From Benghazi to Cairo to Jerusalem to Damascus, a question: Where does America stand? (Updated)
In March 2011, the U.S. and our allies intervened in Libya’s burgeoning civil war to prevent a massacre of civilians by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi in the coastal city of Banghazi. Yesterday, militants in that city — including, perhaps, some of the more extremist elements of the rebels whose cause we took up last year — showed their gratitude by killing four Americans, including our ambassador to Libya.
“Lafayette, we are here,” it was not.
The murders in Benghazi followed a siege earlier in the day of the U.S. embassy in Cairo in neighboring Egypt. Both attacks were blamed on Islamic extremists angered by a film hardly anyone in America had heard of, made by someone hardly anyone in America had heard of or discussed, that purportedly insults the Muslim prophet Muhammad. (See screen grab below, a Google search for the name of the movie in question. Note: I stopped at Sept. 5 because results in the days after that date begin to include references to the attacks, which obviously were added as updates after the fact.)
Image: Google screen grab
The attacks came, of course, on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on American soil.
In Cairo, protesters scaled our embassy’s walls, lowered our flag — which was at half-staff in remembrance of the 9/11 attacks — and replaced it with a banner similar to the one used by al-Qaida, and chanted, “We are all Osama,” as in bin Laden. As they did so, some member(s) of the embassy’s staff wrote repeatedly on Twitter — the social media platform that was widely used by young Egyptians during their uprising against Hosni Mubarak’s government — that the U.S. government condemned … the movie. Those tweets were later deleted as the State Department distanced itself from those remarks, but do not believe that the reflexive sensibility on display in the messages came out of the blue: If nothing else, our diplomats, especially three and a half years into a presidency, are well-trained to reflect the prevailing beliefs and sensibilities of the administration in office. That is their job, after all.
The interim president of Libya has apologized for the deaths in his country. As of this writing, there has been no such regret expressed by Egyptian officials. On the contrary, the Muslim Brotherhood, one of whose members is the country’s new president, called for nationwide protests against the film on Friday. At least they said the protests are supposed to be peaceful, I guess.
For his part, the president this morning issued a statement that read, in part: “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.” The moral equivalence on display here — this is bad, that is bad, and no one should do bad things — is astounding.
But what’s really astounding is that, 11 years to the day after 9/11, our embassies in two Arab countries could be attacked by Islamic terrorists, and our government’s response would include wagging its finger at the people whose non-violent actions allegedly triggered the terrorists’ violence. That, 11 years to the day after 9/11, we still have people who believe these extremists need a reason to be mad at us.
Folks: They don’t need a reason, just an excuse to hand to the useful idiots who will continue to excuse them as people with legitimate religious grievances. (UPDATED at 12:25 p.m.: CNN is now reporting, based on information from “U.S. sources,” that the attacks in Benghazi were planned in advance and used protests about the movie as a diversion.) They just hate us. Period.
Now, “they” does not mean “all Muslims” or “all Arabs” or any such thing. But it does mean a large segment of the populations in the Middle East and North Africa, a relative few of whom trade on the ignorance and pliability of many others to pursue their totalitarian political goals.
Yet, 11 years later, they storm our embassy buildings and kill our civilians, and, 11 years later, our president doesn’t betray an understanding of the cause and effect at play here.
Add to these events and responses the statement from the White House, also yesterday, that the president is not available to meet with the prime minister of Israel, our closest ally in the region and a country known to be mulling military action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Add to it as well the continuing massacre of Syrians by their own government, in a war eerily similar to the one in which we intervened in Libya, except for the fact that this time even our weakest efforts to stop the government-sponsored killing have been blocked by our supposed friends in Moscow.
And for all the crowing from Democrats, and specifically Obama, at their convention last week about their supposed foreign-policy superiority, the question I keep coming back to is one uttered a week earlier, by Condoleezza Rice, at the GOP convention:
Where does America stand? You see when the friends or foes alike don’t know the answer to that question, unambiguously and clearly, the world is likely to be a more dangerous and chaotic place.
