Infidels

[Hoss]

While it is disguesting, I doubt Obama was deflecting just for this reason. I think he was just hoping it would go away all together.

That whoop whoop noise you hear may be black helicopters overhead.

[erfalf]

That whoop whoop noise you hear may be black helicopters overhead.

I doubt it is out of the realm of possiblity that politicians would like all of their messes to disappear. It's a fact of life, not a conspiracy.

[Townsend]

Nice

How to Make the Administration Sound Like It Lied About Libya: Edit the Tape!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/10/18/how_to_make_the_administration_sound_like_it_lied_about_libya_edit_the_tape.html

Conservatives have started sending me links to the newest of American Crossroads' long web videos, arguing that it provides proof that contradicts my piece about Obama and Libya: That there's no video of Obama denying that terrorists attacked in Benghazi.
Readers, I have to ask you to brace yourselves: The video is at least partly bogus. Watch it below, and notice the exchange between U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and David Gregory.

This is how the exchange appears in the Crossroads video.

GREGORY: That was spontaneous, was it a planned attack? Was there a terrorist element to it?
RICE: This is a response to a hateful and offensive video.

And this is the actual exchange from the September 16 episode of Meet the Press. I've bolded the parts that appear in the Crossroads video.

RICE: This is a response to a hateful and offensive video that was widely disseminated throughout the Arab and Muslim world.  Obviously, our view is that there is absolutely no excuse for violence and that-- what has happened is condemnable, but this is a -- a spontaneous reaction to a video, and it's not dissimilar but, perhaps, on a slightly larger scale than what we have seen in the past with The Satanic Verses with the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.  Now, the United States has made very clear and the president has been very plain that our top priority is the protection of American personnel in our facilities and bringing to justice those who...

GREGORY: All right.

RICE: ...attacked our facility in Benghazi.

GREGORY: Well, let's talk -- talk about -- well, you talked about this as spontaneous. Can you say definitively that the attacks on -- on our consulate in Libya that killed ambassador Stevens and others there security personnel, that was spontaneous, was it a planned attack?  Was there a terrorist element to it?

RICE: Well, let us -- let me tell you the -- the best information we have at present.  First of all, there's an FBI investigation which is ongoing. And we look to that investigation to give us the definitive word as to what transpired. But putting together the best information that we have available to us today our current assessment is that what happened in Benghazi was in fact initially a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired hours before in Cairo, almost a copycat of -- of the demonstrations against our facility in Cairo, which were prompted, of course, by the video. What we think then transpired in Benghazi is that opportunistic extremist elements came to the consulate as this was unfolding.  They came with heavy weapons which unfortunately are readily available in post revolutionary Libya.  And it escalated into a much more violent episode.
Look, like I wrote yesterday, Rice was wrong here. She may have been purposefully misleading. There was apparently no protest used as a cover story by the attackers. But the attackers did cite the video in their reasons for committing the murders.
But the Crossroads video is attempting to change the record. When Gregory asked Rice whether terrorism occured in Banghazi, Rice did not mumble about the video. She offered some disclaimers then said that "opportunistic extremist elements came to the consulate." The idea that Rice foolishly claimed that the attack was part of a video protest, and nothing more, is a myth that only comes true with sketchy edits.

Also: Read Erik Wemple on what the Libya questioner wanted Obama to tell him, and what Obama did tell him when the cameras were off.

[heironymouspasparagus]

The amazing irony of this whole situation is that Romney is the one who is portrayed to have botched everything in regards to this mess.

And given Romney's performance the last couple months, why would you consider that amazing at all?

[erfalf]

Nice

How to Make the Administration Sound Like It Lied About Libya: Edit the Tape!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/10/18/how_to_make_the_administration_sound_like_it_lied_about_libya_edit_the_tape.html

And for some more context:

Rice: First of all we had no actionable intelligence to suggest that-- that any attack on our facility in Benghazi was imminent.  In Cairo, we did have indications that there was the risk that the video might spark some-- some protests and our embassy, in fact, acted accordingly, and had called upon the Egyptian authorities to-- to reinforce our facility.  What we have seen as-- with respect to the security response, obviously we had security personnel in Benghazi, a-- a significant number, and tragically, among those four that were killed were two of our security personnel.  But what happened, obviously, overwhelmed the security we had in place which is why the president ordered additional reinforcements to Tripoli and-- and why elsewhere in the world we have been working with governments to ensure they take up their obligations to protect us and we reinforce where necessary.

You're right, they weren't lying. 

[nathanm]

If you're going to accuse someone of lying, at least point out what in that statement is a lie.

[erfalf]

If you're going to accuse someone of lying, at least point out what in that statement is a lie.

Rice: First of all we had no actionable intelligence to suggest that-- that any attack on our facility in Benghazi was imminent.

[erfalf]

And now it seems even more complicated in that we were running weapons to the rebels in hopes of overthrowing Gaddafi.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/how-u-s-amb-chris-stevens-may-have-been-linked-to-jihadist-rebels-in-syria-and-does-it-involve-weapons/

[Townsend]

Rice: First of all we had no actionable intelligence

What was the actionable intelligence they had?

[Townsend]

And now it seems even more complicated in that we were running weapons to the rebels in hopes of overthrowing Gaddafi.

Might as well be quoting the Weekly World News.

[erfalf]

Might as well be quoting the Weekly World News.

Business Insider? It's good enough for NPR and NYT.

[erfalf]

What was the actionable intelligence they had?

http://intelligentuspolitics.com/obama-administration-knew-of-terrorist-threats-in-libya-before-attack-says-congressional-subcommittee/

The letter to Secretary Clinton states that, "Based on information provided to the committee by individuals with direct knowledge of events in Libya, the attack that claimed the ambassador's life was the latest in a long line of attacks on Western diplomats and officials in Libya in the months leading up to September 11, 2012." They added, "In addition, multiple U.S. federal government officials have confirmed to the committee that, prior to the September 11 attack, the U.S. mission in Libya made repeated requests for increased security in Benghazi. The mission in Libya, however, was denied these resources by officials in Washington."

[Townsend]

Business Insider? It's good enough for NPR and NYT.

You linked the Blaze.  Not the same as the Business Insider.

And now it seems even more complicated in that we were running weapons to the rebels in hopes of overthrowing Gaddafi.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/how-u-s-amb-chris-stevens-may-have-been-linked-to-jihadist-rebels-in-syria-and-does-it-involve-weapons/

[Townsend]

http://intelligentuspolitics.com/obama-administration-knew-of-terrorist-threats-in-libya-before-attack-says-congressional-subcommittee/

What gives you the knowledge that it was "actionable".

[erfalf]

You linked the Blaze.  Not the same as the Business Insider.

Woops,

http://www.businessinsider.com/us-syria-heavy-weapons-jihadists-2012-10#ixzz29keeGla8

Although Beck called it the day after it occurred.