RERUN–Benghazi

by

(Here is something I wrote in November of last year)

At a minimumat a bare minimumthe Benghazi affair reveals a dismal level of incompetence pervading the Obama administration. There is also reason to believe that it reveals decison-making about life-and-death matters based on this President’s desire to preserve his “narrative,” rather than facing reality and acting upon it. And, I suspect, the more we learn about what happened in Benghazi, and  why  it happened, the more disturbing the answers are going to be.

I’m currently re-reading the memoirs of General Edward Spears, who was Churchill’s emissary to France in 1940. There was a disturbing amount of defeatism, and in some cases actual sympathy with the Nazi enemy, among certain government officials and other French elites. Weygand’s friend Henri de Kerillis, a Deputy and newpaper editor, had been consistently pressing Prime Minister Daladier to investigate some sinister behavior by members of the extreme Right.

“Il faut de’brider l’abces,” he had said time and time again to the Premier. He had done so again lately and received this strange answer: I have done exactly what you urged, I have opened the abscess, but it was so deep the scalpal disappeared down it, and had I gone on, my arm would have followed.” This was really very frightening, and I said so. “You cannot be more frightened than I am,” said Kerillis.

I feel sure that we are going to find that the abscess revealed by the Obama administration’s behavior re Benghazi goes very deep indeed.

5/9/2013: A useful source of information about the Benghazi debacle and the related investigations is the site  Special Operations Speaks.

11 thoughts on “RERUN–Benghazi”

  2. I am thinking about how the Benghazi affair must be demoralizing those personnel with boots-on-the-ground in the military and in the State department. They must know by now that in the event of stuff hitting the fan anywhere in the world (but especially in trouble spots)and which has the capacity to embarrass President Empty Chair and his top echelons … they will be sacrificed in a New York minute … they will be ‘dissappeared’ if they are lucky enough to survive and then the whole matter will be downplayed by a compliant news media.
    And the hapless video producer whose movie was blamed for it all – he’s still in prison, isn’t he?

  3. I am re-reading HR McMaster’s “Dereliction of Duty” which is about the prelude to the Vietnam War. He was a lieutenant when he did the research and is now a major general. His promotion to general and major general was delayed twice. Petraeus finally intervened to get him to BG along with some other brilliant soldiers.

    The similarities to LBJ and McNamara in 1964 before the election is astonishing. Johnson and McNamara lied to the public and misrepresented the Joint Chiefs’ recommendations.McNamara even lied to Johnson and told him that the JCS approved of what he was doing. Johnson was uninterested in the war as he was consumed with his “Great Society” agenda.

    Sound familiar ?

  4. I don’t know why anyone would join the foreign services these days. Outside of the English speaking world, Europe, and maybe Japan diplomats and military protecting them are all now sitting ducks.

    The Obama regime is so in over their heads that I almost feel sorry for them, except for the fact that it’s put American citizens here and abroad in so much danger.

    They were just talking about this on twitter:

    http://reason.com/archives/2013/05/09/benghazi-hall-of-shame/2

    The first knee jerk reaction was to revert to their play book and blame freedom.
    We get attacked and we are to be blamed.

  6. When Hillary was up before the Senate Committee and she said “What difference does it make”? – I am surprised none had a powerful retort.

  7. Victor Hanson has a good piece up today on what to think about before starting a war. The LBJ/ McNamara crowd in 1964 were anticipating a loss in Vietnam and still decided it would be better to make a forlorn effort than pull out with no losses (relatively, compared to 58,000 dead).

    They would have answered as Hillary did. They don’t care about the dead. It’s all about omelets and breaking eggs to them.

  9. I read the linked article and a couple of other article about Rhodes, and I could hardly believe it. The highest and most influential offices in the land are filled by dupes, morons and amateurs (in the most pejorative sense. It’s as if some dope-addled college senior said, “Hey, boys and girls – let’s put on a presidential administration!” Reality is gonna be a painful bite. I can only hope that the hurt lands hardest on those most deserving of the pain, but a sense of historical cynicism warns me not to hold my breath.
    I also wonder if Mr. Rhodes is even now being prepped for being thrown under the bus. That bus must be jacked-up like one of those show trucks that you need a 16-foot ladder to get into.

  10. The Obama administration doesn’t believe in terrorism. And if forced to believe in terrorism it is never the fault of radical Islamists. Ft. Hood? Not terrorism, no sir. Workplace violence. Benghazi? Spontaneous demonstration that got out of hand. Boston? OK, maybe terrorism, but not organized terrorism. Just a couple of mixed up kids. If–God forbid–this country suffered another attack on a par with 9/11 and the terrorists posted a video on YouTube claiming credit in the name of Jihad, that wouldn’t be Islamic terrorism either.

  11. Just what I was thinking Sgt. Mom.
    This kid’s days are numbered.

    It all started with his work on the Iraq Study Group Report which was a real hit with the peaceniks.
    It’s hard to believe a writing gig can get a person so far up in the echelons of power and policy, but that’s what we’ve got with these bozos.

Comments are closed.