l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 1 September 17, 2012 by Doug Johnson
Or how to beclown yourself on every major weekend talk show… ABC’s This
Week interviews U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Susan Rice:
TAPPER: So, first of all, what is the latest you can tell us on who
these attackers were at the embassy or at the consulate in Benghazi? We’re
hearing that the Libyans have arrested people. They’re saying that some
people involved were from outside the country, that there might have even
been Al Qaida ties. What’s the latest information?
RICE: Well, Jake, first of all, it’s important to know that there’s an
FBI investigation that has begun and will take some time to be completed.
That will tell us with certainty what transpired.
But our current best assessment, based on the information that we have
at present, is that, in fact, what this began as, it was a spontaneous —
not a premeditated — response to what had transpired in Cairo. In Cairo, as
you know, a few hours earlier, there was a violent protest that was
undertaken in reaction to this very offensive video that was disseminated.
We believe that folks in Benghazi, a small number of people came to the
embassy to — or to the consulate, rather, to replicate the sort of
challenge that was posed in Cairo. And then as that unfolded, it seems to
have been hijacked, let us say, by some individual clusters of extremists
who came with heavier weapons, weapons that as you know in — in the wake of
the revolution in Libya are — are quite common and accessible. And it then
evolved from there.
We’ll wait to see exactly what the investigation finally confirms, but
that’s the best information we have at present.
TAPPER: Why was there such a security breakdown? Why was there not
better security at the compound in Benghazi? Why were there not U.S. Marines
at the embassy in Tripoli?
RICE: Well, first of all, we had a substantial security presence with
our personnel…
TAPPER: Not substantial enough, though, right?
RICE: … with our personnel and the consulate in Benghazi. Tragically,
two of the four Americans who were killed were there providing security.
That was their function. And indeed, there were many other colleagues who
were doing the same with them.
It obviously didn’t prove sufficient to the — the nature of the attack
and sufficient in that — in that moment. And that’s why, obviously, we
have reinforced our remaining presence in Tripoli and why the president has
very — been very clear that in Libya and throughout the region we are going
to call on the governments, first of all, to assume their responsibilities
to protect our facilities and our personnel, and we’re reinforcing our
facilities and our — our embassies where possible…
It goes on and on, but the fact that her answers have been discredited my
the Libyan president and reporting all over seems not to bother the
administration. Someone is going to put all the pieces together and produce
a pretty damning indictment of the State Department’s action in putting the
people in our embassies and consulates needlessly at risk. Let’s hope that
happens soon – you never know when another amateur video will start
attacking our embassies again. |
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