Benghazi Attack

(Difference between revisions)==Susan Rice spins the story on network television====Susan Rice spins the story on network television==On September 16, 2012 Ambassador Susan Rice showed up on all five major Sunday morning talk shows to push the administration's spin linking the Benghazi murders and a satirical video. Rice told longtime Democratic partisan [[George Stephanopoulos]] of ABC’s ''This Week,'' the attack was “a spontaneous – not a premeditated – response to what had transpired in Cairo” – referring to a demonstration in which a mob breached the embassy compound wall and tore down an American flag. Rice repeated the false claims throughout her morning talk-show appearances on all networks.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/10/18/171933/obama-administration-officials.htmlOn September 16, 2012 Ambassador [[Susan Rice]] showed up on all five major Sunday morning talk shows to push the administration's spin linking the Benghazi murders and a satirical video. Rice told longtime Democratic partisan [[George Stephanopoulos]] of ABC’s ''This Week,'' the attack was “a spontaneous – not a premeditated – response to what had transpired in Cairo” – referring to a demonstration in which a mob breached the embassy compound wall and tore down an American flag. Rice repeated the false claims throughout her morning talk-show appearances on all networks.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/10/18/171933/obama-administration-officials.html==Administration supported jihadis responsible for attack====Administration supported jihadis responsible for attack==

The Benghazi Attack was a pre-planned terrorist attack in 2012 on the United States embassy in Benghazi, Libya on the eleventh anniversary of the 2001 September 11 attacks. in which the American ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other members of his diplomatic mission were murdered:[1][2] Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith, and private security employees and former U.S. Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone S. Woods. Ambassador Stevens was reported to have been brutally raped before his murder.[3] The attack also injured two other Americans.

With 2012 Presidential election less than two months away, the Obama administration downplayed the seriousness and enormity of the attack, initially claiming it was provoked by a comedy video, but the facts disproved that.

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With several U.S.embassies besieged on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney declared authorities had no reason to believe the attack on the sovereign territory of the United States consulate in Benghazi less than two months before the 2012 Presidential election, resulting in the deaths of several Americans, was a terrorist attack.

The unrest that we’ve seen around the region has been in reaction to a video that Muslims, many Muslims, find offensive,

became the official White House line. Between jokes with comedian Jon Stewart on the Daily Show, Obama said the death of Americans was "not optimal".[4] When pressed by reporters, who pointed out evidence that the violence in Benghazi was a terrorist attack, Press Secretary Carney argued “the unrest around the region has been in response to this video.”

On September 16, 2012 Ambassador Susan Rice showed up on all five major Sunday morning talk shows to push the administration's spin linking the Benghazi murders and a satirical video. Rice told longtime Democratic partisan George Stephanopoulos of ABC’s This Week, the attack was “a spontaneous – not a premeditated – response to what had transpired in Cairo” – referring to a demonstration in which a mob breached the embassy compound wall and tore down an American flag. Rice repeated the false claims throughout her morning talk-show appearances on all networks.[5]

Around a week after the attack Obama finally ordered an investigation. The leading suspected jihadis in the murders and terrorist attack were the local Benghazi branch of Ansar al-Shariah, known to have ties to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).[6] A commander of the terrorist group boasted jovially over drinks with reporters for the New York Times in Benghazi[7] as President Obama's investigators failed to interview him.[8]

The attack is said to have been investigated by the State Department, but a more thorough enquiry was done by the Congress. A House committee hearing on September 10 revealed that Ambassador Stevens and others wished additional security for the consulate, but were turned down.

