Article

2013-01-12 Africa North

Why the Benghazi Investigation Is Going Nowhere

Four months after a brutal assault on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi killed the ambassador to Libya and three other Americans, politicians in Washington are still railing over how diplomats were left vulnerable to attack. Yet the political furor, which now threatens to hold up President Obama's national-security nominations, stands in stark contrast to the response in Libya itself. There, Libyans say, the investigation is nonoperational, if not effectively dead, with witnesses too fearful to talk and key police officers targeted for violent retribution. The stymied investigation seems a far cry from the assurances from Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, immediately after the attack, that the culprits would be caught. A somber Obama told White House reporters the morning after the attack, "Make no mistake, we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people."

As the months have gone by, Libyans have come to doubt that will happen, believing that the attack was the work of armed militia too powerful for the weak central government in Tripoli to apprehend. In a phone interview on Wednesday, one Benghazi resident who did not want to be named told TIME that government security forces appeared to have decided not to stop the Sept. 11 attack while it was in progress. The resident said a colonel from the Ministry of Defense, a friend of his, had paid a social call to his home during the hours of the assault that night and had rebuffed pleas for help during the battle.

Benghazi's residents are slowly moving on and forgetting about the disastrous assault four months ago. The consulate building remains a burned-out ruin. And with al-Harzi out of jail in Tunisia, there is no suspect in custody for the attack. Mohamed Buisier, a political activist in Benghazi, who returned home in 2011 after decades in the U.S, says the only thing that reminds people of the attack these days is the noise from above, apparently U.S. drones flying over eastern Libya's main city as part of ramped-up security after the attack. Says he, "We wish they would be quieter."

Posted by Pappy 2013-01-12 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11134 views ] Top

#1 Hillary's silence is deafening.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2013-01-12 02:10|| 2013-01-12 02:10|| Front Page Top

#2 The dead ambassador was a gun runner plus the American public have an attention span of approximately 17 seconds.

Obama's people are doing shuck and jive. And did we ever get the Ambassador's body back or is he still in a mail bag somewhere in his underwear and his body moldering with duct tape around his neck holding the plastic bag in place ?

Posted by Threater Flusoper9823 2013-01-12 06:37|| 2013-01-12 06:37|| Front Page Top

#3 At least you kept it short. That's a good sign, the Claws train well don't they?

Posted by Shipman 2013-01-12 07:50|| 2013-01-12 07:50|| Front Page Top

#4 Why the Benghazi Investigation Is Going Nowhere

Cause your guns are more important than their Muslim Brotherhood guns ?

Posted by Besoeker 2013-01-12 08:15|| 2013-01-12 08:15|| Front Page Top

#5 What if the State department was being used as diplomatic cover for an overseas intelligence operation? What exactly do you think that Clinton could say? Strange but it would explain the comical bumbling of the public officials.

I am reminded of that line from the Maltese Falcon,

"Joel Cairo: I certainly wish you would have invented a more reasonable story. I felt distinctly like an idiot repeating it.

Sam Spade: Don't worry about the story's goofiness. A sensible one would have had us all in the cooler."

Posted by Mike Ramsey 2013-01-12 10:34|| 2013-01-12 10:34|| Front Page Top

#6 #5 What if the State department was being used as diplomatic cover for an overseas intelligence operation?

Shocking! Theres Gambling in Ricks Café ?

Posted by Besoeker 2013-01-12 10:39|| 2013-01-12 10:39|| Front Page Top

#7 Shocking! There's Gambling in Rick's Café ?

And he owed me money!

Posted by Mike Ramsey 2013-01-12 10:57|| 2013-01-12 10:57|| Front Page Top

#8 The dead ambassador was a gun runner plus the American public have an attention span of approximately 17 seconds.

One thing I learned during my varied career was to form theories, but not conclusions.

It's possible that the CIA was running weapons. It's also possible that the CIA was there to prevent, or monitor, the flow of weapons going to groups like the Al Nusra Front or Muslim Brotherhood backed groups in Syria, Hamas, or AQIM. The last one is less likely than the other two. Benghazi is a port city, approximately 375 miles from the Egyptian border. There are decent roads between there, and Egypt has strong historical, economic and political ties there (Egypt armed some of the Libyan rebels). Therefor it makes more sense that Benghazi would be a seaborne shipment point to Syria (evidence indicates it is being used for that)or as a staging point for further shipment to Gaza.

The objective was to remove the US facility from the equation. It's possible that Al Qaeda or an affiliated group did the attack on its own. It's also possible, even likely (based on open-source information), that the attackers had significant support from an outside source, such as a foreign government or intelligence agency. Based on anecdotal, open-source evidence, it's likely that supporter is one that the US government either has a relationship with, or was cultivating a relationship.

And did we ever get the Ambassador's body back or is he still in a mail bag somewhere in his underwear and his body moldering with duct tape around his neck holding the plastic bag in place ?

