In a new report released on Tuesday, the House Armed Services Committee concludes that there was no way for the U.S. military to have responded in time to the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya to save the four Americans killed that night. In doing so, the report debunks entirely a right-wing myth that says the White House ordered the military not to intervene.
For months after the attack that resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens, conservative media was awash in reports that on the night of the assault the Obama administration at some point ordered the military not to take action that would have saved lives. This supposed “stand down order” led to a bevy of right-wing conspiracies about why the President and his administration had let the Americans die. “
Who told the SEALs to stand down?” Rep. Steve King asked in Nov. 2012, in just one of many interviews with Republicans referring to the response to Benghazi as “worse than Watergate.” As Media Matters reports, Fox News cited reports of a stand-down order no fewer than 85 times during prime-time segments as of June 2013. As the new report — which the Republican majority of the committee authored –makes very clear in its findings, however, no such order ever existed. “There was no ‘stand down’ order issued to U.S. military personnel in Tripoli who sought to join the fight in Benghazi,” the report says, noting that the military was not positioned to respond to the attack.
“Given the military’s preparations on September 11, 2012, majority members have not yet discerned any response alternatives that could have likely changed the outcome of the Benghazi attack,” the report concludes.
And another Right Wing talking point dies a lonely ignoble death.
Now while you are trying to digest the fact that his committee just took a giant dump all over the GOP strategy to smear Hillary Clinton in 2016, you might also like to know that even over at Fox News there are some breaking ranks with the "Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi" attacks.
Courtesy of Media Matters:
Without fanfare, Fox News host Megyn Kelly finally acknowledged that the network's campaign to sink Susan Rice's potential nomination to President Obama's cabinet was rooted in fundamental dishonesty.
During a discussion with Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL) on the February 11 edition of her Fox News show, Kelly referenced a House committee report released that day, and admitted that Rice's talking points reflected CIA intelligence that "the attacks in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the embassy in Cairo":
Hey it just occurred to me that this cable news station does nothing but lie. |
KELLY: Let me ask you about DOD [Department of Defense]. Because I know your report concludes that DOD officials believed nearly from the onset that this was a terrorist attack and not some sort of a protest gone awry. Now, I want to get specific, because so many people have said, 'So then why did Susan Rice go out and talk about protests? Why did she mention a video?' But the CIA talking points, the very first draft that went out and was circulated, that Susan Rice ultimately was provided, that top officials ultimately saw, talked about a protest. They did. The CIA actually came out, I want to look at it here, and said this is a draft from September 14th, 11:15 am, 'We believe based on currently available information that the attacks in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault.' So, tell me, does that -- does it or does it not answer the question about how our officials started to come out and talk about protests and the video?
Kelly's admission that the administration's talking points were not manipulated for political reasons marks the devastation of yet another Benghazi myth hyped by the right-wing media
And just like that, the Right Wing attack machine realizes it is fresh out of ammunition.
Well hey, on the plus side the Republicans still have Monica Lewinsky.
Oh they are so screwed.
With admittance to lies, and the divisive Tea Party getting under GOP skin, expect to witness the new Republicannibals in action. .
ReplyDeleteI would dearly LOVE to see some members of the House Committee chaired by D. Issa demand he acknowledge this report, but I don't believe anyone has the balls.
ReplyDeleteBesides, you know damned good and well HE won't accept the report. He'll claim the committee who wrote it had been "gotten to" or some such crap.
Still, it's always nice to see liars get their faces slapped. Will Faux every admit it? Hell no. I can hear them now.
"The information we had at the time...."
BS ALERT!
Sarah Palin Gets Dose Of Reality As Hillary Clinton Leads By 27 Points In 2016 Matchup
ReplyDelete...It also seemed like the poll wanted to have a little fun and see what a hypothetical matchup between former half-term Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Clinton. As one would expect, Clinton crushed Palin 62-35. That is a 27-point margin. Independents were completely turned off by Palin, as Clinton held a 41-point lead over the Tea Party darling. Palin’s supporters may want to take a look at this poll before allowing themselves to be taken in by another one of her scams regarding a potential Presidential run.
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/02/13/sarah-palin-dose-reality-hillary-clinton-leads-27-points-2016-matchup.html
There are two Christian Right movies coming out this year called ‘Persecuted’
ReplyDeletehttp://freakoutnation.com/2014/02/13/there-are-two-christian-right-movies-coming-out-this-year-called-persecuted/
Persecute this hon.. I was raised in organized faith.. and I am absolutely fine with religion and faith. The facts are the founding fathers excluded religion from government. I have faith but not in organized religion. I will never understand why people ignore the fact that many folks aren't religious and deny other religions faith. I think self interest and lack of understanding of anyone different than them. People who think the government should be tied to one religion ate no patriots..:)
Delete"Well hey, on the plus side the Republicans still have Monica Lewinsky."
ReplyDelete...and Whitewater (*hyuck!*)
And what about that putz Darrell Issa? Is he going to get a free pass on this?
ReplyDeleteOK, now let's see a study on how much precious time Republicans in the House and Senate wasted on this non-issue, please.
ReplyDeleteThen I'd like to see just how many of our tax dollars were wasted on this purely partisan non-issue.
I'm waiting for Fox News to apologize to Susan Rice and to Hillary Clinton and to President Obama. I'll probably have to wait until "hell freezes over," although with climate change, that could be sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom