'ArtM72' pid='11727' datel Wrote:I pulled up the FOXNews link you provided. Here is what I learned from it: • The attack on the consulate began around 10 pm (local Libyan time, 4 pm in Washington) • A surveillance drone was dispatched to Benghazi after the attack began, followed by a second drone to relieve the first which may have been running out of fuel. • Fighting at the consulate stopped for several hours (midnight to 3 am?) before the mortar fire at the annex commenced. • An American Quick Reaction Force arrived at the Benghazi airport from Tripoli at 2 am. • Libyan Militia arrived at the annex at 3 am. • Woods and Doherty were killed by a mortar shell (one of four shots total in the attackl) at 4 am. ASSUMING this all is true (the information is taken directly from thatFOX article) any suggestion that the White House was watching the entire time and doing nothing (as I believe you stated in an earlier post, something about 200 Americans sitting on their hands watching the show) is just simply wrong. 1. There was no drone overhead at the start of the attack. News of the attack went through channels and a drone was presumably immediately diverted from an existing mission; a second drone was launched and sent to scene. 2. A quick reaction force was activated in Tripoli and on the ground in Benghazi within hours. 3. The mortar attack on the Annex killing Woods and Doherty was very limited...only four rounds total...suggesting that threat was immediately taken out or fired their shots then disappeared. As to this attack being "preventable" I would suggest the only way to absolutely prevent such things from happening is to remove all American diplomatic missions from overseas. Then some other American target would be chosen by people who have the motivation to do so. Maybe a university campus, maybe the office or plant of some American corporation, maybe a busload of American tourists somewhere. The fact is that nothing is absolutely preventable given sufficient motivation. By the way, the request for additional security was for the Tripoli embassy not the Benghazi consulate. As to the continued harping about "The Video", "The video" certainly was an issue stirring up protests at that time in other parts of the Moslem world. So people connected dots incorrectly? The video association, whether it existed or not, has no relevance to what happened. The attack was an attack, whatever spawned it. Claiming somehow the President "was lying" about whether the attack was the result of video or terrorism is simply just another piece of sh*t thrown against the wall. Somehow that piece stuck in some people's minds as important even though it was completely irrelevent to the attack itself or the Administration's response. Completely irrelevent. Completely irrelevent, except to people who look for every opportunity to promote the hatred of Obama. Go back and review the timeline of events before you do anymore Monday morning quarterbacking. When it comes to posting misinformation feel free to remove the log from your own eye before criticizing a speck in the President's.
Art, combine Forbes article info from Forbes and FOX for the picture. Some of your bullet point facts/conclusions are incorrect:
..."Based on documents released by the House Oversight Committee, the day of the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, September 11, the White House situation room starts receiving emails at about 1 pm that the mission is under hostile surveillance. The only response was that the Pentagon sends a drone armed with a video camera so that everyone in Washington can see what transpires in real time, as it happens, at the White House, at the State Department, at the Pentagon, at the CIA.
The drone documents no crowds protesting any video. But at 4 pm Washington receives an email from the Benghazi mission that it is under military style attack. Subject: “U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi Under Attack.” The email states,
“The Regional Security Officer reports the diplomatic mission is under attack. Embassy Tripoli reports approximately 20 armed people fired shots; explosions have been heard as well. Ambassador Stevens, who is currently in Benghazi, and four COM personnel are in the compound safe haven. The 17th of February militia is providing security support.”
The attack was then fed to all of them, the White House, the Pentagon, the State Dept., the CIA, through live video feed. A later email that day reported, “Ansar al-Sharia Claims Responsibility for Benghazi Attack.” The feed showed no protest of any supposedly offensive You Tube video.
Fox:
..."Fox News has learned from sources who were on the ground in Benghazi that an urgent request from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. consulate (4 pm) and subsequent attack several hours later on the annex itself was denied by the CIA chain of command -- who also told the CIA operators twice to "stand down" rather than help the ambassador's team when shots were heard at approximately 9:40 p.m. in Benghazi on Sept. 11.
Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods was part of a small team who was at the CIA annex about a mile from the U.S. consulate where Ambassador Chris Stevens and his team came under attack. When he and others heard the shots fired, they informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out. They were told to "stand down," according to sources familiar with the exchange. Soon after, they were again told to "stand down."
Woods and at least two others ignored those orders and made their way to the consulate which at that point was on fire. Shots were exchanged. The rescue team from the CIA annex evacuated those who remained at the consulate and Sean Smith, who had been killed in the initial attack. They could not find the ambassador and returned to the CIA annex at about midnight.
At that point, (12 am) they called again for military support and help because they were taking fire at the CIA safe house, or annex. The request was denied. There were no communications problems at the annex, according those present at the compound. The team was in constant radio contact with their headquarters. In fact, at least one member of the team was on the roof of the annex manning a heavy machine gun when mortars were fired at the CIA compound. The security officer had a laser on the target that was firing and repeatedly requested back-up support from a Spectre gunship, which is commonly used by U.S. Special Operations forces to provide support to Special Operations teams on the ground involved in intense firefights...............CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood, though, denied the claims that requests for support were turned down. ....."We can say with confidence that the Agency reacted quickly to aid our colleagues during that terrible evening in Benghazi," she said. "Moreover, no one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate. In fact, it is important to remember how many lives were saved by courageous Americans who put their own safety at risk that night-and that some of those selfless Americans gave their lives in the effort to rescue their comrades."
The fighting at the CIA annex went on for more than four hours (12 am - 4 am) -- enough time for any planes based in Sigonella Air base, just 480 miles away, to arrive. Fox News has also learned that two separate Tier One Special operations forces were told to wait, among them Delta Force operators."...
Per these articles:
At 1 pm, 3hrs. prior to attack, consulate reports hostile surveilance. No extra security was dispatched and US Ambassador had been warning Washington that Lybian security forces were inadequate (Fox). Would have been prudent to dispatch additional security, since it was 9/11 of all days? 1st drone was overhead at 1 pm 3 hrs. prior to Embassy attack at 4 pm. No protestors. So why did Obama blame protest gone bad for attack.
4 pm Embassy attacked and CIA team a mile away told to stand down. It is reported order is from CIA chain of command. CIA spokeswoman denies that stand down order came from CIA. Who ordered the stand down?? CIA Woods and a couple others disregard order and move to Embassy, fight attackers brin about 27 live and 1 dead American back to the CIA compound at about midnight. Requests for military back up denied. Fighting at CIA quarters ensues and continues for more than 4 hrs. Result is CIA's Woods and Doherty die in the fighting.
Bottom line is: Precautions could have been taken in the 3 hrs. prior to Embassy attack, none were. Woods and a couple others disregard orders and likely saved 27 American's lives. Repeated requests for aerial support, which should have been in place, were denied. Woods and Doherty dead as a result. Eyes in Washington watched from drones and security cameras 3 hrs. prior to, the Embassy attack, the rescue by Woods and others, the attack on the CIA compound. More should have been done, that is not Monday morning QBing. The whole attack was blamed on a protest which did not exist and that was a lie. Repeating of that lie for a couple of weeks is a cover-up. Not acceptable.