In testimony before Congress on January the 23th, 2013 when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was asked why the Obama administration deliberately put out false information about the attack just prior to the Presidential Election of 2012, Clinton screamed at Senators, "WHAT DIFFERENCE AT THIS POINT DOES IT MAKE?".[9]

? Travel Warning - Libya. U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya (September 12, 2012). Retrieved on October 12, 2012.? President Obama on the Attack in Benghazi. International Information Programs, U.S. Embassy (September 12, 2012). Retrieved on October 12, 2012.? Ambassador Stevens Was Raped Before His Murder, Reports Claim, Assyrian International News Agency, 9-13-2012.? Interview with Jon Stewart of the Daily Show.? http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/10/18/171933/obama-administration-officials.html? http://blogs.ajc.com/political-insider-jim-galloway/2012/10/19/when-an-obama-adviser-called-benghazi-an-al-qaeda-hotbed/?cxntfid=blogs_political_insider_jim_galloway? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/world/africa/election-year-stakes-overshadow-nuances-of-benghazi-investigation.html?pagewanted=2&ref=world? http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/10/frappe-libya-attack/? http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/23/senator-calls-for-top-to-bottom-review-state-department-ahead-clinton-testimony/

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‘Ultimate blame’ on White House for Boston attack, says Graham

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Thursday that the Obama administration was ultimately to blame for failing to prevent last week's attack at the Boston Marathon.

The South Carolina lawmaker was asked if he believed Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was responsible for terror suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev avoiding detection by federal law enforcement. American authorities were tipped off by Russian intelligence that Tsarnaev had ties to overseas terror groups.

"I have no idea who bears the blame. I just know the system is broken. The ultimate blame I think is with the administration," Graham said.

"The FBI and the CIA are ... they have great people, but you know we're going backwards in national security. Benghazi and Boston to me are examples of us going backward."

Tsarnaev was killed last Friday after a shoot-out with police in the Boston suburbs. His brother, Dzhokhar, was arrested hours later and has been charged as a co-conspirator in the terror attack that left three dead and hundreds wounded.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was interviewed in 2011 by the FBI and reportedly put onto a terror watch list by the CIA. Other reports have suggested that his naturalization application was halted after the Russian tip.

"That’s system failure, 12 years after 9/11," Graham said. "And it gets worse, the suspected radical Islamist, the person we got warning letters about is openly on the Internet for months talking about killing Americans and engaging in radical jihad against the United States and we were unable to connect the dots and pick that up. The rest is history."

On Wednesday, White House press secretary Jay Carney said that the government's handling of the Tsarnaev terror tip was "under investigation."

"The issues related to this case and procedures and how they worked, what we learned in a warning from Russia, for example, and the action that sparked the FBI to take and to look into Tamerlan Tsarnaev — all of these issues are obviously under investigation," Carney said.

In a statement, the FBI said the Russian government had provided them "information that he was a follower of radical Islam and a strong believer, and that he had changed drastically since 2010 as he prepared to leave the United States for travel to the country’s region to join unspecified underground groups."

The agency said it investigated Tsarnaev's phone records, online activity, known associations, travel history and education. The FBI also interviewed Tsarnaev and his family.

"The FBI did not find any terrorism activity, domestic or foreign, and those results were provided to the foreign government in the summer of 2001," the agency said in a statement.

- Jeremey Herb contributed. Updated at 2:28 p.m.

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McCaul: Overseas trip could hold key in search for attack motive

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee is pressing for more information about what happened to bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev during the six months after he reportedly boarded a Moscow-bound plane last year.

During televised interviews, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said the trip could be an indication that Tsarnaev, 26, was trained and radicalized by Chechen rebels, who work “hand in glove” with al Qaeda in Pakistan.

“I'm very concerned he was out of the sights of the FBI, he went over to Chechnya and got trained and recruited and he came back and was successful in pulling off the largest terrorist operation since 9/11,” McCaul said on CNN Friday evening.

Tsarnaev, the elder of two brothers suspected in this week’s deadly Boston Marathon bombing, was killed following a firefight with police in the city’s Watertown section.

Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau said on CNN Saturday that he was believed to be still alive when his younger brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, drove over him in a stolen SUV while fleeing the scene. The younger Tsarnaev, captured late Friday after a tense standoff, had been shot and was in serious condition at an area hospital.

Authorities are keenly interested in questioning him about what precipitated the bombing and subsequent crime spree, which also claimed the life of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus security officer.

