John Sexton:
One Year Later: Why We Were in Benghazi
It has been nearly a year since the attack which killed four Americans in Benghazi. During that time various minute-by-minute accounts of the attack have been published. In addition, the administration’s decisions to refuse additional security requests and to revise its talking points after the attack have been examined in detail.
But Benghazi may be a case where most observers have missed the forest for the trees. This is not an attempt to add new information so much as it is to collate the information that already exists from the most reputable journalistic sources.
To begin with, Benghazi was a CIA operation involving weapons, one which had no cover beyond a small mission that provided a diplomatic fig leaf for the effort. Officially the CIA was there to track and collect dangerous weapons left over from the war that ousted Qaddafi. But the evidence suggests the CIA was also either tacitly or actively involved in a multi-national effort to ship those weapons to Syrian rebels. Our covert effort in Benghazi, Libya was connected to our escalating involvement in Syria.
The general outlines of this CIA effort have been reported. One fact which has not been highlighted is that the UN arms embargo of Libya, which the United States helped pass in 2011, makes shipping weapons in or out of the country a violation of international law. Indeed, the way the UN resolution is written even knowingly allowing such shipments to take place may be a violation of the agreement.
[…]
As CNN reported in August, there were 21 people, presumably CIA, at the Annex in Benghazi the night of the attack. It is possible that they missed the surface-to-air missiles being delivered to Syrian rebels. And it is possible that when the shipment arrived in Turkey the CIA agents working there again missed them (as they had the smaller shipment a month earlier).
An alternative explanation is that the CIA was, as the Times has reported, shopping for weapons to fill the pipeline. With the Russians continuing to sell attack helicopters to the Assad regime, surface-to-air missiles would represent a much needed game-changer on the ground.
When asked by CNN the State Department maintained its personnel were there to help the new Libyan government destroy dangerous weapons. However State pointedly refused to speak for “other agencies.” In other words, take it up with the CIA. But the CIA did not respond to inquiries.
There is more and you should read it. But to make a long story short, we were breaking the law, first by shipping arms to Libyan rebels, then by shipping arms from Libya to Syria. The American public might not have approved either. This is the kinda stuff that got Ronnie Raygun in trouble. That would certainly explain the cover-up.
But it doesn’t explain everything, like why we never reacted to the initial attack or why we still haven’t gone after the people whodunnit. This is where my pet theory comes in.
Covert ops have a long history of spinning out of control because of the secrecy and lack of accountability that are built in to a “covert” operation. Read the Church Committee Report if you want examples.
So here we have a covert op which is also illegal and could be politically damaging to Barack Obama. Then somebody comes up with a bright idea – what if these weapons we were collecting in Libya were “stolen” my some militants and then sent to Syria? That would give our government “plausible deniability” (a Watergate-era term) if the story was exposed.
Of course it hopefully would remain a secret forever, at least from the American public.
So these weapons are gathered up and stored in a warehouse in Benghazi where security is intentionally lax. Under the pretext of some demonstration one of the local militias we are working with will “steal” the weapons and deliver them for shipment to the Syrian rebels.
But only the militia leaders know the plan, the militia members think they are really attacking the consulate. Some of them set it on fire, trapping Ambassador Chris Stevens and another man inside where they die of smoke inhalation. When the militia leaders realize what happened they rescue the two men and rush them to a hospital but it is too late.
The death of the two former navy SEALs could have been an unfortunate accident as well. I’m not going to lay out the whole theory but the attack on the CIA annex happened six hours after the attack on the consulate. Those two men were killed when a mortar round hit their rooftop position. Meanwhile our military forces sat on their hands and Barack Obama was whereabouts unknown.
Here is a strange fact – nobody on either side appears to have been shot that night. Two armed attacks took place. Both locations had armed guards. But there is not a single report of a gunshot victim, dead or alive.
Maybe I’m wrong, but the official story is pure bullshit.
My theory explains why the White House was in full cover-up mode right out of the gate.
YEP!!! from day one. đŸ˜¡
Iowa Hawk
WH observes minute of silence for victims 9/11/01; also, observes 525,600 minutes of silence for victims of 9/11/12. (h/t @CaptinAwesum)
Ouch! That had to hurt.
Very true!
this is way off topic.
now I understand why Putin stopped the adoption of Russian children by American parents.
http://www.reuters.com/investigates/adoption/#article/part5
There’ve been several official stories, and they’ve all been goat poo.
Is there anything that Obama and his administration have done in the past 5 years that aren’t full of goat poo ? I can’t think of thing that’s not connected to his political gain. No bull horn moments, but plenty of photo ops.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/09/awesome-photo-of-the-day-2-million-bikers-to-dc-ride/
this photo should go viral
If I were married to Amanda Marcotte I would never drank what I drank that night ever again.
I don’t understand this Media Matters story. I don’t see “Fox News” in it anywhere.
WTF?
I think there was CIA involvement in gun running to Syrian rebels. That explains a lot. How much groups of Libyans were involved is a good question. It would be irresponsible not to speculate.
By the way, wasn’t Doc Brown in Back to the Future tied up with Libyans? Probably his fault.
Yeah, but he actually got their WMDs and in returned gave them a shoddy bomb casing full of used pinball machine parts.
