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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDear Senator McCain: STFU
by Richard Riis
Senator John McCain got himself worked up into a righteous lather on Sundays "Meet the Press" over what he continues to insist was a massive cover-up on the part of the White House about the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the United States consulate in Benghazi .
"There are so many answers we don't know," McCain told host David Gregory. "We've had two movies about getting bin Laden and we don't even know who the people were who were evacuated from the consulate the day after the [Benghazi] attack. So there are many, many questions. So we've had a massive cover-up on the part of the administration."
Pressed by Gregory on what he meant by a massive cover-up, McCain could only sputter, I'm asking you, do you care whether four Americans died? And shouldn't people be held accountable for the fact that four Americans died?"
"Well, what you said was the cover-up -- a cover-up of what?" Gregory pressed on.
"Of the information concerning the deaths of four brave Americans," McCain replied. "The information has not been forthcoming. You obviously believe that it has. I know that it hasn't. And I'll be glad to send you a list of the questions that have not been answered, including 'What did the president do and who did he talk to the night of the attack on Benghazi?'"
McCains phony and self-perpetuated outrage over the attack in Benghazi is not only disingenuous but monumentally hypocritical. Its nothing more than a disgraceful attempt to squeeze political capital out of tragedy.
Contrary to what the McCain and his fellow Republicans in Congress would have you believe, American embassies and consulates are attacked quite frequently, or at least they have been over the last few decades. During the Bush administration, for instance, American diplomatic missions were attacked, by my count, 14 times. Scores of people, including Americans, were killed and wounded in those attacks. Did any of the people who continue to clamor for a formal investigation into what happened in Benghazi raise any questions about President George W. Bushs role or whereabouts in the wake of any of these attacks? Is the papacy a lifetime job?
Were the Republicans this aggressive in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in which 2,996 people were murdered right here on American soil? In that case we actually have solid evidence demonstrating that President Bush disregarded warnings of an imminent attack on American soil. What else would you call a CIA national security brief dated August 6, 2001 entitled Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US? But its the Benghazi attack that has Republican knickers in a twist. Surely Im not the only one that finds that not only odd but infuriating.
Where was all that concern for our men and women serving in embassies and consulates across the globe when these other attacks and killings occurred?
June 14, 2002, Karachi, Pakistan - A truck with a fertilizer bomb driven by a suicide bomber was detonated outside the United States consulate. Twelve people were killed and 51 injured, all Pakistanis.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
February 20, 2003, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia A truck bomb detonated in front of an international diplomatic compound kills 20, seven of them Americans.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
February 28, 2003, Karachi, Pakistan Motorcycle-riding gunmen killed two police officers and wounded five other officers and a civilian in front of the U.S. consulate.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
March 15, 2004, Karachi, Pakistan Pakistani police discovered and disarmed a van filled with nearly 200 gallons of liquid explosives hooked up to a timer and two detonators parked in front of the U.S. consulate.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
July 30, 2004, Tashkent, Uzbekistan - Suicide bombers struck at the entrances of the U.S. and Israeli embassies. Two Uzbek security guards were killed in each bombing.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
December 6, 2004, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Armed militants stormed the American Consulate, breaching the compound's outer wall. A Yemeni, a Sudanese, a Filipino, a Pakistani and a Sri Lankanall employees of the consulatewere killed by gunfire, and about ten others were wounded.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
March 2, 2006, Karachi, Pakistan - A suicide car bomb killed four people and injured thirty outside the Marriott Hotel, 20 yards from the U.S. Consulate. Among the dead was David Foy, an American diplomat and three Pakistanis. It appears that Foy was the direct target of the bomber, who detonated his vehicle in the car park behind the consulate as Foy arrived.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
September 12, 2006, Damascus, Syria - Gunmen tossed grenades over the perimeter walls of the U.S. Embassy before opening fire with automatic weapons. A car bomb was detonated outside the embassy, although a truck bomb filled with pipe bombs and gas cylinders failed to explode. A Syrian security guard was killed, and thirteen people were wounded, including two security guards and a Chinese diplomat.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
January 12, 2007, Athens, Greece - A rocket-propelled grenade was fired into the U.S. Embassy. There were no injuries.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
October 1, 2007, Vienna, Austria A man was prevented from entering the U.S. Embassy with a backpack full of explosives.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
February 17, 2008, Belgrade, Serbia - A mob of 2,000 protesters vandalized the Slovenian Embassy and burned portions of the United States and Croatian Embassies.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
March 18, 2008, Sanaa, Yemen Three mortar rounds were fired at the U.S. embassy but missed, landing outside a nearby girls school. Three policemen and 13 students were wounded.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
July 9, 2008, Istanbul, Turkey Gunmen attacked the United States consulate killing three Turkish police officers.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
September 17, 2008, Sana'a, Yemen The American Embassy is attacked by assailants armed with rocket-propelled grenades, automatic rifles, grenades and car bombs. A 20-minute battle results in 13 deaths and 16 injuries. Six members of the Yemeni security forces and seven civilians, including one American, were killed in the attack, and sixteen people were wounded.
