Mitt's EPIC FAIL on Libya becomes even more embarrassing

[ProSense]

Obama Called Libya Attack Terrorism Long Before Romney

By Zack Beauchamp

During the past several weeks of campaigning, Mitt Romney has argued that President Obama’s supposed failure to label the killing of Benghazi “terrorism” for two weeks was evidence that he had failed to lead on the issue. After Candy Crowley debunked Romney’s claim during the Tuesday debate, the right doubled down on Romney’s argument, suggesting Obama only used the term “act of terror” generally despite clear references to Benghazi on September 12 and 13.

Setting aside the dubious propriety of this semantic standard for leadership, it turns out Romney himself has failed on these terms: Obama managed to label the attacks terrorism twice in the two days following the attacks before Romney used the term once.

The first unmistakeable reference to terrorism from the Romney campaign came on September 20, after top counterterrorism officials had publicly described the attacks as terrorism. The first clear statement from Romney himself was on September 25, when he told Fox News that the Benghazi attack was “an act of terror. … But the White House doesn’t want to admit it.”

Here is a timeline of the relevant events, starting the day after the September 11th attack:

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/10/17/1031521/obama-called-libya-attack-terrorism-long-before-romney/

More embarrassing facts for Mitt.

The moment when Romney lost
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021564889

[ProSense]

1. Kick! n/t

[Lucinda]

2. knr

[TwilightGardener]

3. What an ass.

[beac]

4. Mittens reaps the fact-checker-free campaign whirlwind.

He thought he was gonna get a home run and instead he got a baseball bat to the gut.

[Tennessee Gal]

5. Good find. Thanks. nt

[drm604]

6. This whole issue is meant to be a distraction, and unfortunately it's working.

It was raised to draw attention away from Romney's misplaced criticism of the embassy statement.

Instead of discussing Romney's awful diplomatic skills, we're arguing about the semantics of "terror" versus "terrorism".

[TwilightGardener]

9. Actually, the only people discussing semantics are rabid political nuts like us and

the wingers on the other side. The rest of America saw Mitt Romney lie and then get dealt a crippling body blow--complete with derisive laughter.

[Brother Buzz]

13. Don't forget, the third debate is on foreign policy

This subject will be discussed again, and at this juncture, all indications are that Willard will be hoisted by his own petard, again. I'm just saying.

[Jacoby365]

7. Romney made the mistake of following Fox's lead

Romney made the mistake of following Fox's lead to try and create a controversy where there wasn't one. It came back to bite him - big time!

[Quantess]

10. Yes, I think Romney and his campaign staff watch too much FOX news.

They must get all their information from FOX!

[rational_pi]

15. Fox news and because Romney has CEO mentality!

Unfortunately the way our media handles the politics there is almost no difference in running campaign much like advertising a company's product.

CEO's running big companies make misleading statements to sway the stocks of their own company or to hurt a rival company. I doubt that Romney did not know about President's speech after the tragedy in Libya, let alone journalists who heard the speech.

Suppose that Romney had not brought up this issue in the debate; would media (and people) to ignore the truth just because it was not confronted face to face in the debate?

I am glad that this came up and President got the chance to
set the record straight, but it is sad that something on the record, known to
anyone who cared to find out, had to be talking point just because President himself had not confronted the lie.

This is not sporting event, where spectator see one competitor use some sly trick, but must accept it because some referee did not see it, or that it was dirty but did not break any rules.

T

[Hutzpa]

8. Let them walk into another trap

bloody Mittiots.

[speedoo]

11. knr!

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. If you dissect Romney's Sept 12 press conference, there are many problems with it

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/mitt-romneys-statement-on-the-libya-ambassador-attack/2012/09/12/3d314562-fceb-11e1-b153-218509a954e1_print.html

Americans woke up this morning with -- with tragic news and felt heavy hearts as they considered that individuals who have served in our diplomatic corps were brutally murdered across the world.

"murdered across the world"? That makes it sound like the murders were in several countries. They were in one city, in one attack. Romney tried to make it sound like a bigger problem than it was.

Four diplomats lost their life, including the U.S. ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens, in the attack on our embassy at Benghazi, Libya

Benghazi is not the capital; whatever the status of the building, it was definitely not an embassy. The fact that it was not an embassy (not an official consulate, either, I believe now, but I haven't checked; but I'm not a presidential candidate giving a prepared statement) has relevance to the level of security that is possible.

I also believe the administration was wrong to stand by a statement sympathizing with those who had breached our embassy in Egypt, instead of condemning their actions.

This has been thoroughly discredited already; it's wrong enough to be a lie. And, as ThinkProgress says, it's Romney who is saying the attack was part of the protests about the video.

[calimary]

14. It's the same antics with semantics that lead them to insist that a certificate of live birth

is NOT a "birth certificate."

Well, I just took my kid's new guitar player to the post office to get a passport application for him, and he had to produce his birth certificate. Guess what it said on the top of that page? "Certificate of Live Birth." MY birth certificate says the same thing, btw, as does our son's, and every other kid involved with the band who had to get a passport. "Certificate of Live Birth."

These people are FULL OF SHIT.

[ProSense]

17. Yup! n/t

[LiberalLovinLug]

16. You know maybe Obama misspoke when he inferred it was an act of terror

In retrospect of course I'm sure his team, and all of us, are glad that he fit those words in there, making Mittens look like a deer in headlights.

The fact is that no one was sure right after it happened, Democrat or Republican, who did what. That awful movie was put out at the same time. So all the protests around the Middle East because of it muddied the waters.

(My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy tin foil hat gets a little tighter when thinking about that coincidence but thats for another thread.)

The point is it would have been irresponsible to decide what exactly happened and who did what, the day after it happened. It took two weeks for the investigation with Libyan officials, to sort it all out. Just because the over-eager public wants everything NOW. And just because the GOP wants to label every event an "act of terror" within minutes and mobilize the armed forces the next day for action, is not how the real world works and is highly irresponsible.

So what I'm saying is that I wish Obama had answered that way. That even if he DIDN'T mention the word "terror" or "terrorism" it had nothing to do with how hard they were working to uncover the facts and bring those responsible to justice.

But he's lucky that he did mention the term that day if only to put one over on the childish tactics of that wingnut BS machine.

[David Zephyr]

18. K&R. Thanks, ProSense. I've said that the GOP/Fox will double down on Libya.

And we have to expect it and be ready with it and call them out on their intentional distortions.

[ProSense]

19. You're welcome.

Republicans are spinning themselves silly.