Condi Rice Pours Cold Water On ‘Benghazi-Gate’

Former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice broke with the majority of her party last night on Fox News, as she tried to hit the brakes on the right wing’s politicization of the recent attack in Libya.

Host Greta Van Susteren asked Rice directly and repeatedly about a set of emails uncovered by Reuters. In what has been dubbed “Benghazi-Gate,” the conservative media has jumped on the emails as definitive proof that the Obama administration has been lying about what it knew and when in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack on a diplomatic mission in Benghazi. Rice’s response was likely not what Van Susteren expected:

RICE: But when things are unfolding very, very quickly, it’s not always easy to know what is really going on on the ground. And to my mind, the really important questions here are about how information was collected. Did the various agencies really coordinate and share intelligence in the way that we had hoped, with the reforms that were made after 9/11?

Throughout the interview, Rice highlighted the difficulty that comes in a “fog of war” situation, with multiple stories coming in which need to be processed and verified. Her statements strongly align with the evolution of the Obama administration’s understanding of what happened in Benghazi. Rice also joined current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in dismissing the big picture importance of the emails from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, as a small portion of the overall communication between the mission and the State Department.

thinkprogress.org...



So here you guys get to see a rational outlook of the situation from someone who isn't doing party cheer leading. She also knows what it is like to be in office when not knowing whether something is or isn't a terrorist attack or not.

TLDR; It's hard to know what is going on in "fog of war" situation and it all the intelligence agencies have problems working with one another.

The voice of reason.

Republicans need to ask themselves a simple question. Do I want to follow the lead of Condi Rice or Rush Limbaugh?

Originally posted by Taiyed
The voice of reason.

Republicans need to ask themselves a simple question. Do I want to follow the lead of Condi Rice or Rush Limbaugh?

Ok that made me laugh...what do you think the answer is?? Yes Condi Rice was thier dream girl for a VP pick, but that was what? 2 Months ago...forever ago in a land where Mitt Romney can change his position on every issue in a matter of hours.

Reaffirming Our Desire For Productive Political Debate (REVISED)

reply to post by Vitruvian


I'm sorry, I don't see a racial agenda here. I do believe this video was made before we found out that the whitehouse watched this attack through drones and refused to give help when asked for it during the attack. Please don't make this about race. Colin Powell served his country well and can chose who he wants for president(one of the benefits of being in this country) and Condi Rice is stumping for Romney so I really don't see how their individual agendas are meshing. I do wonder though, what Condi would say if asked the same questions today.

reply to post by Vitruvian


Yeah that's a really dumb racist thing to say.

Condoleeza Rice talked common sense in that interview, perhaps you should take it.

And [snip] Rice had 2008 to endorse Obama if we were doing so over race. He doesn't want all the Bush minions (all of Romneys selected Admin) to get elected again so they can start a war with Iran, like they tried to last time they were in office.

She is a FORMER Secretary of State for a reason.

Why do we even care what she has to say anymore?

Originally posted by shadwgirl
reply to post by Vitruvian

 

I'm sorry, I don't see a racial agenda here. I do believe this video was made before we found out that the whitehouse watched this attack through drones and refused to give help when asked for it during the attack. Please don't make this about race. Colin Powell served his country well and can chose who he wants for president(one of the benefits of being in this country) and Condi Rice is stumping for Romney so I really don't see how their individual agendas are meshing. I do wonder though, what Condi would say if asked the same questions today.

It was given yesterday I believe. And a drone images do not mean anything. How are drone images supposed to tell if it were a terrorist attack or not?

Do people forget there WERE protests about the movie earlier in the day? The Egyptian consulate attacks were started over the movie.

Originally posted by Sissel
She is a FORMER Secretary of State for a reason.

Why do we even care what she has to say anymore?

Um, because she knows what it is like in office under an attack.

I really don't see where this is any form of partisan issue. Even if Obama loses and leaves Office, this needs answered. 4 Americans died serving in a foreign post that was surrounded by a pattern of terrorist attacks around them stretching back to March, as other ATS threads already well cover. When they asked for more security, what they had actually got CUT...of all things. Now we're learning the events of that evening are, in fact, in line with the bad judgement that proceeded it.

Now who here thinks Hillary Clinton personally managed the day to day affairs of the Consulate Post - Benghazi, Libya? Anyone?

