All the focus on the Obama Administration's subterfuge in the days following Ambassador Steven's murder in Benghazi is surely warranted; however, it has tended to overshadow the more important scandal. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent the Ambassador to an increasingly dangerous location without providing adequate security. Her State Department refused his repeated requests for more security. If she didn't know about this, then she wasn't doing her job. Whether she knew or not, as Secretary, she is responsible.
What is really damning was the decision not to send available forces to Benghazi once the consulate came under attack. This was not mere neglect. Special operations forces were ordered to stand down.
The Administration has repeatedly insisted that this was because no forces could have reached the consulate in time. This may be true in retrospect but there is no possible way that they could have known it at the time. Even if you believe that they didn't know that it was a terrorist attack, which is unbelievable, that would mean admitting that they didn't know what was going. The first wave of the attack was followed by a second. They couldn't have known that there would not be a third and a fourth or that many more persons would be in danger. Without knowing the extent of the threat, it would have been risky to send military forces to Benghazi, as the Administration has pleaded. But that is like saying that we shouldn't send in the fire department until the extent of the fire is determined.
It is difficult to understand why the Administration refused to send help to the Americans in Benghazi. It is impossible to excuse it.
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