New target, same old spin

“When we project weakness abroad, our enemies are more willing to test us. They are more brazen and our allies are less willing to trust us.” — V.P. nominee Paul Ryan.

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said on Twitter, “The attacks on our embassies and diplomats are a result of perceived weakness. Mitt Romney was right on that point.”

This was a failed attempt to paint President Obama as weak on defense after Benghazi. It didn’t work because by then Osama bin Laden slept with the fishes, thanks to Obama. Fox tried darned hard to trump up a cover-up. Now the Republicans and Fox appear to have a new target. But they are spinning the same old garbage.

Former Mother Jones reporter Adam Serwer wrote about the events surrounding Benghazi in an Oct. 3, 2012, article.

Since all polls show Hillary Clinton handily beating any Republican the GOP may nominate in 2016, she has become the new target. It’s ironic that they actually praised her after the Benghazi attack because attacking her would have been very unpopular and they wanted to put the blame for whatever they contrived on then candidate President Obama.

Karl Rove’s PAC is preparing to spend millions attacking Hillary Clinton, claiming she is guilty of a cover-up. They want people to believe this is another Watergate. That’s laughable. What was covered-up? How about being warned and not acting soon enough, like 9/11? OK, investigate 9/11. How about not wanting to admit it was an act of terrorism during an election? Utter nonsense. How about not sending in more Marines? Libya would have to approve that. How about not funding more security? Investigate Congress.

The facts as released by the CIA were made public by U.N. Secretary Susan Rice. The emails prove there was no White House or Hillary Clinton cover-up. The day after the attack President Obama called the attack an “act of terror.” Committee Chair Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said this was a cover-up because Obama didn’t say “terrorist attack.” I kid you not!

So, Congressman Issa, who commits acts of terror other than terrorists?

The attacks on Cairo and Benghazi were the first attacks, outside a warzone, on a U.S. diplomatic mission during Obama’s presidency, spontaneous or planned, it makes no difference.

Ryan, Romney and Rumsfeld should have made their point during G.W. Bush’s or Ronald Reagan’s administrations; attacks on our embassies, consulates and military bases seemed common place then. Absent during those administrations were the constant congressional hearings and the daily outrage by Fox noise.

According to Serwer, the University of Maryland database list 64 attacks on American diplomatic targets while Bush was president. Not all resulted in casualties. Seventeen Americans were killed in these attacks. There were three attacks on the same target, the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan.

Here’s a handful of attacks which occurred during G.W. Bush’s presidency.

June 14, 2002, a suicide bomber killed 12 and injured 51 at the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan

Feb.20 2003, a truck bomb killed 17 at the International Diplomatic Compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Feb. 28, 2003, a week later, gunman on motorcycles killed two guards at the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan

July 30,2004, a suicide bomber killed two at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

March 2, 2004, at the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, a suicide car bomber killed four, including a U.S. diplomat.

Dec. 6, 2004, militants stormed and occupied the perimeter wall at the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing five and wounding 10.

That’s three acts of terror during the same year. Oh brother, Fox where art thou?

Sept. 12, 2006, at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, Syria, gunman attacked with grenades, automatic weapons, and a car bomb, killing one, and wounding 13.

July 9,2008, men armed with pistols and shotguns attacked the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, killing three policemen.

March 18, 2008 militants dressed as policeman attacked the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a, Yemen with rocket propelled grenades, rifles and car bombs. Six Yemeni’ soldiers and seven civilians were killed, 16 injured.

What would the Republicans and Fox news have said if these attacks had happened during Obama’s watch?

Are you outraged? Fox wasn’t. Did Congress fail to provide enough funding for the defense of these U.S. outpost? Why wasn’t there more security? Was that Condoleezza Rice’s fault? Why didn’t she ask for more security? Who covered all this up? Was it V.P. Dick Cheney? Let the hearings begin! Silly isn’t it?

The Benghazi hearings are a silly political circus. Issa is the clown.

Glen McAdoo, a Churchill County resident, can be contacted at glynn@phonewave.