Calls for congressional investigation: none.
Quotes I could readily find from John McCain pertaining to any of these 15 incidents: zero. And I spent the better part of a day combing through the newspaper archives.
Frankly, I would not have called for a congressional investigation of any of these attacks either. The United States has 275 embassies and consulates around the world, and its patently absurd to expect the president - any president - to be personally involved in the security arrangements for each one of them, even those that might be perceived as being at greater risk than others. The United States it at war. We have enemies everywhere. The world is too full of terrorists, militants and just plain fanatics to even pretend we can guarantee the complete safety of any American mission or diplomatic employee. We do the best we can with what we have, and, all things considered, we're doing pretty well.
Of course, it would easier if some of the most willful enemies of national security were not right here at home. House Republicans, out of purely partisan spite, cut the Obama administrations request for embassy security funding by $128 million in 2011, and $331 million in 2012. It takes some mighty big cojones to cut funding for diplomatic security and then try to exploit a tragedy resulting from weakened security at a diplomatic post.
So, let it go, Senator McCain. Perpetuating this hypocritical and baseless witch hunt is not only disrespectful to all those who lost their lives defending our diplomatic missions abroad, but an embarrassment to yourself, your party and your country.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/02/18/1187897/-Dear-Senator-McCain-STFU
Perfect smack down.
Note:
still_one
(92,372 posts)MotherPetrie
(3,145 posts)lpbk2713
(42,766 posts)TheCowsCameHome
(40,168 posts)and it shows.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)oldandhappy
(6,719 posts)and request that Senator McCain NOT be invited to future shows.
leftieNanner
(15,143 posts)David Gregory is an ass - just look at the number of times he has Grumpy McGrampy on his show. Anybody know how we get them to quit having him on? I miss Tim Russert... sigh...
calimary
(81,440 posts)Add a comment, or two, or more! It's instructive to see the other comments, too (the public will see yours as well - you could win another waverer over who hasn't quite had enough of mccain yet but isn't too enthralled about having more). Most of them are voicing rather intense mccain-fatigue.
There were some great comments and I added my two cents.
llmart
(15,552 posts)I'd recommend watching "Game Change".
It's more about the Dingbat Palin than McCain, but I think he's still reeling from his disastrous loss due to having her on his ticket and he's trying to recoup his so-called reputation before he is made to retire.
calimary
(81,440 posts)bad judgment. He foisted Ms. winky ding-dong on us all, and because she developed a taste for the political high life and the big bucks and bright lights and TV coverage, we've had to suffer her and her idiocy ever since. I'd certainly like to see the Tundra Tart forced to cool her stiletto heels for a LONG time.
leftieNanner
(15,143 posts)I love it! I make it a point to never use her "Lordy, Lordy, God Given" name and I will not click on any blog/news stories about her. But it is entertaining to see how far she has fallen. Next she'll be doing those reverse mortgage ads with Fred Thompson! Or maybe she and the Dude can pair up on a Super-Beta-Prostate ad. Thanks for the info on MTP and Facebook.
The Wizard
(12,547 posts)a beaded bag, leaning up against a lamppost in net stockings and spiked heels trolling for sailors on shore leave.
ybbor
(1,555 posts)If I may quote a former vice president, "Go fuck yourself!"