Yet McCaul, who had been briefed on the investigation, said late Friday night that the older brother was likely the key. He noted that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who once said he dreamed of boxing for the United States in the Olympics, posted “radical jihadist” videos on YouTube upon his return to the United States.

He also said the devices used in the marathon bombing were similar to those used by al Qaeda, as were the explosive-laden “suicide vests” in the brothers’ possession.

“So, clearly, the question is how and when he got radicalized because he did. Where and when did that happen?” McCaul asked during an interview on Fox News. “I think it's very likely that it happened in the six-month period when he's over in a very dangerous part of the world.”

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Explosions kill two, wound scores in terror attack at Boston Marathon

At least two people died and scores injured Monday after two bombs detonated in a terrorist attack at the annual Boston Marathon. 

President Obama, speaking to the nation Monday evening, vowed to bring the perpetrators of the bombing to justice. 

"We still do not know who did this or why, and people should not jump to conclusions before we have all the facts," Obama said at the White House. "But make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this. And we will find out who did this, we'll find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice."

The blasts prompted the Secret Service to extend the security perimeter outside the White House and police heightened security in Washington, New York and other major U.S. cities. 

Obama did not specifically describe the blasts as terrorism. But shortly after the president spoke, the White House said it is treating the bombing as an "act of terror" even though it's not known if a foreign or domestic group is responsible. 

"Any event with multiple explosive devices — as this appears to be — is clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror," said a White House official. "However, we don’t yet know who carried out this attack, and a thorough investigation will have to determine whether it was planned and carried out by a terrorist group, foreign or domestic.

The bombing was the terror attack on U.S. soil since an army major killed 13 people and wounded dozens of other in November, 2009 at Fort Hood, Texas. 

"We're still in the investigations stage at this point, but I just want to reiterate we will find out who did this and hold them accountable," Obama said.

The two explosions occurred 50 to 100 yards apart near the finish line of the Boston Marathon at 2:50 p.m., Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said at a press conference. Later, he said there was no suspect in custody at the time.

"There is no suspect in custody," Davis said. "We're questioning many people but there is no one in custody at this time."

NBC News reported that small home-made bombs were responsible for the blasts. Intelligence officials said two more explosive devices were found and that authorities had begun dismantling them, according to The Associated Press. 

The AP reported early Monday evening that more than 100 people were injured in the two blasts. But Davis said police were not ready to give a count of how many were injured or killed. 

"We don't have the number of casualties at this point in time," Davis said. "This is very early in this investigation. We wanted to get up here and give you as much information as we had, but we cannot tell you exactly how many people have been injured at this point." 

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Obama was notified about the incident by Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco and staffers at 3 p.m., according to the White House. 

The president called Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) and Boston Mayor Tom Menino "to express his concern for those who were injured and to make clear that his administration is ready to provide needed support as they respond to the incident," according to the White House.

Obama was briefed by Federal Bureau of Investigations Director Robert Mueller and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano about the investigations of the explosions Monday afternoon. He briefed Boehner (R-Ohio) at about 5:30 p.m. 

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts is coordinating the Justice Department response with our National Security Division, FBI, ATF and other federal, state and local law enforcement authorities.

Security immediately tightened around the White House at around 4 p.m., with tourists being moved off Pennsylvania Avenue and into a nearby park.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we have expanded our security perimeter at the White House complex. It is not unusual to expand or contract these security perimeters," Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said.

Officials in both New York and Washington stepped up security in the aftermath of the blasts.

Washington, D.C., police told NBC News that they had "heightened security" in the nation's capital. The D.C. Metrorail subway system increased police patrols on their lines.

Local television feeds in Boston showed a chaotic scene at the finish line, with emergency personnel seeking to attend to the injured.

The Boston blasts happened roughly three hours after the marathon winners passed the finish line, according to The Associated Press. The annual race takes place every Patriots' Day, a civic holiday in Massachusetts held on the third Monday of each April commemorating the first battles of the American Revolution.

The explosions, believed to be at 673 Boylston Street, were reportedly heard seconds apart from each other. The Lenox Hotel in Boston was evacuated in response to the blasts, the Boston Globe reported.

