Benghazi Limbo

The Limbo dance was very popular some years ago, it entails a series of steps culminating in dancers going under a stick single file without touching the stick or the floor.  Those who do are eliminated. The stick is gradually lowered until only one dancer remains. Spectators call out “How low can you go?”

As for the Benghazi Limbo, it too, has choreography.

UN Ambassador Susan Rice officially informed the American people that the attack on the consulate in Benghazi was caused by an anti-Muslim video produced in the US and posted on the Internet. She was adamant that there was no evidence of terrorist activity. Yet, according to Senator Saxby Chambliss, top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, “”She knew at that point in time that al Qaeda was very likely responsible in part or in whole for the death of Ambassador Stevens.”

That the attack took place on the 11th anniversary of 9/11/ was dismissed as purely coincidental, as was the fact that the election was less than 2 months off and the president had repeatedly bragged about the demise of Bin Laden and claimed that al Qaeda was dead, too.

Except it wasn’t. Ambassador Stevens and others had been reporting increased terrorist activity and begging for additional security, which was not only refused but a Special Forces detachment of 16 men was withdrawn. Secretary of State Clinton said she was responsible for the decision regarding security, but she must not have meant it because she went off to Peru and has not been available to testify to anything beside the weather wherever it is she is hiding, er staying.

Why the Red Cross and the British thought the danger was so high that they closed their facilities and ordered their personnel to leave, but the US State Department did not think additional security was necessary has never been explained.

(Four-to-six-hour¹) Vice President Joe Biden said during the second debate that the White House did not know that help had been requested. President Obama gave one of his non-answer answers and said he gave orders to send help “as soon as he knew of the request.” Incidentally, no evidence has been presented that an order was given other than maybe for room service in Las Vegas.

According to General Petraeus’s testimony before Congress, the CIA watched the attack as it was taking place and knew almost immediately that it was an al Qaeda affiliated terrorist attack. Petraeus said the CIA provided that information, but that reference to “al Qaeda involvement” was stripped from his agency’s assessment. He does not know which agency was responsible for the alteration.

Congressional Democrats are doing their best to downplay the contradiction between the former CIA Director’s testimony and what Ambassador Rice told the American people five days later and Obama said at the UN on September 25.th

Congressional Republicans are demanding to know who knew what, when, reasons for the decisions that were made and who altered the CIA assessment. Reportedly, all the agencies present at the congressional hearings denied having
done so. (One question no one seems to be asking is why rescued consulate staff members have not been interviewed and their accounts made public.)

It seems obvious that the President had to be directly involved in whatever decisions were made. He is the only dancer left. Either he declined to give the order in time to avoid the tragedy or he gave the order, but it was not carried out.

At this writing, President Obama is still doing the Benghazi Limbo. The “how low can you go” question has yet to be answered.

¹â€œYou all saw the man that I have sat with every day, on average four to six hours a day,  A man of principle, a man of gumption, a man with a steady hand and a clear vision.” Joe Biden at a campaign rally in Co.