OPINION:
Military inaction, political corruption, professional malpractice and fraud at the highest levels of the Obama administration involving Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (and perhaps the president himself) were revealed at the recent Benghazi hearings (“In Benghazi hearings, GOP criticizes misplaced State priorities,” Web, Dec. 20).
A review board concluded that “systemic failures” at the State Department prevented an adequate response to security threats in Libya. Adm. Mike Mullen, while speaking for the board, stated that a military response to every one of the many crisis spots in the world was not feasible and cannot be expected on short notice. At about the same time, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta was quoted in press releases contending there is a lack of military rescue by a ready-to-go U.S. Marine reaction force in Rota, Spain, and a U.S. special operations forces team in Sicily. He seemed to be covering for Mr. Obama by saying that the basic principle is to refrain from deploying forces in harm’s way without understanding the situation on the ground. According to lawmakers at the hearings, the lack of U.S. response resulted in the sacrifice of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
The hearings and accountability review report also revealed political theater for the 2016 presidential elections. Sen. John F. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, and the other Democrats put a spin on testimony to shield Mrs. Clinton from responsibility for mistakes made by the Obama administration. Further, the false narrative propagated by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice about the attack being a response to a video was again revealed as fraud during the hearings. No one on the day of the murderous attacks had even heard of the video, and its producer now sits in an American jail.
LT. COL. DOMINIK GEORGE NARGELE
U.S. Marines (retired)
Arlington
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