Hillary Clinton claims responsibility for Libya breach

Twenty-four hours before a crucial second debate between President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed responsibility for the deadly assault in Libya that left four U.S. diplomatic personnel dead, including the U.S. ambassador:

From the CNN website:

“I take responsibility” for what happened on September 11, Clinton said in an interview with CNN’s Elise Labott soon after arriving in Lima, Peru, for a visit. The interview, one of a series given to U.S. television networks Monday night, was the first she has given about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
Clinton insisted President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are not involved in security decisions.

“I want to avoid some kind of political gotcha,” she added, noting that it is close to the election.

- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider

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74 comments Add your comment

Garth

October 16th, 2012
8:40 am

Simple fact: 4 Americans would be alive today if it weren’t for the incomptence and negligence of the Obama administration.

Not Blind

October 16th, 2012
8:45 am

Of course it’s Hillary’s fault. How can you hold an empty chair accountable for anything ?

GaBlue

October 16th, 2012
8:59 am

Y’all are so full of it. Americans embedded in a middle-eastern country where we are, and have been, vehementently hated for our policy of constant interference, in the midst of a brutal civil war. And some Americans get attacked on what is now the holy day of killing Americans to our enemies. How tragic, and how not-at-all surprising. How also not surprising is that the facts of this attack would be sketchy and not immediately available, since several Americans were killed, and the others on site fled to another location and kept their heads down. What’s the matter? Do you think the White House has a freaking web cam in every corner of the planet to monitor what happens 24/7/365? Just because the facts were not immediately known does not mean anyone is “lying” to lil’ ol’ YOU. Just because you think Americans should wield invisible, impermeable bubbles whereever we go because we’re Americans does not mean our enemies won’t succeed in killing Americans. Funny how you defend thousands of dead soldiers in Iraq for no good GD reason, but are so torn up that others serving in a dangerous, war-ravaged nation would also die. Please. The GOP’s politicization of this matter is disgusting. Those men were doing their jobs in a dangerous place. The Sec of State admits culpability because she’s not a whiny little pansy like you are, and she owns her job. Some of you are just not happy unless you’re blaming the President for everything that’s wrong with the world.

Georgia

October 16th, 2012
9:18 am

A 911 under W cost thousands of American lives and changed the world forever. A 911 under BaRocky cost 4 lives, and we haven’t had to endure this amount of politicizing since the Bay of Pigs. Romney will certainly bring this issue up tonight, and if BaRocky isn’t waiting with a knockout punch, then don’t award him that round.

This issue could become a trap for Romney. He may lower his right when he jabs this in BaRocky’s face.

cc

October 16th, 2012
9:42 am

You don’t say:

You can attack me all day long, but what you can’t do is defend Obama’s broken promises and his outright lies.

Top 10 Obama Broken Promises from PilitiFact: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2012/sep/01/barack-obamas-top-10-promises-broken-kept/

1. Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners

Obama created a fund, but it failed to meet its own benchmarks for helping homeowners. A special inspector general deemed the program “a colossal failure.”

2. Repeal the Bush tax cuts for higher incomes

In 2010, Obama agreed to a deal with Republicans to extend the current tax rates for another two years. He will get another shot at keeping this promise if he wins re-election.

3. Close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center

Obama has consistently said he wants the facility closed, but he hasn’t found a way to get Congress to agree. Guantanamo Bay remains open.

4. Create cap and trade system with interim goals to reduce global warming

A bill for cap-and-trade passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009, but the Senate wouldn’t bite. Now Republicans control Congress, and it’s considered dead.

5. Sign the Employee Free Choice Act, making it easier for workers to unionize

This didn’t get done when Democrats controlled Congress, and now it looks as if it won’t get done at all, thanks to Republican opposition.

6. Allow imported prescription drugs

The White House dropped this pledge as it lured drug makers to get on board with the president’s health care law. The promise hasn’t been heard from since.

7. Sign the Freedom of Choice Act

Candidate Obama said one of the first things he wanted to do was sign abortion rights legislation. President Obama said he had other priorities and wanted to tamp down anger surrounding the issue.

8. Create a public option health plan for a new National Health Insurance Exchange

Congress rejected the idea for a public health insurance option open to everyone. Obama downplayed the fact that it was left out of the final version of the health care law.

9. Introduce a comprehensive immigration bill in the first year

Obama said he would introduce legislation that included a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. But other priorities — health care and financial regulation — seemed to run out the clock.

