US launches military action against Libya

[Jolie Rouge]

By Ben Feller, Ap White House Correspondent – 1 hr 34 mins ago 03-19-2011

BRASILIA, Brazil – President Barack Obama authorized limited military action against Libya Saturday, saying Moammar Gadhafi's continued assault on his own people left the U.S. and its international partners with no other choice. The Pentagon said 112 cruise missiles were launched from US and UK ships and subs, hitting 20 targets.

Obama said military action was not his first choice. "This is not an outcome the U.S. or any of our partners sought," Obama said from Brazil, where he is starting a five-day visit to Latin America. "We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy."

A senior military official said the U.S. launched air defenses Saturday with strikes along the Libyan coast that were launched by Navy vessels in the Mediterranean. The official said the assault would unfold in stages and target air defense installations around Tripoli, the capital, and a coastal area south of Benghazi, the rebel stronghold.

Obama declared once again that the United States would not send ground forces to Libya, though he said he is "deeply aware" of the risks of taking any military action.

Earlier in the day, Obama warned that the international community was prepared to act with urgency. "Our consensus was strong, and our resolve is clear. The people of Libya must be protected, and in the absence of an immediate end to the violence against civilians our coalition is prepared to act, and to act with urgency," Obama said.

Top officials from the U.S., Europe and the Arab world meeting in Paris, where they announced Saturday immediate military action to protect civilians caught in combat between Gadhafi's forces and rebel fighters. American ships and aircraft were poised for action but weren't participating in the initial French air missions.

As the military action was announced, French fighter jets swooped over Benghazi, the opposition stronghold that was stormed by Libyan government forces earlier Saturday, in defiance of a proclaimed ceasefire.

France, Britain and the United States had warned Gadhafi Friday that they would resort to military means if he ignored the U.N. resolution demanding a cease-fire.

The United States has a host of forces and ships in the area, including submarines, destroyers, amphibious assault and landing ships.

The U.S. intended to limit its involvement — at least in the initial stages — to helping protect French and other air missions by taking out Libyan air defenses, but depending on the response could launch additional attacks in support of allied forces, a U.S. official said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of military operations.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/lt_libya_obama




hhhmmmmm ....

----

112 missiles and 20 targets!?!?!? at like a billion dollars a missile!?!?!? Its Lybia, can't we just turn their electric off or something ?

---

So when do we establish no-fly zones in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen. Why do we get involve in these civil wars? We are their friends when they need us and the Great Satan when things get better.

When are we going to learn?

So what is next....Iran? Too bad for the North Korean people, the Sudanese, etc. that they don't have vast supplies of oil then we would be in there helping to "liberate" them too.

We launched a "Military Action" against Libya for less provaction THEN ... what is the hold up NOW. An assault on our Embassy - soverign soil - and the murder of our Ambassador and staff... what are we waiting for ? Obama is shaking his finger at Libya and Eqypt - naughty, naughty...

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[Jolie Rouge]

September 12, 2012 6:24 AM
Assault on U.S. consulate in Benghazi leaves 4 dead, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens

(CBS/AP) U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens was among four Americans killed in an attack by Muslim protesters on the U.S. consulate compound in Benghazi the previous evening, the U.S. government confirmed Wednesday. "I strongly condemn the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, which took the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens," President Obama said in a written statement released Wednesday morning. The U.S. government had confirmed one American death on Tuesday.

President Obama said he had ordered heightened security at all U.S. diplomatic offices around the world in the wake of the attack in Benghazi and a similar but less violent incident in Cairo on Tuesday. Both incidents were sparked by hardline Muslims protesting a film made in the U.S. which insults the Muslim prophet Muhammad.

Military officials told CBS News an anti-terrorism team of U.S. Marines was being deployed to Libya to help secure U.S. interests in the country following the attack. The State Department said, however, that no Americans were remaining at the facility in Benghazi. State officials would not confirm how many Americans were evacuated, or to where.

Wanis al-Sharef, a Libyan Interior Ministry official in Benghazi, said the four Americans were killed when the angry mob, which gathered to protest a U.S.-made film that ridicules Islam's Prophet Muhammad, fired guns and burned down the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. He said Stevens, 52, and other officials were moved to a second building - deemed safer - after the initial wave of protests at the consulate compound. According to al-Sharef, members of the Libyan security team seem to have indicated to the protesters the building to which the American officials had been relocated, and that building then came under attack.