Evidently so.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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575 comments Add your comment
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
September 12th, 2012
6:12 pm
The U.S. has been mostly missing in action in the Middle East during the Obozo regime, and when we weren’t absent we were “leading from behind”. The world will pay a heavy price for Obozo’s malfeasance.
Maybe it’s time to start going to those intelligence briefings and cut down on the rounds of golf.
Kyle Wingfield
September 12th, 2012
6:12 pm
JDW: Your 6:02 is even more off-base than your first comment about my post. There is nothing, nothing, in my post that suggests even “tacit support” for the filmmakers. One does not have to support them to point out the obvious, which is that the terrorists who killed four people have committed a far worse act.
As for your last point: What I wrote is: “…militants in that city — including, perhaps, some of the more extremist elements of the rebels whose cause we took up last year — showed their gratitude …”
Many press reports, including the one I linked within that statement, say one group being investigated as the possible culprits is called Ansar al-Shariah, which the article I linked describes as “a group of religious fighters who battled to help oust Moammar Gadhafi from power.” It remains to be seen if that is indeed the case, which is why I said “perhaps.”
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
September 12th, 2012
6:16 pm
Did brave Lil’ Barry condemn the attacks “in the strongest possible terms” yet?
A Dog Barks When His Master Is Attacked
September 12th, 2012
6:17 pm
Politico – Hill GOP LIVES ROMNEY OUT ON LIMB ON LIBYA
Romney sparks GOP backlash after attacking Obama.
ROMNEY IS THE DEMOCRATS GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
September 12th, 2012
6:18 pm
Osama is dead. GM is alive. Our Libyan ambassador is dead.
Somehow that doesn’t have the same ring it used to.
ragnar danneskjold
September 12th, 2012
6:19 pm
After the events of today, it will be plain to America, including even leftists, which of the two candidates is more likely to defend the interests of the United States, and which is more likely to deplore those who use free speech to insult The Prophet.
They BOTH suck
September 12th, 2012
6:20 pm
Kyle
As we have seen in the ME, those that wish to topple the current despot are not all of one accord. Some could even be more radical & brutal than the one in power, while others are making a true attempt at a better life and country.
I would say that we have seen mixed results and will continue to do so and no Romney will not change those “mixed results”.
Kyle Wingfield
September 12th, 2012
6:20 pm
MarkV @ 6:05: Within this CNN report is this information:
“An embassy phone operator told CNN that the compound had been cleared of diplomatic personnel earlier in the day, ahead of the apparent threat, while Egyptian riot police and the army were called in.”
That information was cited as early as 2:07 p.m. ET yesterday in this USA Today story. That was around the time I started monitoring the Cairo embassy’s Twitter account, and the condemnations of the film continued well afterward.
Bruno
September 12th, 2012
6:20 pm
Nor is the right course to give credibility to those who have abused the right of free speech just to evoke exactly this sort of response. There is nothing the matter with saying I condemn those words however I have to support their right to utter them. Is should be clear that the abuse is distasteful and not supported.
JDW–No argument from me on your 6:10 post. Which is a far cry from the position being taken by MarkV. Standing up for what’s right doesn’t mean that it need be done in a provocative or abrasive manner.
Special for MarkV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjWDrTXMgF8
ragnar danneskjold
September 12th, 2012
6:21 pm
After the events of yesterday, it will be plain to America, including even leftists, which of the two candidates is more likely to support Israel in its effort to survive pervasive Islamist madness.
They BOTH suck
September 12th, 2012
6:22 pm
ragnar
Easy for Romney or whomever the challenger (D or R) might be to play “armchair qb”……………
You have no idea what Romney would or would not have done nor can he tell you definitely unless he was there.
But I am sure mAnn “adam’s apple” Coulter conveyed the “truth” to you in her article.
Bruno
September 12th, 2012
6:22 pm
BTW, JDW or MarkV–Have either of you watched the film in question?? You seem quick to condemn it.
