The mundane facts behind Benghazi tragedy emerge
A gunman preens for the camera while the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi burns in the background. (AP)
As expected, the independent Accountability Review Board investigation into the tragic death of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi has found more than enough blame to go around.
But before we get into the details, let’s get the various conspiracy-theory stuff out of the way:
– The board, led by retired diplomat Thomas Pickering and retired Admiral Mike Mullen, former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, once again made it clear “that there was no protest prior to the attacks, which were unanticipated in their scale and intensity.” However, because its work was focused on the attack itself, rather than its aftermath or the politics involved, the board did not discuss whether U.S. officials had legitimate intelligence reasons to believe that such a protest had occurred or whether politics played any role in how the tragedy was presented to the American people.
– Contrary to claims by some, including Fox News, “The board members believe every possible effort was made to rescue and recover Ambassador Stevens and Sean Smith. The inter-agency response was timely and appropriate, but there simply was not enough time for armed U.S. military assets to have made a difference.”
In fact, the investigation found, armed reinforcements from the Tripoli embassy had reached the facilities in Benghazi by the time the second deadly wave of attacks was launched early the next morning.
– Contrary to claims by some, including Fox News, no one in Washington or elsewhere issued orders to “stand down” or delay efforts to rescue Stevens. As the report states clearly, “The board found no evidence of any undue delays in decision-making or denial of support from Washington or from the military combatant commanders.”
With that behind us, we can turn to more important questions: How did this happen, who was at fault, and most importantly, how can we prevent a recurrence?
Let’s take a look at the players identified in the report:
THE BUREAUCRACY: The board points out that the Benghazi facilities were never officially designated as either a consulate or as a permanent State Department station. Within the State Department, its designation as a temporary “special mission” made it difficult to find the financial resources to secure the Benghazi facility or assign enough security personnel to the site. It got caught in a Catch-22 that no one in leadership stepped up to correct.
CONGRESS: The State Department was denied the financial resources that it needed and had requested to improve security at its facilities around the world. In the words of the report:
“The solution requires a more serious and sustained commitment from Congress to support State Department needs, which, in total, constitute a small percentage both of the full national budget and that spent for national security. One overall conclusion in this report is that Congress must do its part to meet this challenge and provide necessary resources to the State Department to address security risks and meet mission imperatives.”
STATE DEPARTMENT LEADERSHIP: According to the report, “The board found that certain senior State Department officials within two bureaus demonstrated a lack of proactive leadership and management ability in their responses to security concerns posed by Special Mission Benghazi, given the deteriorating threat environment and the lack of reliable host government protection.”
The senior officials were not identified by name. However, the two bureaus in question are the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, responsible for overseeing operations in that region, and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, responsible for security staffing and facility hardening. Three State Department officials resigned today in the wake of the report.
“Board members found a pervasive realization among personnel who served in Benghazi that the Special Mission was not a high priority for Washington when it came to security-related requests, especially those relating to staffing,” the report states.
It goes on to point out, however, that repeated denials of funding requests from Congress “has also had the effect of conditioning a few State Department managers to favor restricting the use of resources as a general orientation. There is no easy way to cut through this Gordian knot, all the more so as budgetary austerity looms large ahead.”
Ambassador Chris Stevens (AP)
AMBASSADOR STEVENS: It’s a delicate issue, but the board clearly found fault with Stevens’ judgment as chief of mission in Libya. It noted:
“As the president’s personal representative, the chief of mission bears ‘direct and full responsibility for the security of [his or her] mission and all the personnel for whom [he or she is] responsible,’ and thus for risk management in the country to which he or she is accredited….”
“The Board found that Ambassador Stevens made the decision to travel to
Benghazi independently of Washington, per standard practice. Timing for his trip was driven in part by commitments in Tripoli, as well as a staffing gap between principal officers in Benghazi.Plans for the ambassador’s trip provided for minimal close-protection security support and were not shared thoroughly with the embassy’s country team, who were not fully aware of planned movements off compound. The ambassador did not see a direct threat of an attack of this nature and scale on the U.S. mission in the overall negative trendline of security incidents from spring to summer 2012. His status as the leading U.S. government advocate on Libya policy, and his expertise on Benghazi in particular, caused Washington to give unusual deference to his judgments.”
