TCTI: Too Crazy Too Ignore
 Dave Ross
AP: f143e27f-ff57-49f8-b2b7-3798f91ccd87
A folding room divider blocks a door down a corridor on Capitol Hill in Washington on Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, where the Senate Intelligence Committee is holding a hearing where former CIA Director David Petraeus is testifying on the Benghazi, Libya, terrorist attack against the U.S. consulate on the Sept. 11 attack in Libya. (AP Photo)

Is it really about the cover up?

BY Dave Ross  on November 16, 2012 @ 8:41 am (Updated: 8:58 am - 11/16/12 )

Was someone trying to cover up the details of the attack on our consulate in Benghazi on September 11? Senator John McCain in particular has been very critical of UN Ambassador Susan Rice because of what she said on the Sunday talk shows after the attack.

"What sparked the recent violence was the airing on the Internet of a very hateful, very offensive video."

She blamed the attack on that nasty anti-Muslim video. Now, General Petraeus has told members of Congress that yes, the attack on the consulate seemed to grow spontaneously out of a protest, but within 24 hours the CIA had determined that the attack was indeed a planned terrorist attack.

Democratic Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger spoke after the briefing:

"There were extremists in the group and they were al-Qaeda affiliates, somewhere al-Qaeda affiliates."

Which would make the question 'who gave Susan Rice bad information and why.' But I don't think that's what's behind this debate. What's behind it is the frustration among some members of Congress that we don't control the Middle East the way we used to.

Libya's beyond our control even though we helped liberate the place, Egypt is no longer in our pocket, Iran ignores us. And some in Congress seem to be pining for the days when the Middle East was controlled by dictators, but at least they were our dictators.

Well, too late. Nine years ago, we sent a message loud and clear:

"The Democratic revolution that has reached across the globe will finally take root in the Middle East." -President Bush, Nov. 3, 2003

Wishes never seem to be granted in quite the way you expect.

Dave Ross, KIRO Radio Talk Show Host
Dave Ross is co-host of The Ross & Burbank Show on KIRO Radio (weekdays 9-Noon) and never too far from the spotlight.
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Comments (45)


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  • ron prevost wrote...
    Bush or Obama, delusions dan't make things true.
    November 16, 2012 8:32 am
    First. Susan Rice. I'm sure she may be a nice person and all that. But do we really need to elevate her to her level of incompetence? A Sec. of State should actually have a brain to know what's true and not. If this is not required, how insulting to Hillery Clinton and all other before her.

    But that is not the question being asked at these hearings going on. .. Ultimately, the question is why did President Obama feel we, the American Public, not deserve the truth? Could something have been done? Were fund raising and speeches in Nevada more important? ... And IF the president really called it terrorism 9/11, why was the official line a film clip riot for the next 15+ days?

    But, then, I think we know the answer.

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  • sportsguru wrote...
    Who cares
    November 16, 2012 8:33 am

    How the attack was communicated, it was an attack,lol. I find it interesting that we have political leaders who care enough to have a session on how the attack was communicated, was it a terrorist attack or was it a spontaneous attack over a video,lol. I mean we suppose to be on a fiscal cliff in a couple of months and they are going to spend there time on if it is pronound tomato or tomoto,lol.

    Our government leaders are absolutely insane.

    One minute our way of living is about to collapse and the next minute, how something was reported is a cause for nation security and people need to be called to the hill.

    Republican's are as dumb as a box of rocks.