Stevens, 52, was the first U.S. ambassador to be killed in the line of duty since 1979. A Libyan doctor who says he treated Stevens told the Associated Press Wednesday that the diplomat died of severe asphyxiation and that he tried for 90 minutes to revive him. Ziad Abu Zeid said Stevens was brought to the Benghazi Medical Center by Libyans Tuesday night with no other Americans, and that initially no one realized he was the ambassador. Abu Zeid said Stevens had "severe asphyxia," apparently from smoke inhalation, causing stomach bleeding, but had no other injuries.

Mobs hit U.S. buildings in Libya, Egypt

Al-Sharef said two U.S. Marines sent to Benghazi when the clash erupted were shot and killed by the well-armed protesters. It was not immediately clear whether the Marines were part of Stevens' security detail. The American whose death was confirmed on Tuesday also died of a gunshot wound. He was identified by the State Department on Wednesday as Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith.

Deputy Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur said on his Twitter account that, "Amb. Stevens was a friend of Libya and we are shocked at the attacks on the U.S. consulate." The Libyan Prime Minister also expressed grief and condemned the attack.

According to his biography page on the U.S. Embassy's website, Stevens "was the American representative to the Transitional National Council in Benghazi during the revolution," in Libya. Benghazi was the capital of rebel-held Libya during the uprising to oust Qaddafi.

According to al-Sharef, the angry mob stormed the consulate after the U.S. troops who responded fired rounds into the air to try and disperse the crowd. Al-Sharef said there had been threats that Islamic militants might try to take revenge for the death of al Qaeda's No. 2 commander Abu Yahya al-Libi, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan in June, and he said the U.S. consulate should have been better protected.

Confirming al-Libi's death for the first time in a video posted online Monday, al Qaeda chief Ayman Al-Zawahri called on Muslim's in al-Libi's native Libya to take revenge for his death. Al-Sharef said the Libyan guards employed to guard the consulate building were far outgunned by the protesters, and thus retreated when the building was stormed.

Hours before the protest erupted in Benghazi, protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, tearing down and replacing the American flag with an Islamic banner. CBS News' Alex Ortiz reported from Cairo that about 40 or 50 protesters had again gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday, but they were far outnumbered by Egyptian security personnel.

Tuesday's attacks were the first such assaults on U.S. diplomatic facilities in either country, at a time when both Libya and Egypt are struggling to overcome the turmoil following the ouster of their longtime leaders, Muammar Qaddafi and Hosni Mubarak, in uprisings last year.

There have been indications in recent months that radical, armed Islamic groups have gained a foothold in Libya since the fall of the Qaddafi regime. One of the groups to emerge in post-revolution Libya, Ansar al-Sharia, claimed responsibility Wednesday for the attack in Benghazi, which has been condemned by the country's new government.

The protests in both countries were sparked by outrage over the film ridiculing Muhammad, which was produced by an American-Israeli in California and being promoted by an extreme anti-Muslim Egyptian Christian campaigner in the United States. Excerpts from the film, dubbed into Arabic, were posted on Youtube during the summer. "While the United States rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others, we must all unequivocally oppose the kind of senseless violence that took the lives of these public servants," Mr. Obama said in the statement Wednesday morning, calling Stevens "a courageous and exemplary representative of the United States."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton strongly condemned the attack on Tuesday and said she had called Libyan President Mohammed el-Megarif, "to coordinate additional support to protect Americans in Libya."

Clinton expressed concern that the protests might spread to other countries. She said the U.S. is working with "partner countries around the world to protect our personnel, our missions, and American citizens worldwide."

"Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet," Clinton said in the statement released by the State Department. "The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind."

Sam Bacile, an American citizen who said he produced, directed and wrote the two-hour film, has gone into hiding, The Associated Press reports.

He told the AP from an undisclosed location that he had not anticipated such a furious reaction. "I feel sorry for the embassy. I am mad," Bacile said.

The incidents also led to an exchange between the campaigns of Republican standard bearer Mitt Romney and President Obama, over the nature of a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Cairo following the attack there.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-...ens/?tag=stack

[Jolie Rouge]

http://video.insider.foxnews.com/v/1836203455001/

READ PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FULL REMARKS BELOW:

“Good Morning. Everyday all across the world, American diplomats and civilians work tirelessly to advance the interest and values of our nation.

