Issa's Benghazi Document Dump (10/19) Exposes Several Libyans Working With the U.S.
Source: Foreign Policy journal
House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) compromised the identities of several Libyans working with the U.S. government and placed their lives in danger when he released reams of State Department communications Friday, according to Obama administration officials.
Issa posted 166 pages of sensitive but unclassified State Department communications related to Libya on the committee's website afternoon as part of his effort to investigate security failures and expose contradictions in the administration's statements regarding the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi that resulted in the death of Amb. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
"The American people deserve nothing less than a full explanation from this administration about these events, including why the repeated warnings about a worsening security situation appear to have been ignored by this administration. Americans also deserve a complete explanation about your administration's decision to accelerate a normalized presence in Libya at what now appears to be at the cost of endangering American lives," Issa and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) wrote today in a letter to President Barack Obama.
But Issa didn't bother to redact the names of Libyan civilians and local leaders mentioned in the cables, and just as with the WikiLeaks dump of State Department cables last year, the administration says that Issa has done damage to U.S. efforts to work with those Libyans and exposed them to physical danger from the very groups that had an interest in attacking the U.S. consulate.
Read more: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/10/19/issa_s_benghazi_document_dump_exposes_several_libyans_working_with_the_us
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about your "concerns" right now. Where is Libya? What countries are adjacent to it?
And what just happened in Libya a couple of years ago?
Obviously the country is in turmoil. Obviously we have intelligence operations there. And why is the right wing in this country, once again, spouting off secrets it should not reveal.
The right wing Republicans do not have the sensitivity for foreign diplomacy that is required to represent our country. They just don't get it.
Think about people you know. Some, like Benjamin Franklin, have great tact and are sensitive to the feelings of others, understand the nuances of language and can persuade in a gentle way. They know when to be silent and listen, and they know when to speak up and how to cause others listen to them. It's these people, like Benjamin Franklin, who make good diplomats.
Now look at Obama and then at Romney. Which one has the most tact? Which one is sensitive and can easily gauge the feelings of others? Which one best understands the nuances of language? And which one persuades gently, not in a bullying way? Which one knows when to be silent, when to listen? (Think of the last debate, "Go ahead, Governor."
Which one knows how to use the pause, the emphasis, the body language and the physical presence to cause others to want to listen? Which of them has a voice you want to listen to?
The person with those qualities will make a good diplomat.
Republicans in general make lousy diplomats. Just in general. They lack the finesse. They lack the (at least outward) humility.
Another reason to pick Democrats like Obama.
Obama was born to be a diplomat. And in fact his mother fulfilled to some extent diplomatic tasks. No wonder Obama is well liked everywhere pretty much in the world.
If you think we face hostility in the world today, just imagine what it would be like if Billy Graham's choice, Mitt Romney, were out there dealing with the Muslim world. Of course, in ten minutes of a diplomatically charged representation, in ten minutes of looking at the stone and hostile faces of people from other countries who disagree with him, George Romney would turn to putty. That's why we need four more years for Obama. Please, please, please.
George Romney would be a disaster in foreign policy. And I say that on the basis of his personality alone. I'm sure he can be charming one on one, but he does not have the makings of a diplomat. He is too heavy-handed, and too used to buying his way around the world. In short, too much like a bully -- or at least he comes across that way. And those of us who have experience with bullies know that deep down they are weak and fearful. Not good qualities in a president.
