[quote name='dafoomie']And I'm not the right wing either.
I think the both of you are being pedantic. The act and the country's inability to live up to its international obligations to provide adequate security justifies an armed intervention by the United States to defend its diplomats.
That's
exactly what happened. Have you not been following the news? Obama was even personally asked who denied the request during one of the debates.
“Host nation security support is lacking and cannot be depended on to provide a safe and secure environment for the diplomatic mission of outreach” --Chris Stevens
He wanted increased security over what he already had and the administration not only denied his request but withdrew his 16 man security team in August, to be replaced by local security that he told them was inadequate.
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/speci...evens-worried-about-security-threats-al-qaeda
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57536446/ambassador-warned-libya-was-volatile-and-violent/
But we know much of what the administration knew. They had a surveillance drone on station during the attack, feeding them real time information. If they had any misconceptions in the immediate aftermath they certainly knew within 24 hours when the CIA station chief told them in no uncertain terms that it was an attack by militants. If he truly was given incorrect information in the beginning they should've come out with the truth immediately, they didn't. They clung to that narrative in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Not to be a prick, but you come off as completely uninformed on this issue, which is not surprising since you seem to regard it with little importance.
Of course Obama doesn't personally oversee embassy security. There is a suggestion that security was turned over to locals for political reasons but we're still talking about underlings in the administration. I don't blame him personally for the situation being what it was, but the ball is in his court once the attack started as he is the only one who can authorize military action in a sovereign nation where we are not at war. The aftermath and their unwillingness to change their story when it was clearly not correct is also on him.
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So I read the CBS article, and you're absolutely right. It says there was a request for 11 bodyguards. I don't know what the process is for sending them over or increasing security, nor do I know what the normal timeframe to act on those things is. If this instance was a break from what the US has traditionally done, then shame on the administration and leaders who drug their feet.
The article is the most I've read on the topic, because I still view it as a complete political non-issue. Also in the article, I don't see anything that establishes Obama knew from the onset, and prior to his speech, that a video wasn't the cause or primary factor. Again...it's a non-issue, so I don't really care. Even if he was outright lying...I don't really care. I care that he continues to use drones all over the region to kill suspected militants and any civilian that is surrounding them. I care that he thinks it's OK to assasinate US citizens. I care that he has expanded spying on US citizens. I care that he beats his chest for the death of Osama like he was somehow the reason it got done, and nobody else could have made the call. Those are the biggest reasons why I don't think all that highly of Obama.
Regarding fence sitting, that's a lousy position. To be openly Independent and having opinions on issues is not fence sitting, and that does make me better than Democrats and Republicans. I acknowledge the snobbery, and finally get the atheist smugness that used to have me baffled. It's annoying, but like an atheist, I truly think I'm right, and supporters of various groups I disassociate myself with, are short-sighted idiots. To me, anyone who agrees with most positions of either political party is too stubborn to form their own opinions on issues, and instead need someone else to tell you what to think.
So I definitely wave my dick over my Independence. If I had a Republican or a Democrat's dick, other than the usual waving at a misstress or young male aid, I would be scared to wave it around too.