Often, they are away from their families, sometimes in great, great danger.

Yesterday, four of these extraordinary Americans were killed in an attack on our diplomatic post in Benghazi. Among those killed was our Ambassador Chris Stevens, as well as his Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith.

We are still notifying the families of the others who were killed and today the American people stand united in holding the families of the four Americans in our thoughts and in our prayers.

The United States condemns, in the strongest terms this outrageous and shocking attack. We’re working with the government of Libya to secure our diplomats. I’ve also directed my administration to increase our security at diplomatic posts around the world.

And make no mistake, we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people. Since our founding, the United States has been a nation that respects all faiths.

We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. But there is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence. None.

The world must stand together to unequivocally reject these brutal acts. Already, many Libyans have joined us in doing so,
and this attack will not break the bonds between the United States and Libya.

Libyan security personnel fought back against the attackers alongside Americans. Libyans helped some of our diplomats find safety, and they carried Ambassador Stevens’ body to the hospital, where we tragically learned that he had died.

It’s especially tragic that Chris Stevens died in Benghazi
because it is a city that he helped to save. At the height of the Libyan revolution Chris led our diplomatic post in Benghazi.

With characteristic skill, courage and resolve he built partnerships with Libyan revolutionaries and helped them as they planned to build a new Libya.

When the Gadhafi regime came to an end Chris was there to
serve as our ambassador to the new Libya, and he worked tirelessly to support this young democracy. And I think both Secretary Clinton and I have relied deeply on his knowledge of the situation on the ground there.

He was a role model to all who worked with him and to the young diplomats who aspire to walk in his footsteps.

Along with his colleagues, Chris died in a country that is
still striving to emerge from the recent experience of war. And today the loss of these four Americans is fresh, but ourmemories of them linger on.

I have no doubt that their legacy will live on through the
work that they did far from our shores and in the hearts of
those who loved them back home.

Of course, yesterday was already a painful day for our nation as we marked the solemn memory of the 9/11 attacks. We mourn with the families who were lost on that day. I visited the graves of troops who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan at the hallowed grounds of Arlington Cemetery, and had the opportunity to say thank you and visit some of our wounded warriors at Walter Reed. And then last night we learned the news of this attack in Benghazi.

As Americans let us never, ever forget that our freedom is only sustained because there are people who are willing to fight for it, to stand up for it, and in some cases lay down their lives for it. Our country is only as strong as the character of our people and the service of those, both civilian and military, who represent us around the globe.

No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.

Today we mourn for more Americans who represent the very
best of the United States of America. We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done.

But we also know that the lives these Americans led stand in stark contrast to those of their attackers. These four Americans stood up for freedom and human dignity. They should give every American great pride in the country that they served, and the hope that our flag represents to people around the globe who also yearn to live in freedom and with dignity.

We grieve with their families, but let us carry on their memory and let us continue their work in seeking a stronger America and a better world for all of our children. Thank you. May God bless the memory of those we lost, and may God bless the United States of America.”

http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/09/12...-will-be-done/

[hblueeyes]

For what happened...I am heart sick. From Obamas response...I am sickened

Me

[Jolie Rouge]

During Obama’s brief address, he praised Libyan security forces, saying they fought to attempt to safeguard the US staff. However, according to this story, it was Libyan security who gave them up: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-...opher-stevens/

Wanis al-Sharef, a Libyan Interior Ministry official in Benghazi, said the four Americans were killed when the angry mob, which gathered to protest a U.S.-made film that ridicules Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, fired guns and burned down the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

He said Stevens, 52, and other officials were moved to a second building – deemed safer – after the initial wave of protests at the consulate compound. According to al-Sharef, members of the Libyan security team seem to have indicated to the protesters the building to which the American officials had been relocated, and that building then came under attack.

Romney statement plus Q & A here. http://www.therightscoop.com/full-pr...bya-and-egypt/


Because of the unfolding events in the last 24 hours, the president’s scheduled fundraising trip to Vegas has been delayed… by one hour. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obamas-going-las-vegas

[Jolie Rouge]

During Hillary’s remarks, I don’t recall her exact wording, but she essentially said that the number of people who initiate these kinds of attacks is relatively small. Newt Gingrich takes issue with that: http://www.therightscoop.com/newt-gi...nding-freedom/

“There’s a substantial faction, particularly in Benghazi, which was sending people to Iraq to kill Americans. There’s a substantial faction in Egypt which wants to defeat the United States and destroy Israel. That faction looks for opportunities to do things to hurt the United States and yesterday was the example of an attack that’s part of a very long war that we’re going to be at for a very long time.”

