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| When An American U.S. Ambassador Is Missing |
| 2012-10-22 |
| If the attackers were a mob, as intelligence reported, then an F18 in afterburner, roaring like a lion, would unnerve them. This procedure was applied often in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A U.S. ambassador is missing and his diplomatic team is desperately fighting off terrorist attacks. Our commander-in-chief and his national-security team in Washington are listening to the phone calls from the Americans under attack and watching real-time video from a drone circling overhead. Yet the U.S. military sends no aid. Why? On September 11, at about 10 p.m. Libyan time (4 p.m. in Washington), Ambassador Chris Stevens and a small staff were inside our consulate in Benghazi when terrorists attacked. The consulate staff immediately contacted Washington and our embassy in Tripoli. The White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, and numerous military headquarters monitored the entire battle in real time via the phone calls from Benghazi and video from a drone overhead. Our diplomats fought for seven hours without any aid from outside the country. Four Americans died while the Obama national-security team and our military passively watched and listened. The administration is being criticized for ignoring security needs before the attack and for falsely attributing the assault to a mob. But the most severe failure has gone unnoticed: namely, a failure to aid the living. By 4:30 p.m. Washington time, the main consulate building was on fire and Ambassador Stevens was missing. In response, the embassy in Tripoli launched an aircraft carrying 22 men. Benghazi was 400 miles away. At 5 p.m., President Obama met with Vice President Biden and Secretary of Defense Panetta in the Oval Office. The U.S. military base in Sigonella, Sicily, was 480 miles away from Benghazi. Stationed at Sigonella were Special Operations Forces, transport aircraft, and attack aircraft — a much more formidable force than 22 men from the embassy. In the past, presidents had taken immediate actions to protect Americans. In 1984, President Reagan had ordered U.S. pilots to force an airliner carrying terrorists to land at Sigonella. Reagan had acted inside a 90-minute window while the aircraft with the terrorists was in the air. The Obama national-security team had several hours in which to move forces from Sigonella to Benghazi. Fighter jets could have been at Benghazi in an hour; the commandos inside three hours. If the attackers were a mob, as intelligence reported, then an F18 in afterburner, roaring like a lion, would unnerve them. This procedure was applied often in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Conversely, if the attackers were terrorists, then the U.S. commandos would eliminate them. But no forces were dispatched from Sigonella. In the meantime, while untrained and poorly led by American standards, the terrorists at Benghazi were proving to be lethal. They forced the Americans to abandon the consulate, with the ambassador still missing, and fall back to an annex a mile away. When the terrorist gang followed the Americans, looters took the opportunity to ransack the empty consulate. But when they found Ambassador Stevens unconscious on the floor, they stopped looting and rushed him to a hospital. Unfortunately, the doctors could not save his life. Not knowing who he was, they took the cell phone from his pocket and called numbers. By about two in the morning, the American embassy received word that the ambassador was dead. At about the same time, the 22 men from the embassy in Tripoli had arrived at the Benghazi airport. They drove to the annex to assist in its defense against persistent terrorist attacks. Around 4 a.m. Libyan time — six hours into the fight — enemy mortar rounds killed two of the defenders on the roof of the annex. The fight began at 10 p.m. and petered out at dawn when the Libyan militia came to the aid of the Americans. It is bewildering that no U.S. aircraft ever came to the aid of the defenders. If even one F18 had been on station, it would have detected the location of hostiles firing at night and deterred and attacked the mortar sites. For our top leadership, with all the technological and military tools at their disposal, to have done nothing for seven hours was a joint civilian and military failure of initiative and nerve. Secretary of State Clinton has said the responsibility was hers. But there has been no assertion that the State Department overruled the Pentagon out of concern about the sovereignty of Libyan air space. Instead, it appears passive groupthink prevailed, with the assumption being that a spontaneous mob would quickly run out of steam. Firefights, however, wax and wane from dusk to dawn. You cannot predict ahead of time when they will stop. Therefore a combat commander will take immediate action, presuming reinforcements will be needed. The administration wrongly blamed a mob for the attack. Yet ironically, Mr. Obama’s chances of reelection would have plummeted were it not for the human decency of a mob that took the ambassador to the hospital before the terrorists returned. If the terrorists had taken his body and, with no Special Operations Forces hot on their trail, taunted America the next day — claiming the ambassador was still alive — the Benghazi tragedy would have escalated into an international disaster. The U.S. military sent no aid. Why? |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #11 See also RELATED DEFENCE FORUM INDIA > US DRONE [Predator, + other Recce Aircraft] WAS WATCHING BENGHAZI ATTACK. The US can send a UAV, but NOT an F-18, andor Ac-130 "Spectre" full of Abn Arty Cannons + Gatlings??? and * SAME > [Obama Admin] US "TOO SLOW TO ACT" [wid various USDOD Regional Mil Assets] AS DRONE'S CAM CAPTURED LIBYA HORROR. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-10-22 23:57 |
