Blackout on Benghazi Continues

Obama and the major news media put political concerns ahead of national security and accountability!

UPDATE: Mother of Sean Smith (one of the four slain in Benghazi): “I believe that Obama murdered my son,” she said Thursday from the living room of her Clairemont home. “I firmly believe this.” Will she be granted the same "absolute moral authority" that the press gave to Cindy Sheehan?

The sad truth about the tragic debacle in Benghazi where our Ambassador and three other Americans were killed continues to come out. ABC News reporter Jake Tapper described the process a "drip, drip, drip" revelation in a report which was only released on the Internet. The report was not carried on the network evening newscast. Same for reports at CBS and NBC. Total silence.

The few times that network newscasts mentioned the Libya story at all, it was early on and critical of Mitt Romney for releasing his statement on the attacks. Either that, or they simply repeated the Administrations now debunked claim that an Internet video was the cause.

Obama ignores the few shouted questions from reporters. Yet, the one time he was forced into giving an answer he raised more questions than he answered. In an interview with a local television reporter (KUSA) he was pressed on the issue of whether requests to provide help during the attack were denied. Among the wiffling and waffling Obama said this: "I gave three very clear directives. Number one, make sure that we are securing our personnel and doing whatever we need to."

So, if Obama "gave three very clear directives," what were they and to whom? No help was sent to the scene even though we had plenty of military options standing by. Rep. Howard P. "Buck" McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, wrote a letter to Obama asking a series of detailed questions:

• To whom did you issue this first directive and how was this directive communicated to the military and other agencies – verbally or in writing?
• At any time on September 11, 2012, did you specifically direct the military to move available assets into Libya to ensure the safety of U.S. personnel in Benghazi? If so, which assets did you order to Libya?
• At any time on September 11, 2012, other than ISR assets, did you provide the authority for the military to take any and all necessary measures to secure U.S. personnel, including specifically the authority to enter Libyan airspace?
• Did you have any communication with the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or any Commanders of regional Combatant Commands regarding military support to U.S. personnel in Benghazi on September 11th? If so, could you please describe any recommendations provided to you regarding available military support and any orders you gave to them?

There has been no response to these and earlier questions as to why growing security concerns at the consulate in Benghazi were ignored.

Despite the shameful television blackout of this story major newspapers are beginning to catch on. Lead editorials in both the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. The Journal summed up the Obama Administration response as “evasive, inconsistent and conflicting accounts about one of the most serious American overseas defeats in recent years.” The Post said that "sooner or later the administration must answer questions." Instead of doing their job to inform the American people, the Post, along with most other major media seems content to sweep the story under the rug and not press for those answers until after the election.

The Las Vegas Review Journal editorial hit Obama on both foreign policy and the economy calling him "an embarrassment on foreign policy and incompetent at best on the economy." They concluded by saying that Obama was "unworthy [as] Commander in Chief:"

These behaviors go far beyond "spin." They amount to a pack of lies. To return to office a narcissistic amateur who seeks to ride this nation's economy and international esteem to oblivion, like Slim Pickens riding the nuclear bomb to its target at the end of the movie "Dr. Strangelove," would be disastrous.

No Answers for Grieving Families

While the American people have every right to know what happened in Libya and why BEFORE the election, families of those killed have an unquestioned moral right to know why pleas for help were not answered. The contrast with the media focus on Cindy Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq and who made it her full time job to protest President Bush is startling. Ms. Sheehan was imbued by the media with an "absolute moral authority" and reporters followed her everywhere.

Likewise during the Valerie Plame scandal. Hundreds of stories drumming up outrage against the Bush Administration. Yet, Ms. Plame was no longer a covert CIA agent, but a desk jockey, and the law governing non-disclosure of her status did not apply. In short, no one died.

Then there is Charles Woods whose son Tyrone disobeyed orders not to offer assistance to the consulate in Benghazi on the night of the attacks and was killed. In an interview he described how he feels about what his family has been told:

KELLY: Charlie, do you feel like you are getting straight answers from the administration on this?

WOODS: This is all a pack of lies. That is one thing as the father whose son who was killed, I do not appreciate lies. I do not appreciate cowardice, and I do not appreciate lies. I’m a loving person. I love my son and I want to honor him, and I hope I’m not speaking too strongly, but I am very glad the facts are coming out right now. The reason I am even speaking up, our family had made the decision not to say anything, but after the facts came out that in real-time, the White House, minutes after the first bullet was fired, they watched my son, they denied his pleas for help. My son violated his orders in order to protect the lives of at least 30 people. He risked his life to be a hero. I wish that leadership in the White House had that same level of moral courage and heroism that my son displayed with his life.

The UT San Diego Editorial Board headlined their editorial with this stark charge against Obama: "YOU HAVE THE BLOOD OF AN AMERICAN HERO ON YOUR HANDS." What a shame that newspaper readership in this country is so small and few will see this or any of the other critical editorials prior to casting their ballots on election day. As the Las Vegas Review Journal said Obama is "unworthy" to continue as Commander in Chief. You would think that was news every American should consider!