The sad fact is though that unless there is some serious upheaval on the part of Americans, nothing will happen and that is the Obama tactic….serious, serial deflection so that you never know this is all smoke and mirrors…moke and smirrors…it’s either an uprising or a demising, take your choice. The media is also so far in the bag that they can’t be trusted.
ValJar should take Obama’s crayons away from him.Specially that RED one. đŸ˜¯
LOL !
In more important news, Breaking Bad spinoff is a go.
Saul is one of my favorite characters on the show.
My favorite character was Mike but they killed him off.
Good news! It’s a prequel.
they came from all over the country to DC
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/09/11/video-motorcycles-rumble-through-on-the-way-to-d-c-for-911-rally/
What’d I miss?
Never mind, saw it. Poor Rand, gonna be tough running for Pres w/ Daddy being his crazy self.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/09/breaking-mo-house-overrides-gov-nixons-veto-of-2nd-amendment-protection-act/
good day for this to happen. Mo house overrides gov nixon’s veto ot 2nd amendment protection act
http://youngcons.com/the-rescue-dogs-of-911-only-12-are-still-living-see-how-they-look-today/
pictures of the remaining rescue dogs of 9-11
What the holy fuck???
Let’s revoke his citizenship and send his unhappy ass back to Nigeria!
Between the Tsarnaev brothers and this guy I get the feeling we’re not checking those citizenship applications closely enough.
We could start a citizen buyback program. Rescind your citizenship for a plane ticket home.
do not let him on a plane. give him a rowboat
today is my youngest grand daughter’s 19th birthday. she was born on Grandparent’s day and is the greatest gift this grandmom ever got
Happy birthday!
Happy Birthday!
http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/09/2-million-bikers-invade-d-c-remind-us-911-still-means-something-real-americans/
a statement is being made today
The definitive kool aid article…
http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20130911/f1be7b44-6445-42e9-bb06-f9f34f8bb2bc
Ugh. I really have to get rid of Earthlink.
Go for it and don’t look back, that’s what we did and the change is wonderful!
Grain of salt and all that, but an Italian and a Belgian held hostage by Syrian rebels say they overheard the rebels saying THEY were the ones using chemical weapons, so that the USA would intervene against Assad.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/09/11/teacher-and-journalist-held-hostage-in-syria-claim-they-overheard-explosive-skype-conversation-about-chemical-attack-during-captivity/
http://www.bizpacreview.com/2013/09/11/congressmans-office-denies-committing-to-muslims-911-march-83160
wonder why he did not show up??
Swaer to God, people just do not get how these games are played. Putin does, though. He knows the game forwards and backwards.
Between you and iowahawk’s tweets, my sides never stop ROTFLMAO hurting đŸ˜‰
A KGB agent fucking with Obama’s head? No. Can’t be that./s/
If Obama had any real intelligence officials working in the WH instead of sycophant butt kissing hacks from Vile Prog non-think tanks there would be reciprocal head fucking going on.
That was brilliant. And the Obots in the comments seem to have no clue what just happened…lol
Conner and Somebody inspired this post:
http://bloghopenchangery.com/2013/09/11/the-first-family1962-v-the-first-family2013/
đŸ˜€
My older brothers had that album. When I was little, I thought that WAS the first family (cica 1960s).
I hate this man with the white hot passion of 1000 suns:
Sickening
The WH sent Bob Casey out to say most of the “opposition” forces are moderate. He memorizes propaganda fairly well. I did not know he had dentures that whistle until he appeared on Greta. He said that the WH can figure out who out of 37,000 rebels are moderates. They just “know” these things like they know Assad ordered the use of chemical weapons. Maybe they watched the rebels Youtube videos.
It is. I think more and more that his goal is not democracy around the world but the ascendancy of Islam.
He does seem to curiously always manage to end up on the side of the Islamists, doesn’t he? And coincidentally caters to their love of triumphant symbolism.
I am speechless.
Madeline Albright really sold her soul to the Obama campaign.
Obama never was ready for prime time, but the Democrats and the press keep lickin’ his boots.
I’ve lost respect for anyone in the Democratic Party. Obama is the worst president ever.
Can’t help but wonder how many of these same tools also mocked Bush 43 for his statements?
Bush is too soft on Putin.
Romney is too hard on Putin.
But Obama is just right on Putin.
Goldilocks/political hacks and the three bears of foreign policy.
I don’t know who my beautiful and brilliant daughter voted for last November, but yesterday, after reading some of the comments from here, and viewing some of the videos that I sent her said that a.) she wanted to post them on her facebook page but she might not as she didn’t know how many of her friends might unfriend her, and b.) she was glad that she didn’t vote for Obama last year.
http://dailycaller.com/2013/09/11/from-thedcs-photodesk-when-bikers-come-to-counterprotest-video/#ixzz2edmyni8N
some great pictures of the ride
Members of this group are idiots, but they have the right to be idiots so I have no quarrel with them until they become physical. If and when they do they destroy their legitimacy. But in the meantime, every village needs a few idiots.
Regarding Benghazi…Your theory could be right. Clearly they knew who the attackers were and considered them to be on our team which is why there was zero help sent and why the SEALs were told to stand down. I always thought they were planning to have Ambassador Stevens kidnapped and then trade the blind sheik back to Egypt for him.
Official US policy is that we don’t negotiate with kidnappers.
That noise you hear is Wisconsin progressives sobbing uncontrollably in their beer – again – and again – and again..