Our Views: Learn from Libya losses

While some officials in the State Department resigned or were disciplined in the wake of an official report into the killings at our consulate in Benghazi, the idea of perfect security in a dangerous world is unrealistic.

A review board found a “troubling pattern of deteriorating security” in eastern Libya before the attack. But there’s a lot of blame to go around: Congress consistently shortchanges diplomacy and — like the proverbial cop on every street corner — even the United States cannot afford a Marine battalion at every outpost where diplomats work.

Over more than a decade, since the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. government has vastly increased security in many embassies and consulates, but the conditions in Libya — a friendly government, but one with little control of its own streets, and improvised facilities for the maintenance of U.S. staff — worked against us. Four men, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, were killed.

By all means, we must try to do better, and in the volatile Middle East particularly.

Comments

1) Comment by Tea_Slayer - 24/12/2012

http://mobile.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/12/benghazi_report_not_a _cover_up.html

2) Comment by Tea_Slayer - 24/12/2012

No one gave such an order. Try reading the findings of the investigation. The leader of the team stood them down.

3) Comment by Whatnow - 24/12/2012

I'll repeat, "Who gave the order to stand down?" tradewinns, me, too!

4) Comment by tradewinns - 23/12/2012

excellent suggestion tea slayer. if you'll start the petition on only white male property land owners can vote, i'll sign it! the only things i'd like to know with more than a slight certainty is who know what when. i am so so tired of being lied to by those we elect to run our country and protect us from others. to heck with politics, i want an honest person in office, all of them. it's christmas maybe santa will deliver.

5) Comment by Tea_Slayer - 23/12/2012

Such hyperventilation...traitors in Washington? No rule of law? Just because your narrow index party lost the presidential election, doesn't mean the election wasn't fair. Or would you prefer that only white male landowners be allowed to vote?

6) Comment by tradewinns - 23/12/2012

i remember in the '60's there was an altercation in one of the middle east countries. the americans lowered our flag on the embassy, along with most other western countries. the british embassy ran their flag to the top of their flagpole, and mounted machine guns nest on the top of their embassy (embassy land is "homeland" for each country) saying they would not lower their flag. there were riots or demonstrations in front of all the embassies except the british one. our politicians are cowards.

7) Comment by 8point6 - 23/12/2012

All great comments! And, so true. Once again, "our views" did not mention hussein's name in this article.

8) Comment by Whatnow - 23/12/2012

There are traitors in Washington and they used to be shot. Now they retire or are misunderstood or use a scapegoat. It should be now obvious that there are no fair elections, there is no rule of law, there are no means to petition elected officials or the courts for the redress of grievances, and there is no free press to challenge governmental abuse. In other words, all traditional avenues to fight political corruption have been blocked.

9) Comment by slye753 - 23/12/2012

these four men died because of obamas election agenda. but the most shameful part of this is the media not wanting to write about it. keep it quite and it will go away. we cannot hurt the "King"

10) Comment by agagent - 23/12/2012

Libyan officials warned us of the attack and reported it as a terrorist attack when the Obama administration was calling it a mob action spurred on by an obscure video.

11) Comment by agagent - 23/12/2012

We did not need the report to know that the Obama administration failed miserably: it did not provide adequate security in spite of previous attacks and warnings of more attacks; it did not have an adequate response to the terrorist attack on 9/11; and it lied about the attack after it occurred. Congress did not deny security requests for Benghazi . . . . The Obama administration did. The State Department was spending millions on “going green” instead of on security. Clinton wanted the appearance of normalcy in Benghazi to match Obama’s “terrorists on the run” campaign rhetoric. Even its State Department security assessment said to use US forces in such unstable areas. The attack went on for hours, giving ample time to send more help to Benghazi. We had warnings so there should have been a contingency plan in case of an attack. Two fatalities happened many hours after the initial attack. The Obama administration blatantly lied after the attack, and most of the media fail to cover the story in order to assist Obama’s reelection.

12) Comment by Whatnow - 22/12/2012

Who gave the order to stand down is all we want to know.