There was a hearing today before a Senate Committee about the terrorist attacks in Benghazi last September 11th. Both the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and the secretary of defense testified. It was an amazing display. Here are a few points:
1) There finally is a senator who knows how to ask questions. Senator Cruz of Texas was able in his short period of questions to establish a great deal of important facts. Unlike most of the other senators, senator Cruz did not waste time making a speech or asking questions that went on for minutes.
2) The secretary of defense and the chairman of the joint chiefs briefed president Obama about the attack in Benghazi at the White House at roughly 5 p.m. on September 11th just as the attack was starting. Obama told these two guys to do what they needed to do and had no further involvement in the matter.
3) In the eight hours following Obama being briefed and while the attack in Benghazi still continued, neither the secretary of defense or the chairman of the joint chiefs spoke to Secretary Clinton, the head of the state department. Further, there were no requests from the State Department or the White House for information about what steps were being taken by the Pentagon.
4) According to the chairman of the joint chiefs, he was aware of the requests for greater security made by our ambassador to Libya prior to the attack. No American troops were deployed to beef up security because "no one asked that it be done." Let's expand that point. The military cannot just decide to deploy troops to an embassy without being directed to do so by the White House or the State Department. Neither the White House nor the State Department told the Pentagon to send troops to help defend the Benghazi consulate.
5) Neither secretary Paneta nor the chairman of the joint chiefs could say what Obama or Clinton did during the eight hours after Obama was first briefed on the attack and before the last Americans were killed in Benghazi.
6) Even though the issue before the committee was the safety of American diplomatic personnel, the Democrats on the committee did what they could to change the subject to the upcoming budget sequestration.
1) There finally is a senator who knows how to ask questions. Senator Cruz of Texas was able in his short period of questions to establish a great deal of important facts. Unlike most of the other senators, senator Cruz did not waste time making a speech or asking questions that went on for minutes.
2) The secretary of defense and the chairman of the joint chiefs briefed president Obama about the attack in Benghazi at the White House at roughly 5 p.m. on September 11th just as the attack was starting. Obama told these two guys to do what they needed to do and had no further involvement in the matter.
3) In the eight hours following Obama being briefed and while the attack in Benghazi still continued, neither the secretary of defense or the chairman of the joint chiefs spoke to Secretary Clinton, the head of the state department. Further, there were no requests from the State Department or the White House for information about what steps were being taken by the Pentagon.
4) According to the chairman of the joint chiefs, he was aware of the requests for greater security made by our ambassador to Libya prior to the attack. No American troops were deployed to beef up security because "no one asked that it be done." Let's expand that point. The military cannot just decide to deploy troops to an embassy without being directed to do so by the White House or the State Department. Neither the White House nor the State Department told the Pentagon to send troops to help defend the Benghazi consulate.
5) Neither secretary Paneta nor the chairman of the joint chiefs could say what Obama or Clinton did during the eight hours after Obama was first briefed on the attack and before the last Americans were killed in Benghazi.
6) Even though the issue before the committee was the safety of American diplomatic personnel, the Democrats on the committee did what they could to change the subject to the upcoming budget sequestration.
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