectd in South fucking Carolina where they hate queens.

Good luck Mary.

She needs to find some lobby group to hang on to.

She's a huge Helen/Mary.; 2/10/13, 8:00 PM
Unknown said...: ----The Huckleberry Closet Queen made an announcement to garner attention to himself? It has been a whole week since he's preened for us. ---

Wow, Garbage fails to live up to his own very low standards.

Do the personal attacks indicate how close to the nut of Benghazi Graham is getting? What was going on in Behghazi? Arms smuggling?; 2/10/13, 8:05 PM
Titus said...: Lindsey is a lesbian. Embrace it and love her.

She is a huge lady, who wants, but doesn't suck cock.; 2/10/13, 8:07 PM
Big Mike said...: You mean Lindsey Graham might be growing a pair?

It's a sign of the apocalypse I tell you!; 2/10/13, 8:09 PM
chickelit said...: Gotta love how garage and "Titus" fling the homophobic slurs.; 2/10/13, 8:20 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: The Huckleberry Closet Queen...

garage, you can do better than that.

Or are you saying that the gay agenda, as fiercely pursued by the left (your political center) is a farce?; 2/10/13, 8:22 PM
edutcher said...: Tell me again how much the Lefties love the gays.; 2/10/13, 8:23 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Wait... are "recess appointments" a gay trope?

I'm taking Gatsby... so, I'm out of the loop.; 2/10/13, 8:26 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Lindsay Graham will do no such thing.
No one believes him for a second.

MM is on a roll today.; 2/10/13, 8:30 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Good. The administration that lies needs to be held accountable.
Enough bullshit.; 2/10/13, 8:40 PM
ken in tx said...: He is Ashley Wilkes. But he is our Ashley Wilkes, and none of your damned business.; 2/10/13, 8:43 PM
deborah said...: It doesn't matter. Obama will just make signing-order appointments, or somesuch.; 2/10/13, 8:45 PM
deborah said...: I heart Lindsay Graham...he's a hoot.; 2/10/13, 8:45 PM
Titus said...: Lindsey is a queen, I don't care if he a pube or moon.

He's a lady.; 2/10/13, 8:48 PM
Anonymous said...: good for him. Occasionally Lindsay gets it right.; 2/10/13, 8:49 PM
Bruce Hayden said...: Should be interesting. Shouldn't be much of a problem getting all the GOP Senators on board for this. There is a lot of smoke right now, coming out of the Administration's explanation of what happened in the White House, the Pentagon, Foggy Bottom, and Langley on the night of 9/11/12. Intelligence committee, at least, should have access to complete schedules of all the primaries that night, and what calls came for whom, etc. National Security is not an excuse here.

Worrisome article by the Mail Online: David Petraeus was brought down after betrayal by vengeful CIA agents and his own bodyguards who made sure his affair was exposed, claims new book. First, and foremost, while Gen. Petraeus shouldn't have had that affair, the 7th floor senior staff who orchestrated his take down should be fired, or worse.

But, more worrisome to me, according to the two guys writing the book on Benghazi, a lot more was going on, and it was being kept from both Ambassador Stevens and CIA director Petraeus, and, therefore, likely Congressional oversight. They claim that Libya was being used as staging for black ops throughout the region by, in particular, Delta Force personnel, and that the consulate at Benghazi was taken out in revenge for a U.S. attack on a militant group. This, at a time when the official State Department position was that Libya was reasonably safe, and therefore justified the major security force downgrade the month before. All done apparently on the orders of the President under the direction of John Brennan, the Deputy National Security Advisor.

I think that I can understand why the President might want to cut the CIA out of the loop, esp. when one of the reasons that they wanted Gen. Petraeus out as their director, was his push for covert ops, over intelligence gathering. But, that meant that the situation was much more volatile than the Ambassador in particular, and probably the State Dept. in general knew, and that may explain their Libyan security draw down in August. And, yes, did the Administration make sure that the Congressional oversight committees were kept fully informed? We shall see.; 2/10/13, 8:59 PM
Carnifex said...: 2 weeks ago they had an ex-bush ambassador on C-SPAN, and he gave a better explanation than anything I have heard since. Most interesting to me was his insistence that Stevens could have just refused to go to Libya if he didn't feel safe. So all the crying and whining about increasing security, and he just shrugs his shoulders and goes.

