The Benghazi “Cover-Up”

I have been reading about the Benghazi attack on the American consulate for months. Four American tragically and violently lost their lives. It’s been agreed on that this was an act of terrorism. Like everyone else, I have been waiting for the truth to come out. There was a lot of finger pointing and blame. Susan Rice had to withdraw her name from consideration for Secretary of State because she was being blamed for misleading the country about what happened. Hillary Clinton is being blamed for not providing enough security under the circumstances. President Obama and his administration are being blamed for an alleged cover-up of the whole “scandal.”

I will be the first to admit that I don’t know all the facts and have not read the 100 or so emails that were released regarding the incident. But, what I am reading is that certain Republicans are now back-pedaling on the alleged “cover-up” theory, including Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, who after reading the newly released emails, now feel differently. Perhaps more will come around in time. According to one source I read, the “leaked emails” months ago were allegedly doctored up and altered by a GOP source to make it look  like the truth was being withheld. Take a look at this:

“A leaked email adds new language to State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland’s email, including a specific reference to al-Qaeda:

“The penultimate point is a paragraph talking about all the previous warnings provided by the Agency (CIA) about al-Qaeda’s presence and activities of al-Qaeda.“

The actual email read:

“The penultimate point could be abused by members to beat the State Department for not paying attention to Agency warnings.“

A leaked email written by deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes suggests that he asked for the final draft to remove references to warnings about specific attacks, a demand made by the State Department:

“We must make sure that the talking points reflect all agency equities, including those of the State Department, and we don’t want to undermine the FBI investigation.”

But the actual email did not mention the State Department:

“We need to resolve this in a way that respects all of the relevant equities, particularly the investigation.”

Since the congressional hearings last week, the White House on Wednesday released a hundred pages of emails from after the consulate attack. The full version undermines already-thin accusations that this is a White House scandal.”

Now, is anyone planning to get to the bottom of who exactly doctored the emails to mislead the country as to what happened in Benghazi? Is the GOP going to gloss over that, now that we know the truth? After all, for months the President and his administration have been badgered and maligned for “misleading and covering-up,” when that simply was not the case. Is anyone in the GOP going to apologize to Susan Rice, who has now been vindicated by the truth? And as for Hillary Clinton, I don’t know what part she played in what happened that day or if mistakes in judgment were made. Clearly, something went terribly wrong and she has said the buck stops with her. She accepts responsibility for that. However, I have been reading that she is being attacked not so much for her role in the events, but to prevent or dissuade her from running for president in 2016. Shocking, isn’t it?

This investigation should be thorough. We should get the answers we need about what happened in Benghazi and figure out how to make sure something like this never happens again. It’s a matter of national security. It’s a matter of leadership. It’s a matter of examining the facts to find out where things went wrong. It’s about getting to the truth, whatever it may be. It’s not about altering emails to mislead American citizens about the President and his administration. It’s not about trying to fabricate a “scandal” to win favor with voters and an election. It’s not about jumping to conclusions, ruining people’s reputations and careers, and conducting a witch hunt.

The families of the four men killed in Benghazi deserve to know the truth about what happened and why it happened. Politics should have nothing to do with that. I don’t care how it makes either party look. Frankly, the truth will probably make both parties look bad for one reason or another. Who cares? Both sides should be working together and making that goal their primary focus. I hope and pray these families get the answers they have been waiting so long to hear.

9/11 Attacks On Benghazi…

No one asked my opinion, but when has that ever stopped me from talking? I’ve been reading about the recent develops, the leaked emails, Tyrone Woods father’s comments, etc and it’s like putting together 1,000 piece puzzle in the dark. I have had many family members and friends serve in the military throughout my lifetime. I have been blessed in that none of them came to any harm and after serving their country; they all came back home to us safe and sound. But, if any of them had been hurt or lost their lives, you can bet I would want to know the complete and unaltered truth of what happened, every detail of it. And, I would want those, who have all the pieces, to put the puzzle together for me and fast.

Now when I first heard about the attack, the only thing I heard was that it was being blamed on a, anti-Islam film produced here. I have to say that this bothered me. I know it doesn’t take much to provoke a terrorist attack, but I wondered why the attack took place where it did. Why that embassy? Why over a film? Why were these particular Americans killed? Something didn’t sit well with me about it all. 

During the debate, it was brought out that the day after the attack that President Obama said we would not put up with terrorist attacks, but he did not call this incident a terrorist attack. Instead, we heard a lot more about this film in the days thereafter. At the time I suppose I thought that our intelligence had good reason to believe the attack was in some way related to this “movie” and they were taking steps to find those responsible for the murders. 

In the past couple of days, emails have been leaked, and they indicate that a terrorist group took credit for the attack. It’s been reveal that there was communication with the people at the embassy, during the time of the attack, and that they were asking for help. I won’t pretend I know all the facts, because I don’t. What I do know is that four Americans were killed, there was reason to believe it was a terrorist attack, no help was apparently being sent and that military personnel may have even been ordered not to go into the area. There has to be a lot more to it. But what exactly? That's my issue, the truth.

I dislike it when facts are twisted until you don’t recognize them any more. I detest lies. I am not satisfied that the truth about this attack has been revealed. I am not happy with the time it is taking for all the details to come out. The victims families deserve to know the whole truth about how their loved ones died. How much was our government aware of, and what was done or not done to protect them or to try to save them? If it was my family member, I would want to know the truth. And, the American people deserve the truth about our enemies. 

What bothers me too is Hillary Clinton’s statement about the emails that were recently released. She cautioned against "cherry picking one story here or one document there" and said it is critical to look at the totality of information before coming to any conclusions. There may be some merit in her comment, but where are all the documents? Where is the “totality of information?” What is being held back? Why are we waiting until after the election for a committee to review all the information? Will the truth change the outcome of the election? Are they waiting until they have captured all those responsible? Is withholding the information a matter of national security? Why was it being blamed on the film when there were strong indications this was a terrorist attack? Why are we being left in the dark to draw our own conclusions? 

I don’t take terrorism lightly. Having lived through the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in New York City was a life changing event. Our lives are still being affected by it today. “If you see something, say something,” is our city’s slogan for citizens who see suspicious  packages or people. Airport security is horrendous. We can’t even bring enough toiletries with us to last a week. My daughter’s bag was even being checked daily at the subway station a couple of months ago. So, when there us an act of terrorism, why aren’t we being told about it and why is it being blamed on a film?

I suspect that the truth will come out. I think there are more emails in the wings waiting to be exposed. It would have been better to deal with the truth head on, at the time of the attack and let the chips fall where they may. Now it appears, for whatever reason, that we may have been mislead, the facts misrepresented, the truth concealed. I can’t help but ask why? The conclusions I am being forced to draw are not very good.

I hope and pray George Woods and the families of Glen Doherty, Chris Stevens, Sean Smith get the answers they are looking for. They deserve at least that much. They have been the most affected by this tragedy. They should not be mislead or misinformed or lied to. They have suffered devastating losses. It’s appalling that Pat Smith, mother of Sean Smith, has to wonder and say, “Just tell me the truth... I look at TV and I see bloody hand prints on walls, thinking, my god, is that my son's? I don't know if he was shot. I don't know.” Somebody knows. Stop “cherry picking” what you tell these families and tell them the truth.