The report, available here in full, also details the extraordinary heroism and good decision-making of security personnel on the ground in Benghazi, which prevented a very bad situation from becoming even worse.
Overall, though, the board’s findings aren’t particularly sexy or politically explosive. They document mundane bureaucratic mistakes by generally well-meaning people, including Stevens himself, that ended up having tragic consequences, and they suggest ways to minimize chances that such tragedies will be repeated.
– Jay Bookman
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
572 comments Add your comment
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
5:59 am
@ 3.16, I lit the Bat Signal and asked for a “Hildebeast”.
Took six hours and eight minutes, but finally:
You are just a low information hack aka moron.
This report proves nothing. Just cya for the Hildabeast and Prez BO
thanks, bud! yer the best.
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
6:03 am
Anyone know the latest on Darryl Issa? Last I recall, he was allowed use of both hands, given a flashlight, a mirror and GPS, and told to find his own ass. How is that coming along?
James
December 20th, 2012
6:03 am
Why has Hillary not resigned? Was she not in charge? If this happened while Bush was President, Jay would still be screaming.
Redcoat
December 20th, 2012
6:23 am
Jay set it up nicely………so who do you trust? As always nothing will happen on the surface and all behind the scene activity ignored…….Democrats/Liberals are in charge of labeling and defining………everyone remember that….on and on it goes…..
Mitch
December 20th, 2012
6:29 am
There is nothing mundane about the death of these brave people and still no explanation for the repeated claims by the administration for days that a video caused this tragedy.
Fred ™
December 20th, 2012
6:38 am
Mitch
December 20th, 2012
6:29 am
There is nothing mundane about the death of these brave people and still no explanation for the repeated claims by the administration for days that a video caused this tragedy.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And again we have proof that you just can’t cure stupid.
MiltonMan
December 20th, 2012
6:44 am
“I guess the best aspect of this story is that the cons depraved presidential candidate shot himself between the eyes on this one.”
Leave it up to a lib to post such an inappropriate comment.
Madmax
December 20th, 2012
7:10 am
So I guess Obama should demand Stevens resignation.
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
December 20th, 2012
7:13 am
FRED,
Seems to me that once again, the BO administration is not capable of making mistakes. At least according to supporters such as you. Of course Jay will come to the defense each and every time a hint of impropriety or otherwise misstep by this idolized Man of the Year…with all vigor.
Why you continue to defend and deflect blame for the administrations inability to get it’s story straight….”it’s the video not us…its the State..no FBI, no CIA..” The entire episode is a cluster from an administration who can do no wrong, much less assume responsibility for mistakes…he is commander in chief and clearly his nature is to initially be political and deflect when something goes wrong..
TaxPayer
December 20th, 2012
7:19 am
Wow! Cons trying to blame Obama. The next thing you know they’ll be telling us that he killed bin laden.
Rightwing troll
December 20th, 2012
7:19 am
Yes Scout, they haven’t even laid those kids to rest yet and the NRA and Walmart are already profiting off the tragedy… Good for them…
Rightwing troll
December 20th, 2012
7:21 am
So, getting the story straight would’ve saved those 4 people how exactly?
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
December 20th, 2012
7:27 am
Nobody is directly blaming BO…at least I’m not. No it wouldn’t have saved those 4 people if BO adminstration would have waited to comment when they had a peer reviewed clue. The problem is that the right, and many others see a defined and predictable pattern from BO and his adminstration any time a challenge or problematic issue evolves..deflect and blame. His nature is to keep the political high ground and the blind liberal supporters can’t see this….as most of them are not capable of admitting that every now and then their baby can be ugly..