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  • logical open mind wrote...
    sportsguru- you are dense, mesmerized by Obama and incaple of critical thinking about your hero
    November 16, 2012 9:09 am
    I am not jumping to conclusions but if Obama lied to the public, lied during the debates this is not presidential. If the white house did not send the military or drones to help our embassy staff due to political reasons (didn't want voters to think that al-quaida was back or Libya was out of control) then this would be HUGE, bigger than Watergate. Our ambassador and three others allowed to die, then covered up. If this proves to be true only a blinded moron and mesmerized dunce could not see this as a massive scandal. Smarten up!!
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  • logical open mind wrote...
    to the sheep, lemmings, profound deciples of Obama-this sums the pending scandal up--
    November 16, 2012 9:51 am
    Why would the administration hierarchy collaborate in putting out a phony story denying there had been a terrorist attack and attributing it to a spontaneous riot that never happened? Two answers come to mind: One, the “spontaneous protest” cover story would enable Obama to keep pushing his campaign line that he had gotten Osama bin Laden and that al-Qaida was “on the run” and “on the path to defeat.” A successful al-Qaida-type attack in Libya would have contradicted his best foreign policy claim. Second, if it was a spontaneous attack, an attack no one could have foreseen, predicted or prevented, then that would absolve the administration of responsibility for failing to see it coming, failing to provide greater security, failing to have forces prepared to deal with it when our guys were being shot and killed for seven hours. What was behind the cover-up is what Congress needs to find out
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  • sportsguru wrote...
    logical open mind
    November 16, 2012 4:47 pm
    I think you prove my point on how dumb republicans are with your post. You want it to be a scandal because you have not recovered from the BLACK EYE the POTUS delivered to your corpse of a candidate in the latest election and you will hold on to anything and I mean ANYTHING. Watergate!!!! You mean Richard Nixon breaking and entering like a common street criminal and the wire tapping. Please, you sound like a 18 karat fool Logical, ha,ha,ha,ha,
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  • maplefish wrote...
    Who cares?
    November 16, 2012 8:31 pm
    Yeah, good attitude guru, as long as Obama is protected who cars that our Ambassador and 3 Navy Seals where denied help and Murdered? As long as your Messiah gets a pass who cares. Shame on you dude. Really, shame on you.
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  • sportsguru wrote...
    maplefish
    November 16, 2012 9:05 pm
    You have got to be kidding me, in iraq and afganistan, we have lost 6500 soldiers, 6500 SOLDIERS. But you are on here mourning 4 and one happens to be a diplomat and trying to make a scandal out of it,lol,ha,ha,ha,. Hyprocrisy much?
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  • mjb0007 wrote...
    Who Cares?
    November 17, 2012 6:01 am
    Yeah, maplefish, just like those 3000+ people killed 9/11/01, didn't Mr Bush have MONTHS of warnings of the attack? Why was there no "scandal" then? Nice try.
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  • maplefish wrote...
    Oh please
    November 17, 2012 9:22 am
    Are you STILL Blaming Bush? Come on! And this is all about the cover up and out right LIES of this dog& pony show of an administration. BTW - where's all the outrage & protest of the continued war in Afghanistan? HYPOCRISY Much?
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    Yes, we need to be careful what we wish for....
    November 16, 2012 8:49 am
    When Bush remarked, in 2003, that the people in the middle east were on the verge of being able to choose their own governments he almost certainly assumed that *everybody* would want to live in a Constitutional Republic, like the United States.

    Such hubris is funny, but not uncommon.

    "Hooray! You guys overthrew the dictator and now you can choose your own government!"

    Followed by: "No, no, no! Not that! How could anybody possibly prefer an Islmaic Theocracy to the American way of life? Don't you guys get it?"

    When people get to make their own choices, they might not always be the choices we would prefer them to make.

    It's absolutely true that arguing now, or even calling for Obama's impeachment, about how long after the attack were we officially mistaken about the influence of the anti-Islamic video is pointless.

    We need to be trying to figure out how to better protect our diplomats overseas. It looks like the more we think we have done for them, and the more liberty they enjoy, the more the residents of middle eastern countries come to hate our guts. Too bad, but if that's the reality we need to deal with it.

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  • logical open mind wrote...
    chuck-you too like sportsguru? Look deeper. If there turns out to be a order to stand down and this was covered up- are u kidding?
    November 16, 2012 9:14 am
    This would be a massive scandal. Plus it it not presidental to lie. POTUS lied about this video to the public and too the UN and during the debates. I thought u were capable of looking at any POTUS with critical thought.
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    Logical Open Mind....*if* there was an order to stand down....
    November 16, 2012 7:29 pm
    How about *if* Obama was on the scene, loading the RPG's for the terrorists?

    Keep an open mind, but it isn't logical to condemn somebody based on "if" and other speculations fueled by Limbaugh, Hannity, et al.

    Bring forward some evidence. You remember evidence, right? That pesky stuff you are supposed to have before you begin condemning people?

