"We're portrayed by Republicans as either being lying or idiots," said one Obama administration official who was part of the Benghazi response. "It's actually closer to us being idiots."The not guilty by reason of willful ignorance defense has gained considerable currency in this administration whether it be Eric Holder who doesn't know anything about the AP phone scandal because he recused himself so he wouldn't have to comment or Obama's assertion that he only found out about the IRS scandal on the evening news. Testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee, acting commissioner Steven Miller sought refuge in incompetence but as Senator Lindsey Graham speaking on Benghazi points out; "Incompetence and malice are not mutually exclusive."
The Foreign Emergency Support Team known as "FEST" is described as "the US Government's only interagency, on-call, short-notice team poised to respond to terrorist incidents worldwide." It even boasts hostage-negotiating expertise. With U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens reported missing shortly after the Benghazi attacks began, Washington officials were operating under a possible hostage scenario at the outset. Yet deployment of the counterterrorism experts on the FEST was ruled out from the start. That decision became a source of great internal dissent and the cause of puzzlement to some outsiders.The decision not to deploy FEST was made by Under Secretary Patrick Kennedy but the team is directed by the White House National Security Council which certainly invites the question, where was Obama? The President was aware that his consulate was under attack yet an undersecretary in the State Department is the man making command decisions?
Once we get beyond dereliction of duty charge I guess we may have to concede that Obama is merely an idiot.
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