A special mile marker at this year's marathon was dedicated to the victims of the shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December. The mile marker hung at the 26th mile of the marathon. The explosions happened near the finish line of the 26.2 mile route.

Vice President Biden was on a conference call when news broke about the explosion.

"Our prayers are with those people in Boston who have suffered injuries," Biden said. "I don’t know how many there are."

Top lawmakers quickly addressed the incident, with Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) saying the victims were in their thoughts.

Praying for the victims of the Boston Marathon tragedy and their families #PrayforBoston

— Speaker John Boehner (@SpeakerBoehner) April 15, 2013

Praying for everyone in Boston.

— Eric Cantor (@GOPLeader) April 15, 2013

Former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) expressed similar sentiments, sending his prayers to the city.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the runners, their families, and the City of Boston.

— Scott P. Brown (@ScottBrownMA) April 15, 2013

Maine Sens. Susan Collins (R) and Angus King (I) issued a joint statement saying they were "deeply saddened" by the explosions. Collins and King said the bombings had the "hallmarks of a terrorist attack."

"As members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, we will be continually updated of the situation. In the meantime, initial press reports that multiple improvised explosive devices may have been involved at this high profile national event bear the hallmarks of a terrorist attack," the two senators said. 

"We stand united as Americans in our unfaltering support of one another."

According to a Justice Department spokesman, Attorney General Eric Holder, has spoken with Mueller and U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Carmen Ortiz.   Attorney General Holder has directed the full resources of the Justice Department to  be deployed to ensure this matter is fully investigated.

—This story was posted at 3:05 p.m. and last updated at 7:06 p.m. 

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How Kansas’ Anti-Abortion Bill Launches A Sweeping Attack On Women’s Rights

Not to be outdone by states like North Dakota and Arkansas that have recently passed record-breaking abortion restrictions, Republicans in Kansas are advancing a stringent anti-abortion bill that combines several attacks on reproductive rights into one omnibus measure.

HB 2253 is a 70-page piece of legislation that failed last session, when the Senate was more moderate — but since anti-choice state lawmakers won big victories in the 2012 election, Kansas’ abortion opponents are seizing the opportunity to push it through this year. The House approved the bill by a 92-31 vote on Wednesday afternoon, and it’s also expected to pass in the GOP-controlled Senate, where Republican leaders have promised to “violating medical privacy laws by allowing state auditors to demand access to individuals’ medical records. The bill would also target groups affiliated with abortion providers by preventing them from receiving the same tax breaks that other organizations do.

3. Requires doctors to give women biased information about the dangers of having an abortion. Under the omnibus bill, doctors would be required to provide women with disputed information about abortion risks. Of course, every patient undergoing a medical procedure should be fully educated about the risks — but these kind of “informed consent” sessions are a popular anti-choice tactic specifically designed to dissuade women from terminating a pregnancy. Doctors would need to tell women about a potential link between abortion and breast cancer, even though medical experts don’t believe there’s a connection between the two.

4. Doesn’t include exceptions for victims of rape or incest. One Kansas lawmaker attempted to amend the bill to include a exception for some of Kansas’ existing abortion laws — including the state’s late-term abortion ban, restrictions on insurance coverage of abortion, and a requirement for minors to get parental consent for abortion services — in cases of rape or incest. Women’s health advocates call such policies “common-sense, compassionate exceptions,” particularly for minors who may have become pregnant from incest and can’t get permission from a family member to terminate the pregnancy. But Republicans in the House voted it down on Tuesday, saying they weren’t interested in revisiting the details of the nearly two dozen abortion restrictions that are already on the books.

5. Restricts the use of comprehensive sex ed resources in public schools. The bill contains a clause that prohibits anyone who works for an abortion provider from also working in a school — a provision intended to specifically target Planned Parenthood and prevent the women’s health organization from providing students with any comprehensive sexual health instruction. Originally, it was so broadly worded that it would have also prevented any parent who works for an abortion provider from volunteering at their child’s school. It’s since been tweaked to specify that volunteering is okay.