10. Bring Democrats and Republicans together to pass an agenda

On matters large and small, partisanship is worse than ever.

A list of the top 75 Obama lies can be read at: http://obamalies.net/list-of-lies

I’m sure you will question the source, but the statements should be recognized by you and the lies are prima facie.

cc

October 16th, 2012
9:45 am

hiram@8:12 am:

You are totally clueless . . .

GaBlue

October 16th, 2012
9:48 am

cc,

Do you hold Mitch McConnell and his buddies responsible for #10 specifically, and their part in most of the other items on your list? Or is “personal responsibility” merely a buzzword the goppers lay on others while avoiding it for themselves?

(Yeah, that’s rhetorical Sparky. Please don’t feel the need to defile the air further with your excuses.)

cc

October 16th, 2012
10:01 am

GaBlue:

No, I certainly do not. Obama and the dimocrats refused any and all Republican input when Obama took office and the dimocrats controlled both Houses of Congress. The Republicans were treated with disdain as the dimocrats steamrolled their legislation.. The seeds producing the current crop of partisanship were sewn by the dims and is now being harvested.

Engineer

October 16th, 2012
10:23 am

@ double: That wasn’t a cheat sheet, it was a handkerchief. You can see him wiping his nose several times during the debate with it. And it is just as folded then as it was when he tossed it on the podium. http://youtu.be/Vu9jFfpyYFQ Go troll elsewhere.

Georgia

October 16th, 2012
10:26 am

I am now so grateful that the debate wasn’t held in a public restroom.

GaBlue

October 16th, 2012
10:31 am

cc,

Just as I thought. Cowards never take responsibility for their failures. I guess your “news” sources of choice never explained to you that the ACA does not include a public option or single-payer method because it was watered down to please Republicans who demanded those changes and then refused to vote for it anyway. You must think we’re all just as blind, ignorant, and cowardly as your heroes. Fortunately for America, many of us still have the stones you lack.

Mike

October 16th, 2012
10:45 am

yesterday Limbaugh said it was only a matter of days before the Obama Adm. threw Hillary to the wolves on this. Guess he was right.

You don't say

October 16th, 2012
10:49 am

cc

Who said anything about Obama? As usual you LIED. You can’t back it up so you deflect to something else

Can you back up your assertion about inflation? If not, I stand by my statement. You are a LIAR

resno2

October 16th, 2012
10:50 am

Deborah. The items you chastise Conservatives for pointing out the failures of obama (jobs, gas prices, food prices, housing, etc…), are many of the same items that liberals complained about with Bush, but it was ok then… why?

Retired Soldier

October 16th, 2012
10:50 am

If HC really wants to take responsibility the she should tender her resignation. That would be real leadership.

clem

October 16th, 2012
11:20 am

does cc stand for crazy conservative?

clem

October 16th, 2012
11:21 am

did w take responsibility for cia outing, wmd failures; did st. ronnie fess up on iran contra?

clem

October 16th, 2012
11:23 am

bill maher had issa on his show last week and silenced him on several issues…..darrell just knew he was whipped……

Retired Soldier

October 16th, 2012
11:30 am

clem-

cia outing- not that I recall

wnd failures- Powell did

Iran Conta- Yes after some time.

If Isssa was on Maher’s show, he was an idiot for being on an idiot’s show.

Lunstar

October 16th, 2012
3:17 pm

What happened to the saying, the buck stops here.Obama is and was definitely in the know of something this serious.Stand up like a man and don’t hide behind Hilary.

al gold

October 16th, 2012
3:56 pm

how nice of Hilary to shield her man barack from responsibility for this terrorist attack–she’s noble.

need correction

October 16th, 2012
5:00 pm

Hey Jim, check out the Michael Calderone’s article in in HuffPo:

“Wall Street Journal Held Hillary Clinton’s Libya ‘Responsibility’ Comment For Several Days”

The gist is that the WSJ had the same quote from Hillary on taking responsibility from last Wednesday… and sat on it.

Hmm, could that be because there was some sort of debate going on the next night that might lead off with questions on Libya?

It would be funny to see if you posted a follow-up blog detailing all of this and see if all of the commenters on this thread would come back and (a) admit that they were wrong, and (b) jump on the Wall Street Journal for withholding important news 24 hours before the VP debate.

lisa martinez

October 17th, 2012
12:05 am

Barack obama aka communist wears a “wedding band” that reads there is no GOD but allah. It is the same ring that he wore in college and funny how that just happens to be his wedding band.

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