[Jolie Rouge]

Journalists Freak Out as Romney Condemns Obama's Handling of Libya
By Scott Whitlock | September 12, 2012

Angry journalists repeatedly lashed out at a defiant Mitt Romney, Wednesday, pushing the Republican to renounce his criticism of Barack Obama's handling of the crisis developing in Libya. In a statement on Tuesday, the presidential candidate slammed the administration's "disgraceful" response to the attacks on the U.S. embassy in Libya, which ended with the murder of ambassador Chris Stevens.

An unidentified reporter complained, "The statement from the President was a very toughly worded statement last night. Do you regret the tone at all, given what we know now?" Another asked, given how quickly events were unfolding, was it "appropriate to be weighing in as this as this crisis is unfolding in real time? " The same question came again and again, a total of seven times. [See a video montage below. http://www.mrctv.org/videos/journali...handling-libya ]

An off-camera journalist loudly attacked, "Governor, some people have said that you jumped the gun a little in putting that statement out last night and that you should have waited until more details were available. Um, do you regret having that statement come out so early before we learned about all of the things that were happening?"

[Note: all reporters were off-camera and unidentified.]

The Washington Post described the original document put out by the U.S. embassy in Egypt: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...s-disgraceful/

During the protest in Cairo but hours before the attacks in Libya, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo issued a statement saying that it condemns “the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.”

Romney refused to back down, insisting, "It's their administration. Their administration spoke. The President takes responsibility not just for the words that come from his mouth, but also the words that come from his ambassadors."

Still, the same question came again: "If you had known last night that the ambassador died, and, obviously, I'm gathering you did not know- If you had known that the ambassador had died, would you have issued such a strongly issued statement?"

Romney defended his condemnation of the President's handling, asserting that "having that embassy effectively apologizing for the right of free speech is not the right course of an administration."

A transcript of the questions from Romney's September 12 press conference, which aired live on MSNBC:

10:19



REPORTER #1 (male): The statement from the President was very toughly worded statement last night. Do you regret the tone at all, given what we know now?

REPORTER # 2 (female): Governor Romney, do you think, though, coming so soon after the events, really, had unfolded overnight was appropriate to be weighing in as this as this crisis is unfolding in real time?

...

REPORTER #3 (female): So what did the White House do wrong then, Governor, Romney, if they put out a statement-

MITT ROMNEY: It's their administration. Their administration spoke. The President takes responsibility not just for the words that come from his mouth, but also the words that come from his ambassadors, from his administration, from his embassy, from his State Department. They clearly sent mixed messages to the world.

...

REPORTER (male) #3: You talk about mixed signals. The world is watching. Isn't this itself a mixed signal when you criticize the administration at a time when Americans are being killed? Shouldn't politics stop- [garbled]

...

REPORTER (female) #4: Governor, some people have said that you jumped the gun a little in putting that statement out last night and that you should have waited until more details were available. Um, do you regret having that statement come out so early before we learned about all of the things that were happening?

ROMNEY: I don't think we ever hesitate when we see something which is a violation of our principles...Having that embassy effectively apologizing for the right of free speech is not the right course of an administration.

REPORTER #5 (male): If you had known last night that the ambassador died, and, obviously, I'm gathering you did not know- If you had known that the ambassador had died, would you have issued such a strongly issued statement?

REPORTER #6: How specifically, Governor Romney, would a President Romney have handled the situation differently than President Obama?

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-w...#ixzz26I4zQsWy

Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/scott-w...#ixzz26I4VVyns

[Jolie Rouge]

.
U.S. officials believe Libya attack was planned
By Liz Goodwin, Yahoo! News | The Lookout – 18 hrs ago.

The deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya may have been a planned operation and not a spontaneous protest that turned violent, U.S. officials told the New York Times and CNN on Wednesday. Initial reports suggested that protesters in Benghazi, Libya, were angry about an online video that mocked the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, and then attacked the consulate, killing U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other foreign service workers. But now, according to the New York Times, officials suspect that "an organized group had either been waiting for an opportunity to exploit like the protests over the video or perhaps even generated the protests as a cover for their attack." U.S. sources told CNN that they don't think Stevens was a specific target of the attack.

U.S. officials also told the New York Times that they still believe the protest in Cairo, where rioters scaled the U.S. Embassy's walls and destroyed the American flag, was an unorganized mob angry over the video.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/...171504894.html

[Jolie Rouge]

Open Thread: Libya Attacks Not About Anti-Islam Film?
By NB Staff | September 13, 2012 | 10:48

Despite all appearances that the attack on the American embassy in Libya was more than just a protest gone violent, the Obama White House is still refusing to call the violence "terrorism." This is looking increasingly ridiculous as more is learned about the background surrounding the attack and Al Qaeda's recent actions: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/obam...-terror-attack

As the hours passed, however, it became increasingly evident that the worst of Tuesday’s violence in Benghazi had nothing to do with an obscure film insulting Mohammed.

According to briefing administration officials, fighting between “unidentified Libyan extremists” and U.S. and Libyan security personnel lasted for more than four hours – from 10 PM-2.30 AM (4-8.30 PM eastern U.S. time).

“This was a well-armed, well-coordinated event, it had both indirect and direct fire, and it had military maneuvers that were all part of this very organized attack,” House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) told MSNBC. “That’s concerning, so we are going to have to make sure, working with the Libyans hopefully, that these people are brought to justice very swiftly.”

Reports in the independent Libya Herald cited eyewitnesses in Benghazi as saying the attackers were Islamist Salafists, including members of one of the jihadists groups that have emerged in Libya in the aftermath of the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, Ansar al-Sharia.

A Libyan diplomat in London, Ahmad Jibril, also named Ansar al-Sharia as the perpetrators of the attack, the BBC reported.

The Quilliam Foundation, a British think tank set up by Muslims in 2008 with the declared aim of countering extreme Islamist ideology, also pointed to the sophistication of the assault in Benghazi and the use of weaponry including rocket-propelled grenades.

“The military assault against the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi should not be seen as part of a protest against a low budget film which was insulting Islam – there were just a few peaceful protesters present at the event,” it said Wednesday.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb-staf...#ixzz26NT5APRI

comments

Any time I hear that there's something happening with these muslims and that their excuse is because "their prophet was insulted," you know it's a BS excuse.

This was done because it was the anniversary of 9/11. Not only that, if you heard their chantings, it was about Obeyme and his killing Osama especially when you find out that during the DNC Con, the killing of Osama was brought up 21 times, especially by Hillary with her trademark cackle.

This is just the beginning of something big. This isn't an isolated incident.

..

Ain't it interesting that the Chair Man and the state controlled media are pushing the idea that some mook with a movie camera and a website has more influence over the affairs of the USA and the world than they do?

I'd be embarrassed to say that if I were them. Funny how he is soooooooo experienced that he can run the world from the golf course, or the campaign trail, or on vacation with the Clydesdale, but some nobody jive turkey film maker has more control over events than he can muster.

...

Four americans tortured and murdered by a faux mob from hurt feelings from a faux movie and a faux apology from a faux president in an empty chair. The empty chair is being proped up by a faux media who forgot to mention the planned torture and murder of americans. The faux outrage by the faux media is due to Romney looking more CIC than the empty chair.

[Jolie Rouge]

Diplomatic sources: State Department had credible intel 48 hours before attacks that U.S. embassies might be targeted;
Update: White House denies
posted at 9:03 pm on September 13, 2012 by Allahpundit

I’m looking forward to having it explained to me on the news tomorrow why this is all a misunderstanding and not a very big deal at all.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...n-8135797.html

Some of the missing papers from the consulate are said to list names of Libyans who are working with Americans, putting them potentially at risk from extremist groups, while some of the other documents are said to relate to oil contracts.

According to senior diplomatic sources, the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted, but no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and “lockdown”, under which movement is severely restricted…

According to security sources the consulate had been given a “health check” in preparation for any violence connected to the 9/11 anniversary. In the event, the perimeter was breached within 15 minutes of an angry crowd starting to attack it at around 10pm on Tuesday night. There was, according to witnesses, little defence put up by the 30 or more local guards meant to protect the staff. Ali Fetori, a 59-year-old accountant who lives near by, said: “The security people just all ran away and the people in charge were the young men with guns and bombs.”