Kansas’ omnibus bill is similar to a controversial package of abortion restrictions that Michigan lawmakers forced through their lame duck session at the end of last year. Women’s health advocates warn that HB 2253 represents the “biggest threat this year” to Kansas women’s access to reproductive rights.

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Republicans Attack Obama For Drafting Immigration Reform Plan That Resembles Bipartisan Principles

On Sunday, Republicans lashed out at a leaked draft of the White House’s plan to reform the immigration system.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said any proposal from the president that lacked Republican input would be “dead on arrival” and is “hurting the effort” at reform. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) claimed that Obama was looking for a “partisan advantage” on the issue and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) announced that the draft demonstrated that “the president doesn’t want immigration reform.”

But as White House Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough made clear during appearances on several Sunday talk shows, Obama is committed to immigration reform but is developing a back-up plan, to be used only in the event that talks “break down.” Short of negotiation failure, the White House stands firmly behind bipartisan congressional negotiations:

BOB SCHIEFFER: So is this a new plan the president is circulating?

MCDONOUGH: I think the report said … it has been circulating inside the administration. And I think the president laid out in Las Vegas last week we will be prepared with our own plans if the talks between Republicans and Democrats on the Hill break down. There is no evidence they have broken down. We continue to support that. We are involved in those efforts by providing technical assistance and providing them ideas and i hope Republicans and Democrats up there don’t get involved in a kind of typical Washington back-and-forth sideshow here and rather roll up their sleeves and get to work on writing a comprehensive immigration bill.

McDonough added on Meet the Press that the White House is doing what it always said it would do in “aggressively supporting” Hill negotiations, while developing its own back-up proposal that includes the core elements of comprehensive immigration reform: continued strengthening of the borders, crackdowns on businesses that game the system, a path to citizenship, and reasonable opportunities for legal immigration.

USA Today reports that Obama’s draft mirrors the 2007 bipartisan immigration proposal backed by President George W. Bush and Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). But as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) admitted during an appearance on ABC’s This Week, Republicans are unlikely to support any plan with Obama’s name on it — even if it incorporates many of their own proposals.

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Statement by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan on Bulgaria’s Announcement of Hizballah’s Role in the 2012 Burgas Terrorist Attack

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For Immediate Release February 05, 2013 Statement by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan on Bulgaria’s Announcement of Hizballah’s Role in the 2012 Burgas Terrorist Attack

The United States commends the Government of Bulgaria for its professional and comprehensive investigation into the barbaric July 18, 2012 terrorist attack in Burgas.  Today, following a thorough review of the evidence collected to date, Bulgarian authorities announced their judgment that Lebanese Hizballah was responsible for carrying out this act of terrorism, which killed six innocent civilians and injured many others. 
 
Bulgaria’s investigation exposes Hizballah for what it is – a terrorist group that is willing to recklessly attack innocent men, women, and children, and that poses a real and growing threat not only to Europe, but to the rest of the world.  We commend Bulgarian authorities for their determination and commitment to ensuring that Hizballah is held to account for this act of terror on European soil.  The United States will continue to provide the Bulgarian Government assistance in bringing the perpetrators of this heinous attack to justice. 

Hizballah’s dangerous and destabilizing activities – from attacking tourists in foreign countries to leader Hassan Nasrallah’s active support of Bashar al-Assad’s violent campaign against the Syrian people – threaten the safety and security of nations and citizens around the world.  Bulgaria’s implication of Hizballah underscores the importance of international cooperation in disrupting terrorist threats.  We call on our European partners as well as other members of the international community to take proactive action to uncover Hizballah’s infrastructure and disrupt the group’s financing schemes and operational networks in order to prevent future attacks.

The United States is proud to stand with its friend and NATO ally Bulgaria.  We deeply value our strong partnership on a wide range of issues including advancing global and regional security in Afghanistan and the Balkans, expanding economic and commercial ties, and promoting cultural and education programs.

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Clinton Scolds GOP Senator For Focusing On Whether Protest Sparked Benghazi Attack

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shot back at a Republican senator during today’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the Benghazi terror attacks, arguing that the Republicans’ focus on whether there was a protest against in anti-Muslim video at the time of the attack is irrelevant.