MarkV
September 12th, 2012
6:24 pm
Kyle Wingfield @5:47 pm
Let me also remind you, Kyle, that your report, which has not been changed, states the following:
“In Cairo, protesters scaled our embassy’s walls, lowered our flag — which was at half-staff in remembrance of the 9/11 attacks — and replaced it with a banner similar to the one used by al-Qaida, and chanted, “We are all Osama,” as in bin Laden. AS THEY DID SO (my emphasis), some member(s) of the embassy’s staff wrote repeatedly on Twitter — the social media platform that was widely used by young Egyptians during their uprising against Hosni Mubarak’s government — that the U.S. government condemned … the movie.”
Therefore, whatever the true timeline, you condemnation of those Twitter statements was made in the belief that they were issued while the embassy was being attacked.
They BOTH suck
September 12th, 2012
6:24 pm
definitively
excuse me
Kyle Wingfield
September 12th, 2012
6:24 pm
JamVet @ 6:11: You have a made a mess of the chronology of this thing. You’re also ignoring the central fact here: The Obama administration’s first response — meaning, the first response from the Cairo embassy; as I said earlier, like it or not, the embassy speaks for the administration — was to condemn the movie.
ragnar danneskjold
September 12th, 2012
6:24 pm
Anyone familiar with American exceptionalism would affirm the preeminence of free speech as an American value, and would urge those who disagree to learn some tolerance. “Anyone” does not include our president.
A Dog Barks When His Master Is Attacked
September 12th, 2012
6:25 pm
@Lil’ Barry Bailout – Vote American
September 12th, 2012
6:12 pm
The U.S. has been mostly missing in action in the Middle East during the Obozo regime, and when we weren’t absent we were “leading from behind”. The world will pay a heavy price for Obozo’s malfeasance.
Maybe it’s time to start going to those intelligence briefings and cut down on the rounds of golf.
*********************************************************************************
Obama “leading from behind”?
Romney is leading from HIS ADVISORS behinds.
“The world will pay a heavy price for Obozo’s malfeasance?”
So now Obama is RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WORLD?
“time to start going to those intelligence briefings?”
GeeDubYa went to those intelligence briefings and how
did that work out?
CAN YOU SAY – terrorists attacked on 911?
CONS have a short MEMORY.
Sallie
September 12th, 2012
6:25 pm
religion is the root of all evil.
ragnar danneskjold
September 12th, 2012
6:26 pm
Dear Both @ 6:22. good evening, would not want to confuse your pretty little head with too much real information or logical argument. You may skip reading analysis by Taranto and Coulter.
JamVet
September 12th, 2012
6:27 pm
rags, you gotta be ________ me.
It’s not worth moving heaven and earth and spending billions of dollars just to catch one person. ~Mitt Romney, 2007
Romney was also clear later that summer that he would prefer to participate with allies rather than take unilateral action to kill terrorists as Obama supported — and later did.
With Mitt at the helm, there is no reason to think that OBL would not still be alive.
Fail.
Unfit to lead.
Kyle Wingfield
September 12th, 2012
6:27 pm
MarkV @ 6:24: “Therefore, whatever the true timeline, you condemnation of those Twitter statements was made in the belief that they were issued while the embassy was being attacked.”
(Whispering) Let me tell you a secret, MarkV. You can access Twitter from anywhere! Not just your office!
They BOTH suck
September 12th, 2012
6:27 pm
Condemning that movie is hogwash and those saying it should not have been made need to check themselves in terms of free speech.
With that said, all the other bs about what Obama did or didn’t do………. What Thurston Howell the 3rd would have done is all speculation because none of us have all the facts.
MarkV
September 12th, 2012
6:28 pm
Bruno @ 6:22 pm
“BTW, JDW or MarkV–Have either of you watched the film in question?? You seem quick to condemn it.”
Bruno, you seem to have a particular ability to make things up. Just quote me condemning the film.