I’m awfully curious to hear how thorough that “health check” was given how quickly consulate security crumbled. Two thoughts here. One: While the bit about credible information is new and important, you don’t need that detail to know that Obama and his team dropped the ball on protecting the consulate. We already know there were no Marines stationed there http://hotair.com/archives/2012/09/1...ine-protection ; even the locals couldn’t believe how lightly guarded the building was. http://hotair.com/archives/2012/09/1...tter-security/

There’s no earthly reason for security to be that thin on 9/11, especially when jihadis had targeted the consulate and other western diplomats in Benghazi before. Two: I wonder if the “credible information” described in the piece has something to do with the Zawahiri video eulogizing Abu Yahya al-Libi, a top AQ chieftain from Libya. http://news.yahoo.com/al-qaeda-leade...040815471.html The video appeared on jihadi websites on Tuesday to coincide with 9/11, but intel experts who watch those sites sometimes see new material show up on their servers in advance. If they knew that a new Zawahiri video was coming on 9/11, that alone might have been reason to think Al Qaeda was out for revenge and eager to make a splash against U.S. interests somewhere on the anniversary. Is that the sort of intel we’re dealing with here or do they mean something more concrete and specific about a planned attack?

While we’re on the subject of Obama’s foreign-policy failures, here’s a blast from the past for longtime HA readers: http://news.yahoo.com/iraqi-militia-...094848079.html

An Iraqi militia that carried out some of the most prominent attacks on foreigners during the Iraq war on Thursday threatened U.S. interests in the country over a film that has triggered protests in Libya, Egypt and Yemen.

“The offence caused to the messenger (Prophet Mohammad) will put all American interests in danger and we will not forgive them for that,” said Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Asaib al-Haq militia.

That’s the same Qais Khazali who led Iran’s “Special Groups” in Iraq, and who allegedly masterminded the famous 2007 operation in Karbala in which five U.S. servicemen were captured and executed. He was captured by American troops two months later. So why’s he back on the streets now and threatening to kill people over the Mohammed movie, you ask? Because, silly: We let him go as part of a prisoner exchange in 2009, over the strenuous objections of some military officers. Remember that, because Khazali’s expertly trained and sufficiently ruthless that he’s capable of following through on his threats in spectacular fashion. You might be seeing his name in the news again soon.

Exit question: Any word from the White House on whether Obama regrets not attending a daily intel briefing since September 5? I know he supposedly reads his briefing instead, but he’s been super busy lately doing interviews with morning-show DJs and scheduling appearances on Letterman, so maybe he hasn’t had time.

Update: It’s a big ol’ lie, says the White House. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/81198.html

The Obama administration is flatly denying a blaring British newspaper report that the U.S. diplomats in Libya were killed as a result of a “continuing security breach,” and that “credible information” about possible attacks had been ignored.

A U.S. official told POLITICO: “There’s no intelligence indicating that the attack in Benghazi was premeditated.”…

Shawn Turner, spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, emailed: “This is absolutely wrong. We are not aware of any actionable intelligence indicating that an attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi was planned or imminent.”

The Independent didn’t claim that the intelligence said there’d be an attack on the Benghazi consulate specifically. It claimed that American missions generally, including the one in Benghazi, could be targeted. The point is, security should have been ramped up at U.S. missions worldwide. Why didn’t that happen in Benghazi?

http://hotair.com/archives/2012/09/1...t-be-targeted/

President Obama created this mess. Make Him Own It
He Did Build This
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/...es/#more-48310




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQVbG...layer_embedded

[Jolie Rouge]

The third and fourth victims of the blood-boiling Benghazi jihadi attack have been identified. Americans Tyrone (Ty) Woods and Glen Doherty were former Navy SEALS who worked as private security contractors. http://twitchy.com/2012/09/13/third-...er-navy-seals/ It’s also now been confirmed that the attack was an elaborate, two-part planned operation http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012...official-says/ — timed to 9/11 with the stupid movie as pretextual cover, just as I told you late Tuesday night. http://michellemalkin.com/2012/09/12...amic-rage-boy/ And as I noted on Wednesday night, http://www.therightscoop.com/must-wa...cans-in-libya/ President Obama left our embassies and consulates unfortified — skipping out on intel briefings and heading to Vegas instead. http://twitchy.com/2012/09/13/danger...here-is-media/

According to the Independent, the administration was warned… “and did nothing.” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...n-8135797.html Actually, as my column details today, Obama was quite busy — wrapped us, as usual, in the most important business to Obama: Pandering to his fanboys and fangirls and getting himself re-elected.