| #10 I am outraged at O's many clusterf***ks but There are a lot of inconsistencies with Nakoula's checkered history, but most reports say he is a US citizen and until proven otherwise, innocent by law. Why isn't everyone outraged at the top politicians and diplomats (lawyers no less!) in the land falsely and knowingly accusing him of inciting the mob to murder? They argue Gitmo detainees, non-citizens and not conforming to the Geneva conventions, are entitled to a defense yet frame a citizen? Something is very, very wrong with this picture. |
| Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck 5095 2012-10-22 17:23 |
| #9 oouch! Ya got me Barb. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-10-22 15:12 |
| #8 "our Champ's words and deeds begin to look and sound like those of the enemy" Whaddaya mean "begin"? |
| Posted by: Barbara 2012-10-22 15:06 |
| #7 Procopius, Initiative is one thing, indiscipline is another entirely different one. More like indifference. The names USS Liberty and Pueblo keep repeating themselves as people 'waited' to make action decisions after making crappy operational decisions to send good men into harms way without proper security/force protection. They all want the rank and perks, but never to stick'em on the line to make a judgement at the moment. CYAWP. They always sit wanting more 'intel' before making commitments. Managers, not leaders. Hey, no one get fired these days for playing it safe. Every thing but missiles can be recalled, but you wait to send anything else, it'll get there too late. One marches to the sound of the guns. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2012-10-22 15:06 |
| #6 Er, what's wrong with the following: "Dear Libyan government -- some people in your country have decided to attack our consulate and our ambassador. As you know, this is a gross violation of law and custom, amounting to an act of war when committed by a state. We do not hold you accountable at this time, but do wish to let you know that within the next few minutes the attackers will be met with a few planes full of cluster bombs. We are defending our ambassador and territory, and will do whatever we can in the aftermath to assist you in cleaning out the criminals who have invaded your nation and attempted to provoke a war. Truly, etc." |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2012-10-22 12:16 |
| #5 Procopius, Initiative is one thing, indiscipline is another entirely different one. A commander no matter how high his rank cannot the decison of entering a country America is not at war with. The decision belongs to the President. What he can do is issue orders to his units to ready themselves so they can leave at the very moment the President gives the order. But orders didn't came or they came but to to restrain action. oh, and next day Obama was at a fund raiser. |
| Posted by: JFM 2012-10-22 08:55 |
| #4 As I mentioned last night. I think they were unable to find Valorie Jarret to 'advise' Obama and make the decision. After losing Bin Laden - she probably left very strict orders with Obama to not make any decisions without her 'advice'... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2012-10-22 07:57 |
| #3 Firefights, however, wax and wane from dusk to dawn. You cannot predict ahead of time when they will stop. Therefore a combat commander will take immediate action, presuming reinforcements will be needed. Meanwhile back at home, the SECDEF orders high ranking military personnel to remain silent! No mention yet of any pleading for the execution of a NEO (Non Combatant Operation), or a Tier 1, In Extremis mission, but we will hear of them......after the election. Strange is it not, as Willard's chances for the presidency appear to improve, how our Champ's words and deeds begin to look and sound like those of the enemy? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-10-22 07:50 |
| #2 ..because those who lust for power create a Mother-May-I management structure. Local or individual initiative is punished. You reap what you sow. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2012-10-22 07:45 |
| #1 A mob who was angry about the cartoons. Yeah right. First: It must be the first time in history of humankind a demonstratioon starts at 10pm local time. And it lstas for several hours meaning the "spontaneous demonstrators" remained awake for the folling sevan hours, add an hour for returning home and they wouldn't get any sleep before at least 6am. Second: They brought mortars to the fight. A weapon who weighs over one hundred pounds. Third: Just a coincidence it was on 9/11. Had the wanted to say: "we are unrepentant about the Twin Towers" that wouldn't have picked another date. Funny isn't it? Aklso teh questioon is not why the US Military sent no aid but why its Comander in Chief did not issue orders about sending aid. Why? Why why? |
| Posted by: JFM 2012-10-22 04:53 |