General Political Thread

[Tweedling]

I dont remember Hillary catching any heat for her tantrum.

[Hixter]

I dont remember Hillary catching any heat for her tantrum.

I remember a little bit, but mostly on Drudge, etc.

 

The whole Benghazi thing took place less than 2 months before the 2012 election, so everybody was in full-on campaign mode and the media mostly gave the administration a pass at the time. It's nice to see them finally showing a little backbone.

[KevinG]

I think this prediction is based on the fact that this is exactly what happened to Hilary when she said that.

 

I have no idea why anyone is caught up about anything in Benghazi outside of the fact that there was an attack on a U.S. Embassy and we should try to figure out how we can avoid that in the future.  Ripping on Hilary, playing politics about whether or not their was a cover-up, any of the Republican (and Democrat) peacocking is worthless and indicative of a group of people in power aware that they are utterly powerless.

 

And yes, Angela Merkel bothers me a lot more than my own phones.  It reminds me of the notion of reading your partner's email: no matter how in love the two of you are you're both likely to complain to a friend about this or that.  There is nothing about spying on allies that is going to make the government feel secure and trusting in their alliances.

 

Well said Don, this is exactly what I was trying to get at.  

 

The politics of the whole thing is really want amazes me.  The GOP tried so hard to discredit the current administration and the presumptive 2016 nominee they didn't bother to try to find out what happened and solve the problem for the future.  They were too busy pointing fingers.   

[IRememberDBoon]

I remember a little bit, but mostly on Drudge, etc.

 

The whole Benghazi thing took place less than 2 months before the 2012 election, so everybody was in full-on campaign mode and the media mostly gave the administration a pass at the time. It's nice to see them finally showing a little backbone.

yeah that's why you didn't "hear" about it or it could have been that the entire right wing version of this story is 100 percent political garbage?

[Hixter]

The GOP tried so hard to discredit the current administration and the presumptive 2016 nominee they didn't bother to try to find out what happened and solve the problem for the future.  They were too busy pointing fingers.   

It's been more than 13 months and it was only in the last week that actual on-the-ground personnel in Benghazi began telling their stories. How was anyone supposed to investigate without being able to speak to the people who were there?

 

yeah that's why you didn't "hear" about it or it could have been that the entire right wing version of this story is 100 percent political garbage?

It's quite clear that the administration was warned that an attack by al Qaeda was likely and they knew from the earliest moment that it was an organized terror attack. Even as the bodies were being unloaded, officials like Hillary Clinton continued to put the blame on a YouTube video in order to save President Obama's campaign. Now they're trying to save Hillary's campaign.

[IRememberDBoon]

It's been more than 13 months and it was only in the last week that actual on-the-ground personnel in Benghazi began telling their stories. How was anyone supposed to investigate without being able to speak to the people who were there?

 

It's quite clear that the administration was warned that an attack by al Qaeda was likely and they knew from the earliest moment that it was an organized terror attack. Even as the bodies were being unloaded, officials like Hillary Clinton continued to put the blame on a YouTube video in order to save President Obama's campaign. Now they're trying to save Hillary's campaign.

The Secretary of States answer to the question is again the perfect answer to your statement.

Anyone with two brain cells knows what you folks are after and it aint saving State Department lives.

[Hixter]

Anyone with two brain cells knows what you folks are after and it aint saving State Department lives.

You can't save lives after they've already been lost due to incompetence. She failed to defend the American facilities properly and people died. Then the administration played coverup for a year. Even the president's bosom buddies in the media are beginning to tell it like it is.

 

President Obama had his own mini 9/11 a few weeks before the election and he and his administration lied about the circumstances to save his campaign. It's impossible to arrive at any other conclusion.

[lost highway]

 mini 9/11 

 

Ugh.

[caliber66]

Yeah, that's pretty fucking offensive.

[twoshedsjackson]

You can't save lives after they've already been lost due to incompetence. She failed to defend the American facilities properly and people died. Then the administration played coverup for a year. Even the president's bosom buddies in the media are beginning to tell it like it is.

 

President Obama had his own mini 9/11 a few weeks before the election and he and his administration lied about the circumstances to save his campaign. It's impossible to arrive at any other conclusion.

Well then, Bush had 13 "mini 9/11" under his watch. Dozens of deaths. Plus the actual 9/11, of course.

I'm sure the GOP was just as obsessed with all of those. Surely they blamed Bush and called for Rice to step down, right? 'Cos otherwise they'd be a bunch of hypocrites. Right?