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  • Cash wrote...
    I care about it
    November 16, 2012 8:55 am
    and I am sure the families of those killed care as well. If this happened while Bush was President Luke and his sidekick would be all over this and scream foul. I am not a fan of any modern day president and don't have a dog in the left or right fight but I do have a dog in the lets be honest about this fight. The fact of the matter is the Obama administration screwed up and it is all on Obama from the top down. If he did not know what was happening for real then he does not deserve to be the commander in chief period. This thing is spun up in so many different ways the only thing that is crystal clear is that the Obama administration including himself were 100% wrong in handling this and now they don't want to tell the truth and keep trying to come up with cover stories and shift blame. I call that sad and I can't believe you (Dave/Luke) would give him a clear pass on it.
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  • mnpat wrote...
    Well I for one believe it is all about the cover up before an election
    November 16, 2012 9:35 am
    I pretty much knew you (Dave and Luke) would feel otherwise....maybe for you guys it's about the UFO's.
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  • cdbtx wrote...
    sportsguru
    November 16, 2012 11:20 am
    You're delusional

    Probably the best article I've read on the Middle East - was published in the NYT by Thomas Friedman.

    The issue here is that it appears that the White House tried to control the storyline...and the media was in bed with them. The Obama storyline has been that Al Queda was on the run, the Libya overthrow was a success for America and the embassy attack would destroyed those storylines.

    Would the truth have affected the outcome of the election?

    Likely not, but more important instead of a coverup - the President had the opportunity to look like a leader, instead of a young Richard Nixon.

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  • Phil B wrote...
    Here we go again
    November 16, 2012 12:23 pm
    Republicans obsessing over another non-issue just to avoid dealing with the real problems the country is facing. And as usual, your supporters hate the President to the point that they'll swallow all of it. Good job lemmings. Now to sit back and wait for the small-minded name-calling to start
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  • xoxolol wrote...
    NO ONE CARES
    November 16, 2012 12:29 pm
    STOP USING THESE FAMILY'S TRAGEDIES FOR POLITICAL GAIN. THESE ARE TRUMPED UP CHARGES. BUSH SCREWED UP APPROXIMATELY 6,000 PLUS LIVES IN 9/11 AND KATRINA. THESE DOUSHE BAGS DIDN'T SAY A WORD. IN FACT MCCAIN AND BUSH ENJOYED BIRTHDAY CAKE WHILE PEOPLE IN NEW ORLEANS WERE DIEING DURING KATRINA. THIS IS THE 2012 VERSION OF TERRY SCHIAVO.
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  • SeattleNative wrote...
    One look at her credentials...
    November 16, 2012 1:16 pm
    ...and it is clear that Susan Rice is far from being "incompetent".

    What is also clear is that this administration repeatedly LIED to the American people about who & what caused an attack that killed four Americans, including an ambassador.

    If it had been John Bolton lying to the American people on every Sunday morning talk show, you can bet democrats wouldn't be saying to ignore it.

    BTW: we're talking about the murder of Americans, sportsguru. What's so "lol" about that?

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  • William Lawn wrote...
    The same lol as Bush at the 2004 White House correspondents dinner?
    November 16, 2012 1:33 pm
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9EbssUgHj4
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  • SeattleNative wrote...
    Stock liberal response to Obama's failures:
    November 16, 2012 1:39 pm
    Bush
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  • sportsguru wrote...
    SeattleNative
    November 16, 2012 4:39 pm

    Well at least you are speaking to me again,lol.

    Let me be clear SeattleNative when talking about murdered Americans. It's as funny as the two wars and THOUSANDS of American deaths started by the Republican party, It's the war that your Master Romney was interested in starting with Iran.

    Murder is only funny when it is started and finished by the Gastopol Republican party and it is shameful when it happens on a Democrat watch that you couldn't beat

    btw, miss me with the faux anger over some dead soldier, I am sure you weren't part of the protest to bring our troops home,lol.

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  • logical open mind wrote...
    sports guru-you have issues!
    November 16, 2012 6:17 pm
    and u ain't too bright.
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  • sportsguru wrote...
    logical open mind
    November 16, 2012 6:48 pm
    Coming from someone that is as far from being logical and open minded as you appear to be. I am not offended by your post in the least.
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  • SeattleNative wrote...
    I swear, some of these Obama's supporters...
    November 16, 2012 1:22 pm
    ...behave like teenage prostitutes. They don't care how much their pimp "boyfriend" (Obama) abuses them. They'll keep supporting him just the same.
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