Much of the politicization surrounding the Benghazi affair centered on Republicans attacking the Obama administration’s initial assessment that the Benghazi attacks may have been sparked by the video protest, a determination that the administration later backed away from.

When Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) asked Clinton why she didn’t make “a simple phone call” to the evacuees to find out, the Secretary of State shot back: “With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans!” she said, “What difference does it make?”:

JOHNSON: Madam Secretary, do you disagree that a simple phone call to those evacuees to determined what happened would have ascertained immediately there was no protest? That was a piece of information that could have been easily, easily obtained. within hours if not days.

CLINTON: Senator, you know, when you’re in these positions, the last thing you want to do is interfere with any other process.

JOHNSON: I realize that. I realize it’s a good excuse.

CLINTON: No it’s a fact. [...]

JOHNSON: Again, we were mislead there was supposedly protests and something spraying out of that, assault spraying out of that. That was easily ascertained that was not the fact and the american people could have known that within days and didn’t know that.

CLINTON: With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans! Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night decided to go kill some Americans?! What difference at this point does it make?! It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from ever happening again,

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Obama condemns deadly attack on Algerian gas complex

President Obama on Saturday said the United States condemns "in the strongest possible terms" the actions of al-Qaeda-linked hostage-takers following reports that around 23 hostages died as a standoff between Islamist militants and Algerian forces came to a bloody end.

In a statement, the president expressed sympathy for the families of those who were killed or injured in the "terrorist attack," saying "the thoughts and prayers of the American people" are with them.

"The blame for this tragedy rests with the terrorists who carried it out, and the United States condemns their actions in the strongest possible terms," Obama said in a statement. "We have been in constant contact with Algerian officials and stand ready to provide whatever assistance they need in the aftermath of this attack."

On Wednesday a group of Islamist militants attacked a gas field in Eastern Algeria and claimed to have taken a multinational group of workers at the complex hostage. There were varying news reports about how many Americans were taken hostage in the attack.

Obama said the U.S. would continue to work with its foreign partners to "combat the scourge of terrorism in the region, which has claimed too many innocent lives."

"This attack is another reminder of the threat posed by al Qaeda and other violent extremist groups in North Africa," he said.

Algerian special forces stormed the complex on Saturday, ending a battle that left at least 23 hostages dead, while all 32 militants were killed, according to the Associated Press, citing the Algerian government. One American is confirmed dead, but Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at this point it's unclear how many other Americans were killed at the complex, The New York Times reported.

The president said the U.S. would work with the Algerian government "in the coming days" to gain a better understanding of what transpired during the attack at the complex.

"In the coming days, we will remain in close touch with the Government of Algeria to gain a fuller understanding of what took place so that we can work together to prevent tragedies like this in the future," Obama said. 

— This post was updated at 8:06 p.m.

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Statement by the President on the Terrorist Attack in Algeria

Statement by the President on the Terrorist Attack in Algeria | The White House Skip to main content | Skip to footer site map The White House. President Barack Obama Get Email UpdatesContact Us Go to homepage. The White House Blog Photos & Videos Photo Galleries Video Performances Live Streams Podcasts 2012: A Year in Photos

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For Immediate Release January 19, 2013 Statement by the President on the Terrorist Attack in Algeria

Today, the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the families of all those who were killed and injured in the terrorist attack in Algeria. The blame for this tragedy rests with the terrorists who carried it out, and the United States condemns their actions in the strongest possible terms. We have been in constant contact with Algerian officials and stand ready to provide whatever assistance they need in the aftermath of this attack.  We also will continue to work closely with all of our partners to combat the scourge of terrorism in the region, which has claimed too many innocent lives. This attack is another reminder of the threat posed by al Qaeda and other violent extremist groups in North Africa. In the coming days, we will remain in close touch with the Government of Algeria to gain a fuller understanding of what took place so that we can work together to prevent tragedies like this in the future.