Gale
December 20th, 2012
7:31 am
It is off topic, but I have a question for those of you that frequent shooting ranges. My experience with such things is Trap and Skeet clubs, or archery clubs. Many of these members are also hunters. What is the culture or atmosphere at a shooting range? Are these social places or are the shooters more solitary? My focus is the behavior one sees.
Rightwing troll
December 20th, 2012
7:35 am
Social and congenial… Good guys, they do tend to boast a bit about how big their pieces are, all in good fun though…
Rightwing troll
December 20th, 2012
7:37 am
Stevie, our baby is ugly to be sure. In my case the other guy’s is consistently uglier.
Rightwing troll
December 20th, 2012
7:37 am
As are his nannies…
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
7:42 am
I’d have a smidgeon of respect for conservative collective outrage over stuff like Benghazi and Fast ‘n Furious–really, I would–if I could see them muster up 1/10th the huffing and puffing for something that is a justifiable knock against this Administration like this:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/339204
But they never do. It’s always up to us dirty effing hippies to point it out to them, and they rarely if ever care much about it.
Maybe someone here who’s honest, can tell me why that is.
Gale
December 20th, 2012
7:42 am
Thanks, troll. TV only shows solitary shooters in the act of shooting. Trap and Skeet are more team sports. It sounds like off range areas are about the same. I had wondered if this was a solitary sport.
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
7:53 am
I love me some group think.
“Mundane” four dead Americans.
[...]
mundane means commonplace or boring so i guess that the deaths of 4 americans at benghazi is boring to you Jay
[...]
Glad it only took 4 months to get this “mundane” information out of the most transparent administration in history…
[...]
I guess when this kind of “mundane bureaucratic mistakes” gets amplified c/o of the ACA, will the same cavalier attitude will get applied?
[...]
“Mundane” is an inappropriate word given that people died
[...]
There is nothing mundane about the death of these brave people
Well done, lads.
Real Scootter
December 20th, 2012
7:56 am
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
7:53 am
That is a mundane post!
TaxPayer
December 20th, 2012
7:56 am
Do AR15 owners have Drone shooting at the shooting ranges. How else can they claim to be preparing for the inevitable day that they claim is coming. And will Paul Revere’s descendant be rolling through town in his Humvee yelling, “Obama is coming, Obama is coming,” on that fateful day.
TaxPayer
December 20th, 2012
7:58 am
Scout’s new hero is Ann Coulter.
Joel Edge
December 20th, 2012
8:02 am
I feel better now. We’re all at fault and it looks like ‘pilot error’.
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:03 am
Just so it’s clear–that honest-to-god capital “S” scandal I linked @ 7.42 involved billions of dollars’ of money laundering to drug cartel operations that are killing people in the USA.
Is ANYONE here at least a little bit peeved that the Administration’s idea of punishment means three banksters simply quit their jobs, the bank pays a fine that amounts to two months’ profit, and that’s it?
Assistant Attorney General, Lanny Breuer signed off on a deal that will see HSBC pay a financial settlement of $1.9 billion dollars. There were no criminal charges against any individuals, even though the bank admits to laundering billions for Mexican drug cartels, violating the Bank Secrecy Act and also the Trading with the Enemy Act. There were no criminal prosecutions against the bank either.
Breuer admitted that some of the laundering transactions were so brazen they could be easily detected. In some HSBC’s Mexican branches, there were deposits of hundreds of thousands of cash in one day into a single account. The depositors used boxes specially made to fit into the precise dimensions of the teller windows!
Although not explicitly stated, apparently the rationale of the government for not pursuing criminal cases against individuals at the bank was that to do so when the individuals were employees of such an important bank, might threaten the stability of the financial system.
Some of the financial penalties are ludicrous. Breuer announced that as a result of the government investigation HSBC has “clawed back” deferred compensation bonuses for some of its most senior U.S. anti-money laundering and compliance officers over the next five years. So they still get bonuses even after what they allowed to happen but are forced only to partially defer them
But no–let’s cry some more about how we thought it was anger over a video and we didn’t get to selectively poutrage about the thing we most love to poutrage about, that is, an “act of Terra,” quite as quickly as we would have liked.
