The Bitch of Benghazi

It’s been nearly 12 months since the Muslim Brotherhood attacked the US Consulate at Benghazi, Libya. Let’s take a retrospective journey.

Hillary R. Clinton, former First Lady to Bill Clinton, wants to be the next President of the United States (and Leader of the Free World). As Secretary of State to President Barack Obama, she knew that she had to put her own stamp/stain on foreign policy that could be differentiated from the general appeasement that Barack sold to the Middle East. The Arab Spring gave her the perfect opportunity to do something spectacular that nobody else had ever done and it emboldened her. She took a risk with the Libyan “freedom fighters” even though she knew that they were Muslim Brothers and al Qaeda affiliates. The jihadis on the ground who were intent on overthrowing Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi fought with a disadvantage because of Libyan national airpower. The balance, Ms. Clinton reasoned, would be to provide them with American made, man portable surface to air defense systems (MANPADS). 

Karl Rove explains here that Hillary is a viable option in 2016.

Secretary Clinton went to the Central Intelligence Agency and Director/General David Petraeus said, “no”. However, Clinton had the stroke to go it alone and pull weapons for foreign sale/gift to the Muslim Brotherhood all on her own, drawing them from the CIA’s inventory, so long as she signed off on it, and President Obama had a classified finding that covered the gift. So the transfer of FIM-92, Stinger missiles went forward.

Secretary Clinton and Director Petraeus didn’t see eye to eye on a number of issues, and he didn’t intend to take the blame if things went horribly wrong with the surface to air missiles. The FBI received marching orders to expose the director’s love affair with Paula Broadwell, which ruined him in office and forced his departure. Petraeus was replaced by Leon Panetta, a Democratic Party functionary with no intelligence or military credentials — but a history of following orders in the Clinton White House. Five days before the Benghazi Massacre, Panetta became Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Clinton dispatched the late Ambassador Chris Stevens to Benghazi to try and treat with the Muslim Brotherhood and buy back the unused missiles, which would be handed over to the Central Intelligence Agency at the nearby annex.

Obama Bloody Handprint Flag

Things went horribly wrong and everyone knows that part of the story now. The Brotherhood stormed the Benghazi Consulate, killed Americans, and stole the money that was to be used to buy back the missiles.

If aid had been sent and more people had been exposed to the Secret of Benghazi, the backlash against Hillary Clinton could have been substantial. This better that NO aid be sent. In the words of the pirate captain, “dead men tell no tales.”

Hillary (what does it matter) Clinton was caught in a vice and her staff advised her to spin the Benghazi story to coincide with an unrelated riot in Egypt. Susan Rice (now US National Security Advisor to Barack Obama) went on the Sunday talk shows and lied. And Secretary Clinton lied. And Barack Obama lied. Because telling the truth would mean that Hillary Clinton would be exposed and that exposure would ruin any chance that she had to be President of the United States and Leader of the Free World.

There weren’t a lot of people in the buy-back loop. CIA had been instructed to stay out of it and those orders remained in place from the Petraeus days at CIA. (Panetta had been there less than a week when it hit the fan) Those who credibly knew were and remain constrained from talking because of security clearance agreements, violation of which would force them into the apartment next to the one where Edward Snowden lives in Moscow.

History hasn’t written that chapter yet. Her campaign slogan is “are you ready for Hillary?” Clearly, Hillary is ready to be leader of the free world. She’s out dragging the sack big time for her candidacy with that $2 billion number (the amount that she needs in her war chest) hanging high in the sky. Many Democrats believe Hillary is owed the nomination and the presidency and assume that America is now ready – braced, even – for her ascension to the pinnacle of power.  That’s pretty scary. Sort of like rolling over in bed and seeing her homely face staring at you from the adjacent pillow. (Who can really blame Bill for preferring Monica and almost anything else in a skirt?)

Where are the missing surface-to-air missiles? So far as anyone knows, they remain in the hands of al Qaeda, and could be used anywhere in the world. Hillary Clinton expressed her feelings: “What does it matter?”