CIA found militant links a day after Libya attack

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By KIMBERLY DOZIER

WASHINGTON (AP) - The CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours of last month's deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate that there was evidence it was carried out by militants, not a spontaneous mob upset about an American-made video ridiculing Islam's Prophet Muhammad, U.S. officials have told The Associated Press.

It is unclear who, if anyone, saw the cable outside the CIA at that point and how high up in the agency the information went. The Obama administration maintained publicly for a week that the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans was a result of the mobs that staged less-deadly protests across the Muslim world around the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on the U.S.

Those statements have become highly charged political fodder as the presidential election approaches. A Republican-led House committee questioned State Department officials for hours about what GOP lawmakers said was lax security at the consulate, given the growth of extremist Islamic militants in North Africa.

And in their debate on Tuesday, President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney argued over when Obama first said it was a terror attack. In his Rose Garden address the morning after the killings, Obama said, "No acts of terror will ever shake the resolve of this great nation, alter that character or eclipse the light of the values that we stand for."

FULL story at link.



Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20121019/DA20G2701.html

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In this Sept. 13, 2012 file photo, a Libyan man investigates the inside of the U.S. Consulate, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. U.S. officials tell The Associated Press that the CIA station chief in Libya reported to Washington within 24 hours of last month’s deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate that there was evidence it was carried out by militants, not a mob upset about an American-made, anti-Muslim movie. It is unclear whether anyone outside the CIA saw the cable at that point or how high up in the CIA the information went. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File)

[Berlum]

1. Same as it ever was. Truth is the first casualty.

[leveymg]

2. This is the AP rewrite of history. First statements reported a terrorist attack amidst a protest,

not that this was merely a protest that went out-of-control. That was a spin that was put on later.

It's not either-or, as this particularly slanted rewrite makes it out.

[dipsydoodle]

10. First report is here

Mob sets fire to US consulate in Benghazi: witness http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014225984

First WH statement on subject is here : http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021325707

Was there another WH statement after that ? I recall mention earlier this week concerning the word terrorists whatever which is missing from the one above.

[leveymg]

13. 1st report was Libyan offic'l, 2nd is WH statm'nt, the Rose Garden speech was a couple hrs later.

The Libyan report characterizes it as a protest gone violent. The initial WH statement is neutral. In the Obama Rose Garden Statement w/ Clinton, however, the President states at :04.18-22, "No acts of terror will shake this nation's resolve."

No deception or misrepresentation by the President. Case closed.

[bemildred]

3. This is why the M***F***kers need to shutup.

Unless you think winning the election is much more important than catching the perps, you don't give them any clues about what you know.

[ProSense]

4. Guess the writer of this piece

missed the debate.

That exchange on Libya was Romney's Gerald Ford moment. He was lost and not presidential at all.
— @politicalwire via Twitter for Mac

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/16/1145436/-Obama-vs-Romney-round-2-14#20121016193045

Krugman: Chicken Hawk Down
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021564300

Mitt's EPIC FAIL on Libya becomes even more embarrassing
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021565669

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

[bemildred]

6. The Pubbies were still defending it last night.

Talking over anybody that tried to contradict them. That's their strategy now: noise.

[ProSense]

8. Yeah:

Charles Krauthammer Sticks His Head Up His Ass And Screams.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/19/1146919/-Charles-Krauthammer-Sticks-His-Head-Up-His-Ass-And-Screams

Republicans, like Mitt, were expecting this to be their winning ticket, but Obama dropped the bomb on their hopes during the debate.

BOOM!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021560052

If you missed Jon Stewart, it's worth a watch.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/18/1146315/-Jon-Stewart-s-hilarious-coverage-of-Romney-losing-the-debate

[bemildred]

11. Yep, did you see Sununu?

They are digging the neocons out from under their rocks, and they don't look happy.

I fell on the floor when I say Krauthammer.

I don't catch Stewart much, like I don't watch Maher or Tweety much. But in Stewart's case, not because I don't like him, he is the best as what he does.

[rainlillie]

5. How about people wait until the investigation is complete.. we already had a President who invaded

the wrong country based on false info. I don't get why people are upset that the President would like to cross his T's and dot his I's first. Even local murder investigations take time to gather evidence.

[Zen Democrat]

7. Remember that Bush and Cheney testified secretly without transcript to the 9/11 Commission.

And long after the attack. Neocons change the standards depending on ideology.

[bulloney]

9. It's because too many people in this country have the attention span of a gnat.

We want a response--NOW.

We want a solution--NOW.

We want to hear what we want to hear--NOW.

We're so used to getting things instantly, we think that everything has to be resolved or completed NOW. Never mind that getting all of the facts straight sometimes takes days or weeks.

Bush was given 8 years to screw this country up, but the Repubs are demanding that Obama fix it in less than 4 years. And because we're not back to having rainbows and unicorns (as if it ever happened), a substantial percentage of this country wants to throw this country back to the policies that gave us the mess in the first place. Never mind that the world's #1 terrorist has been taken out. Never mind that we've we've regained the number of jobs lost from the Bush years. Never mind we're pulling out of Iraq, which we never should have invaded in the first place. Never mind that the rate of deficit spending is declining. It didn't get done yesterday, so we're ready to elect a guy who made millions throwing people out of their jobs and taking away their pensions, while stashing his money in the Cayman Islands and Swiss bank accounts.

Ohio is another example of this mindset. Bob Taft and his cronies spent 8 years screwing up the state with incompetence and corruption. Ted Strickland was given only 4 years to fix the mess. Not good enough. So, what do Ohioans do? They elect a teabagger for governor and give the power back to the party that gave us the mess in the first place.

If this country gets any more stupid, I'll seriously consider moving to Canada.

[maxsolomon]

12. NYT had a report on the Jihadi connected with the attack today

he was gloating and basically daring the Libyan regime or the CIA to put a bullet in his head.

i'm sure someone will oblige shortly.

[bemildred]

14. I expect so, if that is true. nt