Okay, who here thinks Barack Obama personally managed the day to day security arrangements and assignments of our consulate post in Benghazi? Anyone?

(I wouldn't brag if anyone actually raised their hand BTW...lol)

The point is, trying to brush this off as partisan ignores the fact that the State Department CULTURE which existed before Obama and will be there after Obama is what runs matters on a day to day basis as the level of an individual consulate like that, IMO. Not the main people in power.

Heads need to roll and there are apparently PLENTY in the chain before ever getting to Hillary and then onto who was in the White House on the other side of all the Emails and status reports that night. Plenty who aren't being elected or voted out..and need to account for what happened. Partisanship lets all that walk free for what happened.

reply to post by 3chainz


S&F Good one. People don't want to hear this though. It does not feed into their paranoia. It is easier and more preferable in their mind to believe the President deliberately held back the truth or worse, made up a lie.

Originally posted by 3chainz

Um, because she knows what it is like in office under an attack.

And?

People need to move forward in the country, and not back. To get her opinion on anything is a step backwards. No offense to you, maybe it's just me, but how is she even relevant anymore?

Originally posted by Sissel

Originally posted by 3chainz

Um, because she knows what it is like in office under an attack.

And?

People need to move forward in the country, and not back. To get her opinion on anything is a step backwards. No offense to you, maybe it's just me, but how is she even relevant anymore?

Her views and opinions are relevant because (a) she has experience in these scenarios...9-11 and then some (b) she isn't running for office and thus can offer HONEST opinions of how the GOP is politicizing this.

reply to post by Sissel


It's relevant when asking a question on policy and such to get someone who knows what they are talking about.

I bet you wouldn't be calling her irrelevant if she was bad mouthing Obama.

reply to post by Sissel


Yes, they do need to move forward. This is exactly what Obama's campaign ads say!

Originally posted by 3chainz
reply to post by Sissel

 

It's relevant when asking a question on policy and such to get someone who knows what they are talking about.

I bet you wouldn't be calling her irrelevant if she was bad mouthing Obama.

edit on 26-10-2012 by 3chainz because: (no reason given)

The point is, why was she even asked?

If she was bad mouthing Obama, I would have the same attitude. What she thinks is not important in my voting decision.

What makes you think I am an Obama supporter, anyway? I have always voted for this party: www.gp.org...

I have voted green party since I was 18 years old. I am now 56. I don't care who is on the ballot, this is the party I will vote for until I die!

Originally posted by 3chainz

And a drone images do not mean anything. How are drone images supposed to tell if it were a terrorist attack or not?

Perhaps the rocket launcher on their shoulder could be a good hint.
Throwing Molotav cocktails is another indication.
Firing mortar rounds is a dead give a way.

By the way, any civilian who is not a terrorist who is in the area of an armed insurrection are either not bystanders or are very stupid.

What Rice said is good as far as it goes, but it is hardly the whole story. The issues I've heard about are these:

1) The White House was informed this was a coordinated attack within two hours of it happening.

2) The White House blamed the YouTube movie for several days afterwards, well after they really did know what was happening. This was not hours. It was DAYS. Are theysaying they were in "the fog of war" for a week?

3) The embassy staff asked for increased protection days before the attack and were denied every time they asked. One of the agents said it was like "The Taliban were inside the building" referring to the lack of cooperation he received. He said he was told he was "asking for the sun and the moon."

4) Just before the attack they asked for military help and were denied. The White House knew the security situation was dire well before the attack happened.

5) The UN Ambassador said it was the movie that did it several days AFTER the attack, then blamed "bad intel" when she was caught out, yet "intel" informed the White House within hours. Maybe she didn't get the memo.

6) The White House said it wasn't their fault, that State was responsible, thus throwing Hillary under the bus, which she later accepted.

I'm not saying this is all on Obama's team. The Pentagon and CIA may have screwed up all by their lonesome selves, but Rice is pouring cold water on only a small corner of the whole operation.

reply to post by Nite_wing


That doesn't mean it was a "terrorist attack", the Egyptian consulate caught fire and it were movie protestors.

Condi Rice Pours Cold Water On ‘Benghazi-Gate’,

This is the topic, Stick to it. Any further baiting derailment regarding race will be met with staff action.