New Libya thread....

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by spence

I think the information paints a mixed picture. There were certainly requests for help but also there's a lot of contradictory information that the security situation while deteriorating wasn't as bad.

As we've discussed, the security requests that were made wouldn't have likely had any impact on the attack.

Libya isn't Afghanistan.

Pretty much all the violence has been local militias jockeying for position. While the government doesn't have much military authority, the various groups did rapidly come together, form a government and held real elections.

Perhaps more importantly, the people appear to have a pretty favorable view of the United States. Did you forget that a few days after the attack thousands of Libyans protested the attack and took over the Islamist headquarters?

Decrying attack, protesters overtake Islamist group's HQ in Benghazi - CNN.com

The intelligence released continues to support the theory that this was an attack of opportunity, not a carefully planned operation. It's still terrorism and 4 Americans are still dead...but it should be taken for what it is and not what some would like it to be.

-spence

"As we've discussed, the security requests that were made wouldn't have likely had any impact on the attack."

Who discussed this? Everyone who does this for a living, and who works there, thought more security would help. But you, Spence, know better. Got it.

A couple dozen trained security forces could easily, very easily, have turned this into a turkey shoot for the Americans.

But now Spence is an authority on close-quarter infantry tactics.

I'm sure that somewhere on the Huffington Post, Spebce can find an atrticle written by a left wing nut that says that additional security would not have made any difference. Anyone who says that, is lying on behalf of President Obama. We know that 2 teams of 12 or 14 men each were recently removed from that embassy. 24 well-trained Americans, with good defensive cover, could have made an enormous, enormous difference. That's EXACTLY why those who actually know something about these things, requested that extra security.

Stevens would almost certainly be alive today if those teams had remained in place. I'm not saying Obama is personally to blame for removing those teams. But someoone is.