Jesus Christ, deliver me from your stupids.
They BOTH suck
December 20th, 2012
8:03 am
Taxpayer
It must be mAnn’s adams apple that draws Scout to him, I mean her….
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:09 am
It must be mAnn’s adams apple that draws Scout to him, I mean her….
as long as I’m pissed off, I’m going to point out that I’m sick and tired of nasty, ancient jokes basically at the expense of the trangendered aimed at Ann Coulter. She’s a fascist creep, period. That ought to be sufficient to produce a wealth of comedic material.
(Not singling you out, TBS; most all of us rational folk have committed this transgression at some point of our online lives.)
TaxPayer
December 20th, 2012
8:11 am
sfd,
Of course the cons are peeved with the HSBC situation. They cannot figure out a way to get them another well-earned tax cut but they’ll keep trying. Don’t you worry.
They BOTH suck
December 20th, 2012
8:11 am
stands
Hope your day gets better
Real Scootter
December 20th, 2012
8:12 am
Is ANYONE here at least a little bit peeved that the Administration’s idea of punishment means three banksters simply quit their jobs, the bank pays a fine that amounts to two months’ profit, and that’s it?
Not really DB. It seems like business as usual in the good ole USA.
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:13 am
Of course the cons are peeved with the HSBC situation.
I’m having a hard time tracking down a full transcript of Obama’s presser yesterday–did a single solitary member of the Press Corpse bother to even ask about it? Anyone know?
(I do know that the moment Obama was done talking about the work he’s planning to start on reducing gun violence, the very first question was about the f-cking “Kill the Poorz & Oldz” grand bargain they’re working on. Of course they didn’t call it that.)
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:15 am
Hope your day gets better
eh, to be honest, it’s been a sh-tty past 24 hours, for reasons that go beyond the news I can’t divulge here.
So I’ll thank you for your kind words and echo them myself.
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:22 am
That is a mundane post!
On these 500+ -post threads, Ctrl-F is your friend.
indigo
December 20th, 2012
8:32 am
stands – 7:53
And, saying “I love me some” makes you look foolish.
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:33 am
I don’t suppose I should re-issue my thrice-issued challenge to Butthurt-over-Benghazi Brigade. But I will.
Tell me just how it was this Administration would have benefited greatly from presumption that the entire Islamic world was SO inflamed and crazed that they were literally murdering Americans over an offensive video, to the point that they would have WILLINGLY CONCOCTED A STORY ABOUT IT, and assumed that nobody in this city of a million people would ever contradict this story–rather than report what had happened, at a time appropriate to do so?
This is the mighty Team Obama that crushed some of the biggest/baddest political machines to win victory in 2008 and 2012, coming up with a crap plan like that?
really? Is that your final answer, Butthurt Brigaders?
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:36 am
And, saying “I love me some” makes you look foolish.
yeah. Fair point. I’ll give you that.
I also think I might forswear my bad habit of intentionally misspelling stuff to caricature the opposition’s talking points. It’s old and creaky at this point.
(I might cling to “Preznit” because it is near and dear to me.)
TaxPayer
December 20th, 2012
8:38 am
Scout neglected to mention this little tidbit:
Sales soar for kid-themed body armor backpacks
They’re all the craze this holiday season.
Gale
December 20th, 2012
8:38 am
Ooooh, Do I hear some new year’s resolutions in the making? It is the season.
Real Scootter
December 20th, 2012
8:40 am
On these 500+ -post threads, Ctrl-F is your friend.
What is Ctrl-F supposed to do DB? I tryed it and nothing happened.
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:44 am
What is Ctrl-F supposed to do DB?
in most (all?) Windows-based browsers, it brings up the “Find” box, so you can fill it in with something like “mundane” and search for recurrences of that word.
godless heathen - Law Abiding Citizen
December 20th, 2012
8:49 am
Thanks, troll. TV only shows solitary shooters in the act of shooting. Trap and Skeet are more team sports. It sounds like off range areas are about the same. I had wondered if this was a solitary sport.
