Libyan followers of Ansar al-Shariah Brigades burn the U.S. flag during a protest in front of the Tibesti Hotel, in Benghazi, Libya on Sept. 14. (Associated Press)
Editorial: Libya attack was monumental security failure
Last Modified: Friday, October 12, 2012 7:57 PM
The State Department failed miserably to provide adequate security for the U. S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the deaths of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans on September 11.
In spite of claims by Obama administration spokesmen and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the attack was part of a protest over an obscure Internet video, we now know from congressional testimony by State Department officials that the attack on the U. S. Consulate in Benghazi was a well-planned terrorist operation that had the goal to kill the ambassador, destroy the consulate and kill as many other Americans as possible.
Let there be no doubt about it. The successful attack on the U.S. in Benghazi was a major victory for international terrorism, that will serve to spark more attacks in the future.
There was no protest in advance or protest connected to the Benghazi attack at all, according to officials who testified before Congress.
We also now know that the State Department pulled out a Security Support Team, made up of 16 special operations soldiers, at the end of August, in spite of Stevens requests for more security at his dangerous post in an unstable and hostile country.
Lt. Col. Andrew Wood, in an interview with ABC News, said the first choice of the embassy people in Tripoli, the capital of Libya, was for the security team to stay. The State Department claims the security team’s withdrawal was routine and there was no reduction in security.
What bureaucratic baloney. The resulting successful terrorists attacks show who is telling the truth and who is not. The security at the Benghazi was woefully and shamefully inadequate and someone needs to be held accountable for this. By right, the buck should stop on President Obama’s desk.
The success of these blatant terrorist attacks on American officials and property on September 11, as well as the cover-up by the administration and all the misinformation being fed to the American people by our own government, shows what a failure this administration’s foreign policy is, as well as the failure of the Obama policy of appeasing fanatical elements of Islam.
Obama sent the Federal Bureau of Investigation to Libya to conduct a criminal investigation of the attack. Libyans have obstructed the FBI’s investigation every step of the way. It was weeks before the FBI team could even get to the “scene of the crime” in Benghazi and long after it had already been rifled by many other parties. Obviously Obama has not learned that global terrorism cannot be treated like an ordinary crime. This was an attack on America and Americans and playing “cops and robbers” with determined, well-financed and fanatical terrorists will not get the job done.
Nor will reducing our Army to its lowest levels since before World War II, or our Navy to 1916 levels, provide deterrence to the enemies of America. History teaches us that weakness only invites aggression and attacks like the one in Benghazi.
This is a sad state of affairs for our nation. But as long as the current policies of the government remain in place, more attacks and little accountability can be expected by the American people.
This editorial was written by a member of the American Press Editorial Board. Its content reflects the collaborative opinion of the Board, whose members include Bobby Dower, Ken Stickney, Jim Beam, Crystal Stevenson and Donna Price.
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