Related from JWF: As the Mideast Goes Up in Flames, Obama Tweets About Beyoncé and Jay-Z. http://t.co/l23p0ov

The Hip-Hop President: All Swag, No Cattle
by Michelle Malkin
September 14, 2012 09:14 AM

Wazzup, President Obama? You’ve got room on your schedule to schmooze hip-hop radio DJs, debate Nicki Minaj’s rap lyrics, hobnob with big donor celebs Jay-Z and Beyonce, and hang with Hollywood gossip TV anchors.

We see your passion on the golf course, basketball court and beach. We see you late night on Letterman and Leno. We see your boundless energy on the campaign trail. We see your Twitter donation solicitations from dusk till dawn.

But when it comes time to play leader of the free world in times of international crisis, it’s “see ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya.” He’s all swag, no cattle.

I know I’m not the only one who was flabbergasted by Obama’s bloodless Rose Garden appearance following the planned two-part 9/11/12 jihadi attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

Late as usual, the president ambled up to the podium 15 minutes behind schedule on Wednesday morning. Teleprompter-less, he spent the majority of his fleeting five-and-a-half-minute appearance with eyes downcast on his script. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=3Nu6VZ9DeVc

With a grim Secretary of State Hillary Clinton looking over his shoulder, Obama delivered a flat, obligatory tribute to the murdered Americans. And then he read these words, drained of any iota of outrage, as if reading a local weather forecast. Or a fifth-grade book report. Or a dinner menu:
“The United States condemns (pauses, looks down) in the strongest terms (pauses) this outrageous and shocking attack (monotone). We’re working with the government of Libya to secure our diplomats. I’ve also directed my administration to increase our security at diplomatic posts around the world.”

Punctuated with noncommittal “uhs” and a pedestrian lilt, he read some more: “And make no mistake (eyes looking down). Uh. We will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people (eyes down, flipping page).”

In a bland and unconvincing recitation, Obama stated perfunctorily: “No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for.” Looking down at his script again, he hurried along: “We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. And make no mistake, justice will be done.”

Detached, diffident, aloof and resigned, America and the world saw a eulogizer in chief, not a commander in chief. It was as if something more important were occupying his mind at the time.

And it was. Soon after, Obama scurried onto a plane to Las Vegas for a lovefest campaign rally with 8,000 fanboys and fangirls who cultishly screamed, “I lovve youuuuuu” — interrupting his cool POTUS flow momentarily as he dispensed with a line or two about the bloody disaster in the Middle East. Incurably self-absorbed, Obama lamented that “we” had a “tough day” for a second or two. And then he turned quickly back to the central business of getting himself re-elected.

If only Obama had mustered half as much energy and outrage at the homicidal Islamic plotters in Benghazi as he shows in his tirades against the Tea Party, the Koch brothers, conservative talk radio, Fox News, House GOP budget reformers or GOP presidential rival Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan.

If only he had delivered his Rose Garden script with as much conviction and finger-jabbing as he did when he “slow-jammed the news” with comedian Jimmy Fallon.

This isn’t the first time Obama’s diffident demeanor in crisis has been exposed. I’ve noted before his bizarrely detached initial remarks about the Fort Hood jihadi attack — which he treated as an afterthought. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYldh...layer_embedded

And I reported on his sterile national security announcement in December 2010, when the jihadi Christmas Day underwear bomber rudely interrupted his vacay. Eyes down on his notes the whole time and dressed in tie-less informal Hawaiian island wear, he described the failed attack with the weariness of a small-town sheriff’s deputy.

And then he rushed back to work. Or rather, rest.

What makes a growing number of Americans angry is the utter lack of righteous anger this administration exhibits toward the existential threats we face abroad and at home. We want a leader — not a celebrity — who puts the nation’s self-preservation above his own.

http://michellemalkin.com/2012/09/14...wag-no-cattle/