Per the government’s spokespersons, it was just a spontaneous case of otherwise peace-loving, American-loving Muslims overcome by angst over an obscure video they had never seen.
“They are not dissatisfied with American policy, the President or Americans in general,” the spokespersons have chanted for several days. “It’s just that Face Book video. If it weren’t for that, all would be well.”
They deny any advance warning of the demonstrations and they say there is no connection with the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. But they have struggled mightily – and illogically – with some obvious questions:
1. Why was the first statement issued by U.S. authorities an apology for American free speech rather than a denunciation of the attacks on our outposts and people?
2. Why would American embassies and consulates particularly in the Middle East not take extra precautions over the Sept. 11 anniversary?
3. Why do we have a Barney Fife security policy at our embassy in Egypt and elsewhere that prevents Marine guards from carrying loaded weapons?
4. If there is no dissatisfaction with Americans and the Obama administration, why are the rioters yelling “death to America” and burning our flag along with images of our President in effigy?
5. Why would the president of Libya publicly say American officials in that country were given a three-day warning of impending attacks if it were not true?
6. Since Benghazi is the epicenter for anti-American, anti-Israel sentiment in Libya, why was our ambassador’s security detail so limited and so few? For that matter, why was he at that location over such a potentially volatile period as the Sept. 11 anniversary?
7. Why would the Egyptian president also lie about providing advance warning to U.S. officials in Cairo?
8. How can you maintain the claim of spontaneity, particularly in Libya, when enemy forces show up with grenade launchers and automatic weapons and conduct a complex, multi-phased breach of the U.S. consulate and safe house?
9. Why are we investigating the Libyan tragedy using FBI agents? This was not a criminal act but another phase of the war on terror.
10. Why are we not seriously reconsidering the billions in aid we provide Middle Eastern countries in view of the attacks on U.S. property and people?
11. Why is the President attending fund raisers, appearing on Letterman and reportedly declining daily intelligence briefs as our Middle Eastern foreign policy of appease, apologize and appropriate disappears down the circular draining orifice?
It is a sad day indeed when Americans seem to be getting more reasonable and logical answers from the presidents of Libya and Egypt . We deserve better … much better.
I am not concerned about the statement since it is boilerplate diplomatic stuff. The Bush Administration issued similar statements in the past. Anyone serving our nation abroad understands that diplomacy is not apology. I find the criticism of the statement more political than outrageous. Our diplomats have to LIVE there, whereas Gene Rector can safely complain from a distance.
Nevertheless, the criticism of security is entirely appropriate and if anything, should be sharper.
For example, the one survivor of the attack says there were no demonstrations and "not even an ant" was outside of the Consular office prior to the start of the attack (the US has no embassy in Libya).
As for the Egyptian President, I cannot find any source for Rector's assertion that Morsi claims to have provided intel to the US prior to the attack. In any case, given the Muslim Brotherhood's hatred of the US for our years of support of a dictator, I would be very surprised to see any cooperation between his administration and US intelligence agencies. As for aid, the US, in fact, has stated that aid is at risk. The Chinese are standing by hoping the step in to that vacuum should we create it.
Rector appears a bit short sighted and somewhat political rather than editorial despite the very good questions about security for our diplomatic corps, lapsing into rhetoric very quickly. There is no attempt to *answer* any of these questions and that creates a faux-news, blog-style feel to the article.