JDW
September 12th, 2012
6:29 pm
@Kyle…”There is nothing, nothing, in my post that suggests even “tacit support” for the filmmakers. One does not have to support them to point out the obvious, which is that the terrorists who killed four people have committed a far worse act.”
HORSE HOOEY…
“But what’s really astounding is that, 11 years to the day after 9/11, our embassies in two Arab countries could be attacked by Islamic terrorists, and our government’s response would include wagging its finger at the people whose non-violent actions allegedly triggered the terrorists’ violence. ”
I read that statement and come away with the clear impression that you are chastising the government for taking the stance that the “non-violent” actions in question were distasteful and unsupported. Especially in light of the fact that they were apparently premeditated acts designed to create just this sort of response.
By doing so you give at least tacit support to the perpetrators of the “non violent acts”
They BOTH suck
September 12th, 2012
6:31 pm
Rags
You failed to boost your low self esteem by mentioning “leftists” but I digress.
Coulter has exactly what foreign policy experience? Mind you she has an audience, but so do some lefty pundits, but I am not so blind as yourself as to pass her off as someone in the “know”
She is a loud mouth pundit. Heck it is mostly a joke. She makes her dough off of you and Maher off the left then they go have drinks together and laugh at the gullible.
A Dog Barks When His Master Is Attacked
September 12th, 2012
6:31 pm
@ragnar danneskjold
September 12th, 2012
6:21 pm
After the events of yesterday, it will be plain to America, including even leftists, which of the two candidates is more likely to support Israel in its effort to survive pervasive Islamist madness.
*********************************************************************************
“which of the two candidates is more likely to support Israel?”
WHOOOO?
Flip flopping religious underwear wearing corporations are people
car elevator money hid in the caymans not gonna show you my
tax returns Myth Robme?
Yeah! Right!
JamVet
September 12th, 2012
6:31 pm
BEFORE the murders, Kyle!
This is not rocket science!
But your candidate then made that patently fallacious statement – It’s disgraceful that the Obama administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks. – and you STILL won’t touch it with a 3.084 meter pole!
He and his voters deserve what is coming eight weeks from tonight.
And I will be enjoying a rather substantial bowl of popcorn when it happens…
JDW
September 12th, 2012
6:35 pm
@Bruno…”JDW or MarkV–Have either of you watched the film in question?? You seem quick to condemn it”
I have researched it and found the following…
-The film was produced to call attention to the “hypocrisies” of Islam
-The film has been promoted by Terry Jones.
-It portrays Muhammad as an advocate of pedophilia and a homosexual, and also shows him having sex.
-A scene depicts Muhammad having a homoerotic, one-sided conversation with a donkey.
Sort of like a paint by numbers project to pi$$ off radical muslims.
A Dog Barks When His Master Is Attacked
September 12th, 2012
6:37 pm
@Sallie
September 12th, 2012
6:25 pm
religion is the root of all evil.
*****************************************************************
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it
with religious conviction.
Of all bad men religious bad men (Baptist, Catholic, Muslim,
Jewish, etc.) are the worst.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
September 12th, 2012
6:37 pm
My guess is that if the PM of Israel is in the U.S. and asks for a meeting with President Romney, while his country is threatened by Iran and its nuclear program, he’d get that meeting.
Obozo’s not doing his job.
MarkV
September 12th, 2012
6:38 pm
Kyle Wingfield @ 6:27 pm
“MarkV @ 6:24: “Therefore, whatever the true timeline, you condemnation of those Twitter statements was made in the belief that they were issued while the embassy was being attacked.”
“Let me tell you a secret, MarkV. You can access Twitter from anywhere! Not just your office!”
You realize Kyle, I hope, that you statement above is a non sequitur. In other words, completely missing the point. The point is how you reported and treated the issue. Just read again what you wrote.