The million dollar question is why? Was he on an important mission to ship arms? Or were the imprecations for extra security just BS? He had several other points but I came away with a more favorable impression of ambassadors(at least Bush appointees) than I have of Zero and the head state department bitch.; 2/10/13, 9:20 PM
cf said...: It is Excellent.

In terms of History, this will have been first time ever that a President isolated an American citizen and condemned him, with no hearing or lawyer or court, for practicing his freedom of speech, and blamed that lone citizen to a World of Barbarians and the Media to Cover-Up with Rouge that We Don't Know What We're Doing, and the Whole World is Going To Hell but We Must Maintain Power at all costs.

It is a sorry time, deranging, as we have seen around us since the reElection, everybody is Jangly, cause we all know but we can't talk about it outRight. dr. Carson treatment and all that (smear him Thick).

Worst Administration Ever. And I will bow right now and claim the prize for calling it right after the columns of Denver in 2008. I turned to my Lou and said, It might not seem like it now, but this is It. This is the highest moment. it is all Downhill from Here.

Benghazi Libya sept. 11, 2012, the USGovt. Broke its constitutional contract with every one of us, and history will show what a shot across the bow it was.; 2/10/13, 9:25 PM
Chuck said...: garage mahal; I'd really like to meet you, uh, personally some day.

As for the threat of putting a hold on the nominations until the White House gave up requested information, it is exactly what Senator Joe Biden did, as the Weekly Standard is pointing out:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/biden-no-information-no-confirmation_700481.html; 2/10/13, 10:03 PM
Bender said...: I'm sure the White House is quaking in their boots. Not.

As a matter of fact -- who cares?

What difference does it make??

No one really cares that the Obama crew is a bunch of f-ups. No one cares if they lied.; 2/10/13, 10:15 PM
Drago said...: garage: "The Huckleberry Closet Queen made an announcement to garner attention to himself?"

The "Huckleberry Closet Queen" served his nation in uniform.

Did you ever serve?; 2/10/13, 10:20 PM
gadfly said...: George Soros' minions are supplying answers that they do not really know to be true.

As Panetta put it, “The president is well-informed about what is going on; make no mistake about it.”
The unclassified talking points as presented by Rice were edited through an interagency process, wherein the CIA itself removed the references to al-Qaeda.

What did the president know, when did he know it and most importantly, what did he do about it? Gosh, ThinkProgress forgot to answer those points for the president!; 2/10/13, 10:45 PM
JAL said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/10/13, 11:46 PM
JAL said...: Time to play hardball.

Since the right is accused of all kinds of uncooperative things, let's go all out.

I really really want to know what happened with the Benghazi thing. And Fast and Furious. And who the Evian people are who are buying ammunition for DHS.

The other day I started a survey the RNC put out and just quit because it was so stupid. ("What do you think Republicans should be focused on? Jobs, national security, blah blah blah.")

The Republicans needs to stop being wusses and stand on principle. Play hard ball. It can't be any worse than it is now. It's time to disrupt some people's schedules and the blue play book.

I am sick and tired of the Republican mealy mouth way of doing business.

Hold the left accountable for every last damn thing.; 2/10/13, 11:50 PM
Achilles said...: Leaving an ambassador to die? Pathetic and weak. But it is something a well meaning person might do if they were bad at being commander in chief.

Making up a lie then putting an American citizen in jail to hide the truth from the American people? That is impeachable, prosecutable, and the treasonous aspect of completely and knowingly abrogating the first and fourth amendment to makes it capital. This goes for Clinton as well. What difference does it make indeed.; 2/11/13, 2:17 AM
Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...: OK, this round the ineptitude and lies come from the Executive Branch, and the grandstanding from the Legislature.

Nothing new either way.

If you don't like what they do with the power, then don't let them have it.; 2/11/13, 5:33 AM
AReasonableMan said...: kentuckyliz said...
Good for him. Stonewalling can be a two way street.

Stonewall being the appropriate term here.