Gale: At the clubs I’ve belonged to, it depends on the activity. Yes frequently on the rifle range, it’s just guys focusing on the target, working on shooting that perfect group, because that’s a solitary activity and distractions are not good. On the other hand, during matches and competitions, there is a lot of social interaction.
Shooters are not scary, evil people. Mostly very technically oriented people. Just folks.
Real Scootter
December 20th, 2012
8:50 am
in most (all?) Windows-based browsers
I guess not in “all” DB.When I hit it I get nothing at all. Dang,I still have a lot to learn about computers!
barking frog
December 20th, 2012
8:52 am
stands
you didn’t tell them to hit both keys at the same time…..
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:53 am
RS @ 8.50, hmm.
Which browser do you use? Does Edit > Find do it for you? Surely you have some kind of “search” function available to you.
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:54 am
BF, you might be on to something, but it’s not at the same time:
you hold down the Ctrl key, THEN press F.
how’s that?
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:55 am
Shooters are not scary, evil people. Mostly very technically oriented people. Just folks.
Don’t know if you can say “mostly,” but otherwise, I agree. Some of my best friends, etc.
Welcome to the Occupation
December 20th, 2012
8:56 am
Congress rolls back ban on indefinite detention.
Obama setting the table for the rollback of the remainders of the centerpiece of the 20th C social programs as only a Democratic president can do.
Neocons continue their smear campaign against Chuck Hagel for daring to utter what any sensible person looking at world affairs would say.
No shortage of pinyatas out there to choose from, Jay!
Ah, but make sure it fits the house formula “Republicans bad. (thus Democrats got to be good too, or at least safe from our cross-hairs at the moment!)”
stands for decibels
December 20th, 2012
8:56 am
anyway, full attention to producin’ can’t be postponed. Later, maybe, if/when Jay’s got new threadage for us.
Gale
December 20th, 2012
8:57 am
godless heathen. That has been my experience and also the impression I have had. I am disturbed by the media focus on a deranged person visiting a shooting range. Of course, I still wonder about how many bullets one may use in a practice session. 100 seems about right to me. This is not an inexpensive hobby. But, why would a shooter need a magazine with more than 10 bullets? Again, my experience is targets. I know there are competitions with fast delivery. Is a weapon such as the AR-15 actually used for that? Is it that accurate?
barking ffog
December 20th, 2012
8:58 am
shortcuts for IE
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Internet-Explorer-keyboard-shortcuts
barking ffog
December 20th, 2012
9:00 am
stands
you are correct. this stuff is technical…
Real Scootter
December 20th, 2012
9:01 am
you hold down the Ctrl key, THEN press F
I did that.
Like I said,I still have a lot to learn.And I can’t even tell you what browser I use! (seriously)
TaxPayer
December 20th, 2012
9:03 am
Given some of the drivers I’ve seen, I’m not sure that this would be a wise move.
UNCLE SAMANTHA
December 20th, 2012
9:06 am
i think we should pass laws that prohibit guns in Benghazi
Finn McCool (The System isn't Broken; It's Fixed)
December 20th, 2012
9:07 am
Public Service Announcement:
Those of you believing in the Mayan 12-21-12 doomsday prophecy, please drop off all your belongings in front of my house before midnight tonight.
K, thanks.
Real Scootter
December 20th, 2012
9:08 am
shortcuts for IE
Thanks bf!! At least now I know what browser I’m using. Whew! I learn something new every time I visit here.
vinny
December 20th, 2012
9:09 am
It’s the immacculate presidency. The ambassador was tortured and died, plenty of blame to go around yet no one is at fault.
josef
December 20th, 2012
9:11 am
GALE
Seconding Heathen and Troll on trap and skeet shooting…a congenial lot and not particularly “gun nuts.” A fairly sedate lot with lot of “the club” mentality and social mores…think golf with guns instead of clubs
UNCLE SAMANTHA
December 20th, 2012
9:12 am
how to solve the unemployment problem
when liberals pass the laws banning guns
who wants the job of going to confiscate them from gun owners?
Real Scootter
December 20th, 2012
9:14 am
yet no one is at fault
I think they decided that “everyone” was at fault and they couldn’t fire all of them. (or something like that)
josef
December 20th, 2012
9:14 am
SCOOTTER
I can get internet, e-mail, youtube and wordprocessing. That’s quite enough of this beast of the Apocalypse for me…
barking ffog
December 20th, 2012
9:15 am
who wants the job of going to confiscate them from gun owners?
……………………………………………………………………
probably the same folks that made them fasten their seatbelts.
Real Scootter
December 20th, 2012
9:17 am
josef
December 20th, 2012
9:11 am
I could hit a golf ball with a gun better than with a club!!!
Real Scootter
December 20th, 2012
9:23 am
JOSEF,
I need one of those thingmajigs that allows you to talk to the computer and it gives what you want.
josef
December 20th, 2012
9:23 am
fresh sheetz…
Regnad Kcin
December 20th, 2012
9:24 am
“who wants the job of going to confiscate them from gun owners?”
What’s the life insurance benefit like (for the next of kin)?
Regnad Kcin
December 20th, 2012
9:25 am
Uncle Samantha – you may frequent sites that I don’t – do you notice anybody suggesting that the government may ever actually confiscate guns?
godless heathen - Law Abiding Citizen
December 20th, 2012
9:26 am
Gale:
That has been my experience and also the impression I have had. I am disturbed by the media focus on a deranged person visiting a shooting range.
I am disturbed by a lot of the ignorance displayed by the media when it come to gun issues.
Of course, I still wonder about how many bullets one may use in a practice session. 100 seems about right to me. This is not an inexpensive hobby. But, why would a shooter need a magazine with more than 10 bullets? Again, my experience is targets. I know there are competitions with fast delivery. Is a weapon such as the AR-15 actually used for that? Is it that accurate?
I’m not into the tactical shooting games, but I’ve watched some of it, and they shoot quite a few rounds. I can see how one could shoot 100-200 rounds in a day. I know I can go plinking with a .22 semi-auto and shoot 100+ rounds in no time.
A lot of shock was expressed by the media that the Lanza woman had “over 300 rounds of ammo”. I mostly shoot bolt action target guns, where rate of fire may be one shot a minute, typically 5 rounds at a target. And I have over 300 rounds of ammo in my safe. Maybe 50 for hunting with this rifle and 50 for hunting with that rifle, variably loaded target rounds for a couple of rifles, 50 in a lot.
Lots of disinformation and hysteria going around.
UNCLE SAMANTHA
December 20th, 2012
9:29 am
they will do a buyback program
they will make you turn it in for a promise of a tax cut later
if you dont turn it in then you will pay a sur-tax until you do
its a pretty ingenius method
Gale
December 20th, 2012
9:51 am
300 rounds is not much if Lanza and both sons are shooters. It is one weekend of shooting, and I am not talking about mayhem/
booger
December 20th, 2012
11:27 am
In Benghazi, soveriegn American territory was attacked and four U.S. citizens were killed. For you to call this mundane, no doubt with a ho hum on your lips, is one of the most disrespectful things I can imagine.
What we did learn is that our State department was woefully unresponsive to calls for increased security. We learned that there was blame to go around even at the highest levels of the department. Three top officials have resigned due to the findings, and more are likely to come. We also learned from the report that the U.S. new almost immediately that this was a terrorist attack. We had learned earlier that the CIA incident report said it was a terrorist attack, most likely with Al Queida involvement, but that this official report was changed by the administration to link the attack to the anti muslim film.
Anyone with an ounce of common sense, which leaves most of your readers out, sees this for what it was.
Only someone who has spent his or her life behind a keyboard writing about life rather than experiencing it, could possibly see this as mundane.
Get Real
December 20th, 2012
2:14 pm
Well said booger