What an incredibly moronic ass.
calimary
(81,440 posts)Glad you're both here! That "go fuck yourself" salute works for me! If I ever have the bad fortune to meet that SOB, that's how I'll greet him, myself.
mccain has to be one of the biggest disappointments in American history. And I wonder if, deep down, late at night, when it's quiet and he pours himself a drink, he may realize - someday - MAYBE - that he's his own biggest disappointment. He gets to live with the idea that he never made it to Alpha Male in his family. He'll never best his dad or grandfather who were admirals. He's the jerk-off who finished fifth from the bottom of his Annapolis Naval Academy graduating class. He's the cocky full-of-himself ass who wrote in his own biography that he really did embrace the idea that he should be President. Didn't have any particular reason for it. Just thought he deserved to be President. Mainly because he needed to assert his own dominance over some very high-achieving males who came before him in his family. And because he was such a loser (damn near failed out of Annapolis, failed as a husband, almost got his ass handed to him in the Keating Five scandal years ago) he probably has a huge "mine's BIGGER" complex. Just like dubya did. They HAD to assert dominance over their fathers. THEY had to be first. First among equals. THEY had to make sure that their fathers bowed to them.
Worthless pieces of shit, the both of them.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)Real fast. He loves him some attention.
calimary
(81,440 posts)Which would be fine with me because then I wouldn't have to watch him anymore! I don't watch Pox Noise. Just on principle.
PatSeg
(47,567 posts)Some people have the good sense and grace to exit the public scene with dignity. Sadly, I think McCain is just showing the world who he really is and always was. Surprise, surprise, no one likes the real McCain.
Segami
(14,923 posts)Jeff In Milwaukee
(13,992 posts)Here's Rachel's epic smack-down of McCain regarding the Susan Rice nomination.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/11/22/maddow_john_mccain_is_not_credible_on_foreign_policy.html
Raine1967
(11,589 posts)by the senate and his peers in congress. Under oath. [link:http://|I wrote this]http://www.fourfreedomsblog.com/Blog.php?Act=ViewBlogPost&BlogID=2293, and I think it makes a good case about his protestations regarding Benghazi. It goes beyond cutting security funding -- it has to do with what McCain knew and when he knew what was happening in Benghazi. He called the rebels heroes. Those Heroes were possibly the people that Ambassador Stevens warned the US about before the attacks. Instead we are seeing McCain enter conspiracy territory. I wrote this after doing a little digging, knowing that he himself went to Benghazi and later 'lied' about arming Libyan rebels.
He is projecting a little too much at this point, and I really think he should be asked officially and on record what exactly he knows.
lark
(23,147 posts)every day every hour. He's a petty, vindictive, irrelevant little man.
rtracey
(2,062 posts)The problem with this thread is this. Many conservatives and right leaning whoevers are saying, its not the fact that consulates were attacked under Bush, but this was an "8 hour firefight", not a lone bomber, car bomber, passing rocket launch. The questions they are asking, and hopefully will be answered is why weren't there any troops at this consulate and why were did it take 8 hours to get troops at this scene. I am not putting the blame on President Obama, and yes, I feel it hypocritical to be calling for an investigation into this specific attack when so many others were not investigated, but I think as a country, were really need to know about the troops, and is it true that when requested, troops were denied?
Those questions have been answered, but maybe you were too busy to hear them.
rtracey
(2,062 posts)Yes you are correct, I was and still am too busy to hear all the details of the attack, so tell me where can I go to see the factual information...the key words is BIPARTISIAN FACTUAL information about this attack, and not MSNBC, FOX News?
The Wizard
(12,547 posts)McCain and Graham are blowing smoke up everyone's ass. There are details that are classified and as such concealed for national security. McCain and Graham both know this yet continue to go on TV and reveal their nefarious machinations designed to disparage the President. Bigotry looks bad on everyone.
WillyT
(72,631 posts)gateley
(62,683 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)benld74
(9,909 posts)David Zephyr
(22,785 posts)DRoseDARs
(6,810 posts)It's probably because that's CLASSIFIED information due to the Republican witchhunt exposing a CLASSIFIED CIA OPERATION in the area. You know, to keep them from being made dead after having their identities revealed and further jeopardizing their missions than has already been done? By Republicans?
Asshole.
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)alp227
(32,047 posts)And it took BENGHAZI for Congress to start caring about attacks on consulates, as wikipedia notes: "In the aftermath of the attack, investigators identified more than a dozen violent events in Benghazi during the previous six months. On October 2, 2012, three weeks after the attacks, Darrell Issa (R-CA, chairman of the Committee) and Jason Chaffetz (R-UT, chairman of the subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense, and Foreign Operations) sent a letter to Secretary of State Clinton which listed a number of these eventsincluding car jackings, kidnappings, assassination attempts, and gun battles." (The Wiki article provides a list summary of the Issa/Chaffetz letter.)