Sorry, couldn't resist. Will say five Hail Mary's at the church of the local closet queens.; 2/11/13, 8:01 AM
Temujin said...: Hmmm...I thought our former Sec. of State, future President tied this whole thing up and allowed us all to move on when she proclaimed, "What difference, at this point, does it make?"

Really. Do you need any other explanation, Senator?

I cannot wait for Hilary's Presidency.; 2/11/13, 8:05 AM
Brian Brown said...: Drago said...
garage: "The Huckleberry Closet Queen made an announcement to garner attention to himself?"

The "Huckleberry Closet Queen" served his nation in uniform.

Did you ever serve?

Of course the silly, fat, imbecile has never served. But he has taken to this blog to actually brag that his "family served in WWII"

As if that means anything.; 2/11/13, 8:38 AM
Aridog said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/11/13, 8:44 AM
Aridog said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/11/13, 8:47 AM
Aridog said...: Bruce Hayden said ...

All done apparently on the orders of the President under the direction of John Brennan, the Deputy National Security Advisor...[snip]...I think that I can understand why the President might want to cut the CIA out of the loop, esp. when one of the reasons that they wanted Gen. Petraeus out as their director, was his push for covert ops, over intelligence gathering.

Is it just me, or is John Brennan the elephant in the room? Is he Obama's Huckleberry? Obama now wants Brennan as CIA Chief, even though Brennan is said to be the guy who orchestrated clandestine JSOC activities in Libya and elsewhere, ...e.g., military operators with CIA auspices but not oversight by Petraeus/CIA or the Pentagon per se. Did Obama actually approve of this by-pass of oversight and just not admit it? IMO...yes, he did.

Reminds me of MAC-V and various Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support [CORDS] operations, such as the Phoenix Program. The drone strikes are particularly reminiscent of Phoenix. The fact that the Pentagon is out of the loop also reminds of the Regular Army disdain for CORDS.

Are we really going there once again? Or have we already arrived?; 2/11/13, 8:53 AM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: Manboobs Mahal slurred:

"The Huckleberry Closet Queen made an announcement to garner attention to himself?"

Ah, how quickly the supposedly tolerant liberals whip out the anti-gay slurs.

Is that why your wife divorced you tubby? Was it your anti homosexual bigotry or your flabby physique?

I'm not sure what's worse in reading the threads today, you or Althouse's statements that a brilliant black neurosurgeon is not capable or qualified to deliver a speech.

Ugly, ugly.; 2/11/13, 10:07 AM
sonicfrog said...: JAL said:

It can't be any worse than it is now....

Oh sure it can. Dems take over the house and get the 60 seat majority in the Senate. That's definitely worse. And this silliness by Graham moves that one step closer.; 2/11/13, 10:19 AM
JAL said...: Oh sure it can. Dems take over the house and get the 60 seat majority in the Senate. That's definitely worse. And this silliness by Graham moves that one step closer.

At this point, really what difference does it make?

But we've been there when BHO was the Adonis in front of the columns.

We might actually get some answers or push some people into places they are not prepared to be.

The crap we have had shoveled on us (Fast and Furious, exec orders undoing immigration, First Amendment religious freedom kicked to the sewer, Benghazi, GM stimulus screwing the bondholders... who the hell cares about the rule of law again?) since the god won means it's time to throw the red flag.

If the Republicans would stop playing sissy ball and get real information out there and drill it hard instead of folding over and over and over.

And they need to get rid of Karl Rove.

The Friday after Benghazi I told my low information sister (NYT, CNN, Madow) about it and she had not heard anything about Benghazi, and besides "he (Obama) would never do that, he was his friend!"

There are ways to get the info to these people. We have to get people to ask "Is that true?" instead of "Oh my, what a discourteous thing to say! Tsk tsk."; 2/11/13, 2:39 PM
furious_a said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/11/13, 5:07 PM
furious_a said...: Low-information Inga: If George Bush, the elder did it, why couldn't President Obama do it?

Because Pres. Obama made HIS appointments while the Senate was out of town but still in session, ironically under a parliamentary gimmick orchestrated by Majority Leader Reid.; 2/11/13, 5:22 PM