 

Blog posts on this issue January 20, 2013 8:11 AM ESTFirst Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden Celebrate the Inauguration with Military Families

The Kids Inaugural Concert: Our Children, Our Future was held to show military kids how much the country appreciates the sacrifices they make while their parents are serving.

January 19, 2013 5:30 PM ESTGiving Back on the National Day of Service

The First and Second families kick off Inauguration weekend by participating in the National Day of Service.

January 19, 2013 11:15 AM ESTYoung Reporters Ask All the Right Questions About Helping Military Families

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden hosted a roundtable for reporters from some of the leading magazines for kids to talk about Joining Forces.

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Senate Panel Faults State Department And Pentagon In Benghazi Attack Report

A bipartisan Senate Homeland Security report to be released today has found that the State and Defense Departments share blame for the security failures that resulted in the death of 5 Americans after an attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya back in September.

An independent review earlier this month faulted the State Department for failing to adequately respond to security requests prior to the attacks and called for restoring diplomatic security funding Republicans previously cut. While State Department officials have previously accepted responsibility for inadequate security in Benghazi, the new Senate report expands blame to the Pentagon, the Hill reports:

The report also blames the Pentagon, finding that the Defense Department (DOD) had failed to place adequate resources in the region to respond “in the event of a crisis.”

“Although DOD attempted to quickly mobilize its resources, it did not have assets or personnel close enough to reach Benghazi in a timely fashion,” the report concludes.

The Senate report also criticizes the Obama administration’s mixed messages in the aftermath of the Benghazi assault, claiming the White House was “inconsistent” about whether it constituted a terror attack. The inconsistency “contributed to the confusion in the public discourse” about the attacks, wrote Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME).

“We’re going to solve this,” President Obama said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. “We’re not going to pretend that this was not a problem. This was a huge problem. And we’re going to implement every single recommendation that’s been put forward.”

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Jonah Goldberg’s Attack on the Tyranny of Cliches

I will admit up-front that I am far from an unbiased observer when it comes to Jonah Goldberg.  I am a fan.  And I have been lucky enough to get to know him some over the years and consider him a friend.  So feel free to factor that in to what follows.

But even with that caveat, there is a small part of me that is disappointed in his latest book The Tyranny of Clichés.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a quick, entertaining and informative book; full of useful arguments, insights and food for thought.  At its most basic it is a challenge to conservatives to fight back and not allow the left in this country to continue to make lazy, ideological loaded statements and arguments in the name of pragmatism and a fake “just the facts, ma’am” attitude.

For more on the book’s message and arguments, and on my rather subtle disappointment, keep reading.

First the sense of disappointment.  Here is the thing.  I am a intellectual history nerd.  I love the battle of ideas and the war of words and a host of other – yes – cliches that we use when we talk about intellectual history and public engagement with worldviews and arguments.  I thought Liberal Fascism was a powerful piece of historical push back.  As I said at the time:

I found Liberal Fascism to be an interesting read and one that forces you to understand and wrestle with many of the fundamental political issues of the twentieth century and their implications for today.

It bugs me that many attempt to dismiss Jonah as a joke teller and try to dismiss his success as a fluke (or worse connect it to his mother).  Jonah is a serious writer who wrestles with important issues that lie at the heart of so many of our political, cultural and societal problems.  He understands the rot at the heart of liberalism and yet the unwillingness of so many to deal with the actual intellectual, philosophical and historical truths at the root of this problem.

Yes, he enjoys and is engaged with and knowledgeable about popular culture.  Yes, he is funny and doesn’t take himself all that seriously.  But he is much more than pull my finger or woman’s prison flick jokes.

But Jonah has admitted the voice he enjoys writing with, and that most reflects his personality, is closer to The Tyranny of Cliches (TOC) than Liberal Fascism.  Which frustrates me somewhat because there so much potential depth and intellectual heft involved in Jonah’s thesis yet this book really just skims the surface.

But you know what? If Jonah took the time and hard work to write a detailed, flushed out more academic style book about the cliches and deceptions that underly contemporary liberalism few would probably read it and its impact would be much smaller.  This is in many ways a problem of popular perception and so perhaps that is where the battle must be fought.  But I would have loved a more fully geeked-out version. Just sayin’ …

So what is TOC about? Basically, it is about how the left seeks to sneak in ideology, and poor thinking, by laying claim to science, pragmatism, rationality and just plain goodness via an assortment of cliches, catch phrases and pithy statements.

As Jonah explains

Pragmatism is the disguise progressives and other ideologues don when they want to demonize competing ideologies.

For Goldberg ideology is not an insult.  Everyone has an ideology.  Whether you call it a worldview or first principles or fundamental assumptions or political philosophy or framework or whatever, we all start somewhere when we seek to make decisions, make policy or judge actions and outcomes. This is ideology.

Perhaps contra Russell Kirk, and other in the traditionalist or Burkean school, modern conservatives embrace ideology (at least of this type).  We argue about conservatism versus libertarianism, about paleocons versus neocons, about Ayn Rand versus William F. Buckley, about Kirk versus Frank Meyer (OK maybe just me on this one), etc.  We pride ourselves on arguing from bedrock principles and ideas.

The left in contrast is supposedly about what works.  Study the facts and find the solution, right?

Hogwash, says Goldberg. Progressives have a deep-and often dark-intellectual history that continues to influence their thought and policy prescriptions to this day.  But those roots don’t sell quite as well today, and they have some larger implications that the public might not accept, so the left chucks it all in the closet and pretends it doesn’t exist.

The point of TOC, in my opinion, is to help conservatives recognize this history and behavior and engage the left, forcing them to own their history and admit their ideology. I also think there are a few lessons for the right in the book.

First, both history and ideas matter.  Conservatives must be ever vigilant in defending their ideas and history from the encroachment of these liberal urban legends.  In chapter after chapter Jonah shows how these concepts and catch phrases are built on faulty history and ideological bias.  The historical background has been so warped as to produce a meaning in public discourse that is the exact opposite of what actually happened and was intended.

Philosophical Pragmatism is ideology not mere practicality or trial and error; Social Darwinism has no connection to conservatism and never did; Social Justice has come to mean the opposite of what it was intended to convey and is now an ideological trojan horse used to indoctrinate students; the Catholic Church in fact has a long history of fighting for the dignity of human beings and the defense of civilization not the destruction of science and freedom; on and on it goes.

Conservatives must know this history and be able to communicate it to the public so as to change their perceptions.  We must be able to tell stories that emotionally connect so as to tear down the default liberal assumptions of so much of popular culture and political debate.  You can’t assume that your ideas and the actual history of issues are known and understood.  We must not just attack the left but build on own story and tell our own history.

And a related point, and a cautionary one, is that self-deception is dangerous and damaging.  Seems like common sense but it is important.  Jonah argues that the underlying root of the tyranny of cliches is that these are the lies the left tells itself.  This has not led to an intellectually robust and dynamic movement but instead to a flabby, and in many aways viciously reactionary and often vulgar, movement that seeks a soft despotism of state involvement in every aspect of people’s lives all in the name of “solving problems” and “helping people” (hello Liberal Fascism).

What the right must do is reach the public with the message that things are not so simple and pretending they are leads to bad policy and bad outcomes.  A massive welfare state leads to dependence and dysfunctional families not a utopian community; sometime violence is needed and avoiding it quite often leads to even more violent and widespread suffering; an ideological and rigid belief in diversity as a good in and of itself leads to discrimination, closed minds and mediocrity not social uplift; there is such a thing as too much democracy and unity at the expense of freedom and individuality is dangerous a common tool of tyranny.

The simple message underneath is lazy thought leads to bad things.  This is a deeply conservative viewpoint – life isn’t as simple as you think it is and can’t be controlled and planned through willpower and good intentions.  In a humorous and engaging way, TOC forces you to unpack and re-think some of the fundamental cliches of our time.  And to see the base stealing the left is engaged in every day.  Conservatives must challenge and seek to overthrow this default position.  But they must also guard against engaging in equally damaging simplification and self-deception.

Perhaps, that could be Jonah’s next book …

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