They BOTH suck
September 12th, 2012
6:39 pm
That is your guess, but since you do not know for a fact……..
speculate all year if that make you a happy little camper
Bullet County
September 12th, 2012
6:39 pm
Kyle, the world is a more dangerous place because people tend to believe what they want to believe, irregardless of the facts. How else do you explain the Republican POTUS candidate repeatedly expressing bogus talking points and you repeating them as if they have merit. It makes it easy to understand how a Republican candidate as flawed as Glenn Richardson is a lock for a long career as a Republican politician in this state. “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.” The moral equivalence on display here — this is bad, that is bad, and no one should do bad things — is astounding. What is astounding is your total lack of a grasp of the meaning of the aforementioned statement.
Dusty
September 12th, 2012
6:40 pm
This is the most pathetic blog I have read in some time. We have a tragedy of four Americans killed by protesters in Libya and the people on this blog start talking like they want to kill each other. And I do mean each and other Americans.
The hate spreads from Bush to Obama with religion and oil and personal vendettas thrown in. What is the matter with you people? Where does America stand?
Well, I would say right now that the Osama supporters, better know as terrorists and haters of Americans have succeeded very well with one mob attack in dividing Americans against each other.
I do not plan to vote for President Obama but I think he has shown restraint in his statements . I think he still needs more information and must move and speak with great care.. This is not a Pearl Harbor or a 9/11 and we must not turn this tragedy into a duel of immediate action. We must not send our military into suicide missions. Their hands are more than full already.
I am sorry that Romney spoke before full acccounts came in. When he got accurate infomation he knew what a difficult situation this was and refrained from saying more.
I wish some of you here would refrain from saying more. You are already a disgrace, not far from the thinking of that fired up stupid mob in Libya. Even Kyle seemed to go a bit beyond reasonable.
Think twice before you post like some mindless foaming yahoo. We are a great country. Act like it!
Bruno
September 12th, 2012
6:40 pm
Condemning that movie is hogwash and those saying it should not have been made need to check themselves in terms of free speech.
TBS–I’ll stand with you on that point. The things I find offensive in life, I ignore.
Gotta run, taking PB out for our 1 year anniversary tonight.
Lynnie Gal
September 12th, 2012
6:41 pm
It’s pretty clear where America stands, really. We stand against violence of this kind. We stand for freedom of religion. We stand for freedom of expression. We stand for tolerance, but will not tolerate mindless violence cloaked in religion. Nor will we tolerate provocateurs who abuse freedom of expression to incite violence. This is where America stands. It is not complicated. It is not confusing. It is really a rhetorical question.
They BOTH suck
September 12th, 2012
6:42 pm
Bruno
Enjoy. Have a great time
A Dog Barks When His Master Is Attacked
September 12th, 2012
6:42 pm
POLL;
Majority think President Obama is a “STRONG AND DECISIVE LEADER”.
CONS ain’t you TIRED of dogging Obama?
ITS NOT WORKING. It only makes “YOU” FEEL GOOD.
GIVE IT UP!!!!!
A Dog Barks When His Master Is Attacked
September 12th, 2012
6:46 pm
@Dusty
September 12th, 2012
6:40 pm
Think twice before you post like some mindless foaming yahoo. We are a great country. Act like it!
************************************************************************************
“We are a great country. Act like it!”
America has NEVER BEEN America to some of us.
A Dog Barks When His Master Is Attacked
September 12th, 2012
6:49 pm
@Lil’ Barry Bailout – Vote American
September 12th, 2012
6:37 pm
My guess is that if the PM of Israel is in the U.S. and asks for a meeting with President Romney, while his country is threatened by Iran and its nuclear program, he’d get that meeting.
Obozo’s not doing his job.
*****************************************************************
“if the PM of Israel is in the U.S. and asks for a meeting with President Romney”
President Romney?
heeheeheeheeheehee
IF “IF” WAS A FIFTH WE’D ALL BE DRUNK.
heeheeheeheeheehee
Sallie
September 12th, 2012
6:55 pm
Time to crank up the crusades.