The remains of the ambassador and the other KIAs were brought into Andrews air base on a military aircraft. There were news reports covering the event. Perhaps you were fondling yourself while watching snuff-flicks and missed it?

Posted by Pappy 2013-01-12 12:10|| 2013-01-12 12:10|| Front Page Top

#9 You don't think out loud often for us Pappy, but when you do, it is always illuminating.

Posted by trailing wife 2013-01-12 13:50|| 2013-01-12 13:50|| Front Page Top

#10 "There were news reports covering the event. Perhaps you were fondling yourself while watching snuff-flicks and missed it?"

Pappy shoots, Pappy scores. ;-p

Posted by Barbara 2013-01-12 13:56|| 2013-01-12 13:56|| Front Page Top

#11 Why the Benghazi Investigation Is Going Nowhere?

Simple. Its more convenient that Benghazi remains an ongoing investigation for as long as possible. The fact that that no one is asking (at least not in open hearings) why the hell was Stevens meeting the Turk on the anniversary of 9/11 at a location that was known to be extremely dangerous and lack proper security. Cause it sure as hell wasnt for some run of the mill spreading democracy event. Lets cut the crap. Stevens last job was liaison to the Libyan Rebels. Thats intel not diplo. Perhaps we can take some solace knowing that the perps most likely wont see the inside of a US courtroom and will be dispatched the old fashioned way.

Posted by DepotGuy 2013-01-12 14:22|| 2013-01-12 14:22|| Front Page Top

#12 Because Obama wants it to stall and flounder, had he wished the truth, People would be in line to testify.

What GodBama wants, He gets (To end in 4 years)

Posted by Redneck Jim 2013-01-12 15:07|| 2013-01-12 15:07|| Front Page Top

#13 Pappy nails it per usual! Think what his assessment would look like if he still had access to SIPRNET and JWICS. :-)

Posted by Besoeker 2013-01-12 16:06|| 2013-01-12 16:06|| Front Page Top

#14 SOme time back, there was a suggestion that the site was coordinating the flow of arms from Ghadaffi's arsenals to the Syrian rebels via sea, and that the meeting with the Turkish ambassador had to do with an intervention message from the Assad's supporter, Vladimir the Great. It is curious that the attack happened after the Ambasador and the Turk spoke and walked the grounds. Perhaps the wrong answer was given and the Turks departure and cell phone call triggered what followed. A very Russian way of sending Champ a message about playing in the big game, not AA ball? Just an scenario, but it would explain why no one wants to talk, not knowing what the SVR/FSB may leak to questioners/reporters.

Posted by NoMoreBS 2013-01-12 17:10|| 2013-01-12 17:10|| Front Page Top

#15 #14 This has been mentioned as a scenario. Vladamir would stand to be a big loser should the rebels take over.

Posted by JohnQC 2013-01-12 19:12|| 2013-01-12 19:12|| Front Page Top

#16 Back in September, I posted my list of 'possibles'.

There hasn't been much change. Please note that there is no order of priority or preference here. The essential criteria (for me) was an actor with a high level of internal organization, sufficient intelligence capabilities, and assets (or ability to obtain and organize assets):

Saudi Arabia

Egypt

Qatar

UAE

Pakistan

Syria

Iran

Israel

Criminal organization(s)

Muslim Brotherhood

Russia

Pakistan

Hamas

Al Qaeda

Hesb'allah

A mercenary contract group

Posted by Pappy 2013-01-12 20:26|| 2013-01-12 20:26|| Front Page Top

#17 Let's cut the crap. Steven's last job was liaison to the Libyan Rebels. That's intel -- not diplo

There is a fine line between the two sometimes.What matters is an ability to establish a level of trust and a line of communication with an ability, for the party one is establishing a liaison with, to have a plausible route of denial should the relationship be discovered or run into problems.

Often that takes diplomatic skill.

Posted by Pappy 2013-01-12 20:33|| 2013-01-12 20:33|| Front Page Top

#18 Perhaps we need real leaders not a bunch of dumb asses that sacrifice our people for a country that can afford to build a fucking ski slope in the middle of a shopping mall where temps reach over 100 degrees, perhaps they should fight for themselves and the us should find real allies,

Posted by Maggie Flomong2662 2013-01-12 22:33|| 2013-01-12 22:33|| Front Page Top

08:37 ed in texas
08:30 Besoeker
08:30 Besoeker
08:12 Procopius2k
08:10 Procopius2k
07:54 Grom the Affective
06:54 Richard Aubrey
06:49 MikeKozlowski
06:48 MikeKozlowski
06:46 Richard Aubrey
06:46 MikeKozlowski
06:44 Richard Aubrey
06:34 NN2N1
06:33 Grom the Affective
06:30 NN2N1
06:23 Grom the Affective
06:16 NN2N1
06:09 NN2N1
05:39 Whiskey Mike
05:37 Whiskey Mike
05:29 Whiskey Mike
05:25 Whiskey Mike
05:23 Whiskey Mike
05:21 Whiskey Mike