[Guest Don Draper]

We shouldn't be calling these "mini 9/11's,"  we should be calling these "regular-sized tragedies."  

[twoshedsjackson]

We shouldn't be calling these "mini 9/11's," we should be calling these "regular-sized tragedies."

I fully agree. I was quoting Hixter.

[Sir Stewart]

'Mini 9/11s' sound tasty.

[KevinG]

It's been more than 13 months and it was only in the last week that actual on-the-ground personnel in Benghazi began telling their stories. How was anyone supposed to investigate without being able to speak to the people who were there?

 

 

So your happy with going after whomever with little or no facts, point fingers and laying blame?

They would have had a stronger case and more effective in the eyes of the American people if they would have gathered the facts and then tried to figure out why and how to prevent it in the future.  

 

 

 

It's quite clear that the administration was warned that an attack by al Qaeda was likely and they knew from the earliest moment that it was an organized terror attack. Even as the bodies were being unloaded, officials like Hillary Clinton continued to put the blame on a YouTube video in order to save President Obama's campaign. Now they're trying to save Hillary's campaign.

 

This line of thinking really amuses me.  It makes it sound like the Administration denied it was terrorism and only if they would have admitted it 6 million people would have voted for Romney and he would have won.  But a couple of things, PBO said it was terrorism on 9/12, Clinton also called it a terrorist attack shortly thereafter.  Furthermore it was widely known shortly after that it was not the video it was terrorism.  If anything blaming the youtube video in the few days after the attack probably did more for people not to vote for PBO, then it did to "save his campaign."  If the days after the Benghazi attack was some sort of cover up or conspiracy it was pretty much the worst cover up in history.  

 

And Hixter you are doing what all of the GOP are doing obsessing on this supposed cover up, that saved the President's campaign.  I don't understand it.  Why not focus on the lack of security, the slow response and many other things.  Focus on what we as American's did to let this happen and what we can do to prevent it form happening in the future.  By constantly crying cover up you look petty.  There are bigger issues here then if it wasn't called terrorism right after the moment it happened. 

 

Also and as a side note, it roll my eyes every time someone refers to the "liberal media" or the refers to the "left media basis", cause it simply is not true.  http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/23/1204303/-How-to-Debunk-the-Liberal-Media-Myth

[Guest Don Draper]

For a hot second I thought that the administration had finally decided to do away with the asinine "terrorism" umbrella and simply say, "It was violence. The violent kind that kills people." Terrorism is far and above the dumbest, most useless phrase of the 21st century.

[KevinG]

For a hot second I thought that the administration had finally decided to do away with the asinine "terrorism" umbrella and simply say, "It was violence. The violent kind that kills people." Terrorism is far and above the dumbest, most useless phrase of the 21st century.

 

Again, I am agreeing with ya Don.  

[Hixter]

Ugh.

 

Yeah, that's pretty fucking offensive.

 

We shouldn't be calling these "mini 9/11's,"  we should be calling these "regular-sized tragedies."  

 

I fully agree. I was quoting Hixter.

Mini: 1: small in relation to others of the same kind

 

It was a terrorism-related attack that killed Americans on September 11th. I'll stand by my description.

[KevinG]

Mini: 1: small in relation to others of the same kind

 

It was a terrorism-related attack that killed Americans on September 11th. I'll stand by my description.

 

Is there anyone who is saying otherwise?

[Hixter]

Is there anyone who is saying otherwise?

Yes, the four people I quoted appear to have issues with my "mini 9/11" description.

[Guest Jules]

you have to admit, offensive or not, "mini 9/11" is pretty stupid.

[KevinG]

Yes, the four people I quoted appear to have issues with my "mini 9/11" description.

 

Yes they have issues with your terminology, but I don't see them having issues with calling it terrorism.  

[Hixter]

you have to admit, offensive or not, "mini 9/11" is pretty stupid.

It was a well-coordinated, pre-planned attack on Americans that took place on September 11th; I'm sure the date wasn't just a coincidence. 

 

For accuracy's sake, from now on I'll call it a milli-9/11, since the deaths were on the order of 1/1000 of those that occurred in 2001.

I don't see them having issues with calling it terrorism.  

I never said that they did.

[Sir Stewart]

How about you call the Benghazi event "9/11" and call 9/11/01 "mega-9/11"? I'll back you on that.

[Atticus]

this is highy unusual for a VC political thread, but I think the discussion may have taken a peripheral turn.

[Hixter]

Or maybe "the 9/11 to end all 9/11s"?

 

(Didn't work out so well for the WWI folks.)