Del
September 12th, 2012
7:05 pm
We’re witnessing the unraveling of the Obama administrations appeasement of radical Islam and the asinine lead from behind foreign policy. Unfortunately, it has taken American lives to clarify the danger this president presents not just domestically but internationally.
A Dog Barks When His Master Is Attacked
September 12th, 2012
7:07 pm
Romney FUMBLES the ball.
The desparate REACH by Romney.
How did Romney get into this mess?
He’s a candidate without the facts and friends.
He thought this was a POLITICAL GAIN.
He got the key facts wrong.
He has very FEW defenders. Not even John McCain will defend him.
This is the MAN who Lil Barry Bailout wants to be the PRESIDENT.
Romney allowed the events to CONTROL HIM.
heeheeheeheeheeheehee
ragnar danneskjold
September 12th, 2012
7:07 pm
Now as additional information arises it looks like we have disparate causes in the two attacks. The Egypt attack was a peculiar one, in that the government security forces responsible for embassy security – it is a daily issue – simply walked away from their duties. This was a government-tolerated, if not a government-sanctioned attack by an Iranian-revolution-style mob.
In contrast, Libya was a coordinated action, bearing the earmarks of al Qaeda, but in an area not under control of the Libyan government. The Libyan government expression of support is likely genuine.
In contrast, seemingly even Obama recognizes that the Egypt affair is of a different ilk. Note Obama’s silence on Egypt. The administration’s prior support of the Egyptian Brotherhood was supposed to purchase peace there; this is an incontrovertible collapse of Obama’s Middle East appeasement doctrine.
ATLien
September 12th, 2012
7:08 pm
Kyle why are you and the rest of the right trying to cover up for the ill advised comments that Romney made at the TIME he made them? Its amazing. Peggy Noonan criticizes Romney on Fox News this am and the broadcaster tries to conjure up issues with the timeline of the statements. THE TIMELINE IS CLEAR. Romney’s statements were ill advised and sabre rattling at the most inappropriate time. Which is why he clearly tried to deliver a more measured response this am and continued to trip all over himself again.
ragnar danneskjold
September 12th, 2012
7:08 pm
Omission in my 7:07, the Libyan government support is “of America.” I give that government a pass in analyzing blame.
ragnar danneskjold
September 12th, 2012
7:09 pm
Dear ATLien @ 7:08, Ms. Noonan is more likely to be issuing the retraction. Looks like Romney’s comments were spot on, even prescient.
A Dog Barks When His Master Is Attacked
September 12th, 2012
7:11 pm
@Del
September 12th, 2012
7:05 pm
We’re witnessing the unraveling of the Obama administrations appeasement of radical Islam and the asinine lead from behind foreign policy. Unfortunately, it has taken American lives to clarify the danger this president presents not just domestically but internationally.
************************************************************************
CONS make up their own REALITY.
“We’re witnessing the unraveling of the Obama administrations
appeasement of radical Islam”
WE can SMELL A LIE A FOOT AWAY.
sniff….sniff…..I smell a lie.
A Dog Barks When His Master Is Attacked
September 12th, 2012
7:15 pm
@ATLien
September 12th, 2012
7:08 pm
Kyle why are you and the rest of the right trying to cover up for the ill advised comments that Romney made at the TIME he made them? Its amazing. Peggy Noonan criticizes Romney on Fox News this am and the broadcaster tries to conjure up issues with the timeline of the statements. THE TIMELINE IS CLEAR. Romney’s statements were ill advised and sabre rattling at the most inappropriate time. Which is why he clearly tried to deliver a more measured response this am and continued to trip all over himself again.
**************************************************************************************
“Kyle why are you and the rest of the right trying to cover up for the ill advised comments that Romney made at the TIME he made them?”
WHY?
Because CONS make up THIER OWN REALITY.
JamVet
September 12th, 2012
7:16 pm
Flip’s fumblerooskie vis vis the embassy murders.
What a big mouth cad.
Sure he beat the six stooges in Division 3 of Republican football, but now he’s in the FBS.
And he is a big underdog…