Ignatius: CIA documents supported Susan Rice’s description of Benghazi attacks
October 20, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Confirming the New York Times report I posted earlier, Election-Year Stakes Overshadow Nuances of Benghazi Investigation – NYTimes.com, the Washington Post's national security pundit David ignatius writes today that CIA documents supported Susan Rice’s description of Benghazi attacks:
The Romney campaign may have misfired with its suggestion that statements by President Obama and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice about the Benghazi attack last month weren’t supported by intelligence, according to documents provided by a senior U.S. intelligence official.
“Talking points” prepared by the CIA on Sept. 15, the same day that Rice taped three television appearances, support her description of the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate as a reaction to Arab anger about an anti-Muslim video prepared in the United States. According to the CIA account, “The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. There are indications that extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.”
The CIA document went on: “This assessment may change as additional information is collected and analyzed and as currently available information continues to be evaluated.” This may sound like self-protective boilerplate, but it reflects the analysts’ genuine problem interpreting fragments of intercepted conversation, video surveillance and source reports.
The senior intelligence official said the analysts’ judgment was based in part on monitoring of some of the Benghazi attackers, which showed they had been watching the Cairo protests live on television and talking about them before they assaulted the consulate.
“We believe the timing of the attack was influenced by events in Cairo,” the senior official said, reaffirming the Cairo-Benghazi link. He said that judgment is repeated in a new report prepared this week for the House intelligence committee.
Here’s how the senior official described the jumble of events in Benghazi that day: “The attackers were disorganized; some seemed more interested in looting. Some who claimed to have participated joined the attack as it began or after it was under way. There is no evidence of rehearsals, they never got into the safe room . . . never took any hostages, didn’t bring explosives to blow the safe room door, and didn’t use a car bomb to blow the gates.”
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The political debate has focused on whether the attack was spontaneous or planned, but the official said there’s evidence of both, and that different attackers may have had different motives. There’s no dispute, however, that it was “an act of terror,” as Obama described it the next day.
Dr. Carmona, That is Not How You Should Talk About the Laffer Curve
October 20, 2012
By Michael Bryan I was generally quite satisfied with Dr. Carmona's very first political debate performance against Jeff Flake. He missed some opportunities, and he was certainly too eager to hug some of Flake's positions, but he acquitted himself decently. One flub that stood out, however, was his answer to moderator Ted Simons' question regarding … Read more
New video for Nancy Young Wright’s campaign
October 20, 2012
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by David Safier Want to see the stark contrast between Nancy Young Wright and her opponent for Pima County Supervisor, Tea Party founder Ally Miller? Watch Nancy's great new video. I've known Nancy for years and volunteer on her campaign. The more I know about her, the more I know she's the right person … Read more
Obamney III: The Foreign Policy Debate at Drinking Liberally Monday 10/22 at 6pm
October 20, 2012
By Michael Bryan This Monday, Oct. 22nd starting at 6pm (we'll start gathering about 5:30 to give everyone time to find parking, chat, grab a beer, settle in, etc. – the debate starts at 6pm sharp), Drinking Liberally will have another special session for a viewing party for the third Presidential Debate. The party is … Read more
Neocon chickenhawk war mongers want to get their wars on again
October 20, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The attempts by the Neocon chickenhawks in the right-wing noise machine, e.g., Charles Krauthammer, as well as by super-chicken Vietnam draft dodger Willard "Mittens" Romney Willard 'Mittens' Romney had better things to do during the Vietnam War and his Neocon chickenhawk boy wonder Paul Ryan, to conflate the attack on the consulate office in Benghazi, Libya as "what we see in front of us is the absolute unraveling of the Obama administration's foreign policy" as Ryan did yesterday, is complete and utter nonsense.
The Neocon chickenhawks in the right-wing noise machine who have no military or foreign policy experience, and super-chicken Vietnam draft dodger Willard "Mittens" Romney and his Neocon chickenhawk boy wonder Paul Ryan, are in no position to preach to anyone about foreign policy. This is the least experienced, least qualified nominees of a political party in modern American history.
These assholes fully supported the unnecessary and illegal war in Iraq based upon falsified intelligence of "weapons of mass destruction" cooked up by Neocon war mongers serving in the Bush-Cheney regime. Even after this "massive intelligence failure" was self-evident, they insisted that the war in Iraq was justified.
Seventeen of the twenty-four foreign policy advisers on the "Galt - Gekko 2012" campaign, Here is the full list of Mitt Romney's national security team, are the very same Neocon war mongers who manipulated this country into an unnecessary and illegal war in Iraq for "weapons of mass destruction" that did not exist and were never found. The Romney-Cheney Doctrine – By Representative | Foreign Policy:
Out of Romney's 24 special advisors on foreign policy, 17 served in the Bush-Cheney administration. If Romney were to win, it's likely that many of these people would serve in his administration in some capacity — a frightening prospect given the legacy of this particular group. The last time they were in government, it was disastrous.
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[O]ne of Romney's top surrogates on the campaign trail is John Bolton, who served as President George W. Bush's ambassador to the United Nations. Bolton embodies the reckless neoconservative thinking that was largely responsible for getting us into Iraq under false pretenses. Today, he openly roots for diplomacy with Iran to fail and is all-too-eager to send our men and women in uniform into war. Last year, for instance, Bolton said that, "It would be in our interest to overthrow this regime in Syria."
The Neocons from Project for the New American Century (PNAC) are now with The Foreign Policy Initiative, and this week they argued for U.S. intervention in Syria — not out of any humanitarian concern for the slaughter of innocents, but out of geopolitical strategy: Syria is a client state of Iran, and supports the Palestinian organizations Hamas and Hezbollah. Now is the Time for a Safe Zone in Syria | Foreign Policy Initiative.
Earlier this year, "Galt – Gekko 2012" Neocon war monger adviser Elliott Abrams asked that Congress enact another Authorization for Use of Military Force resolution, this time against Iran. Ryan Adviser Calls On Congress To Authorize War With Iran. Dan Senor, America's version of "Baghdad Bob" during the Iraq war, is also a foreign policy adviser to Paul Ryan.
These Neocon war mongers should be standing trial under the Nuremberg Principles for their Iraq war crimes, not preparing plans for new wars of adventure in Syria and Iran should "Galt- Gekko 20102" win in November.
Watch “Cyanide Beach” (about the Rosemont Mine company) on KGUN Sunday, 4pm
October 20, 2012
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by David Safier The 30 minute documentary, Cyanide Beach, created by investigative journalist John Dougherty, will air Sunday on KGUN-Channel 9 on Sunday, Oct. 21. Set your recorder if you won't be around. It's worth seeing. Go to Investigative Media for more information.
Horizon (PBS) CD 9 Congressional Debate
October 20, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Horizon (PBS) hosted the CD 9 Congressional debate between Kyrsten Sinema (D), Vernon Parker (R) and Powell Gammill (Libertarian).
Vernon Parker finally came out of hiding in his bunker for his first and only head-to-head debate with his opponents in the relatively safe confines of a studio for a short one-half hour. You can see why he’s been avoiding a discussion of the issues. Kyrsten Sinema is the clear choice in CD 9. No wonder even The Arizona Republic(an) endorsed Sinema.
Video below the fold.
After you finish your GOTV shift, go to the movies
October 19, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: While you should be out making phone calls and walking and knocking on doors for GOTV, everyone is entitled to at least some time off. So after you have finished your GOTV shift, go to the movies! Tucson Progressive Film Festival When: Oct. 26 – 27, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pmWhere: The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress Street (Tucson) … Read more
