Myopia

 

Benghazi Benghazi Benghazi BENGHAZI!!!!!

Attacks on Embassies and Consulates 

During the Presidency of George W. Bush

1st Term

22 January 2002     Calcutta, India     Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami gunmen attack Consulate     5 dead

14 June 2002     Karachi, Pakistan     al-Qaeda truck bomb detonates outside Consulate     12 dead

12 October 2002     Denpasar, Indonesia     Consular Office bombed by Jemaah Islamiyah as part of the Bali bombings     no deaths

28 February 2003     Islamabad, Pakistan     Unknown gunmen attack Embassy     2 dead

30 June 2004     Tashkent, Uzbekistan     Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan suicide bomber attacks Embassy     2 dead

6 December 2004     Jeddah, Saudi Arabia     al-Qaeda gunmen raid diplomatic compound     9 dead

2nd Bush Term

2 March 2006     Karachi, Pakistan     Car bomb explodes outside Consulate     2 dead

12 September 2006     Damascus, Syria     Gunmen raid US Embassy     4 dead

12 January 2007     Athens, Greece     RPG Fired at Embassy by Revolutionary Struggle     no deaths

18 March 2008     Sana'a, Yemen     Mortar attack against US Embassy     2 dead

9 July 2008     Istanbul, Turkey     Armed attack against Consulate    6 dead  

17 September 2008     Sana'a, Yemen     Two car bombs outside US embassy in Yemeni capital
 16 dead

Total Deaths during the Bush Years: 60 

Attacks on Embassies and Consulates during the Presidency of Barack Obama

1st Term

5 April 2010     Peshawar, Pakistan     An attack near the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, kills two consulate security guards and at least six others     8 deaths

2nd Term

11 September 2012     Cairo, Egypt, Benghazi, Libya, Sana'a     A group of terrorists storm the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya -- killing the U.S. Ambassador and three staff members.    4 deaths

1 February 2013     Ankara, Turkey     A suicide bomber attacked the American Embassy in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Friday, detonating himself inside a security entrance to the compound.      1 death

Total Deaths so far during the Obama Years: 13

I obtained this information from the Wikipedia article "Terrorist attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities," which informs us:  "Note: This is not a comprehensive list."  But it serves as a rough guide.

When I posted this information on Facebook a friend asked: 

 "In which of those attacks under President Bush did the state department have credible intel that an attack was coming? In which of those were they calling for help? In any that they were calling for help was there help under an hour away? This is why people are so upset. This administration knew these people were going to die yet they did nothing. To top it all off, after doing nothing they tried to sweep it under the rug like it never happened."  

This is the Republican Party line. Benghazi was somehow special and more egregious than any other attack. It's funny how that only is the case when Democrats are in the White House.  
It's also funny how they reconcile their refusal to fully fund Hilary Clinton's embassy security budget before the Benghazi attacks with the inevitable result by playing deaf, dumb, and blind about it. 

I replied:

"You will never know what the Bush Administration knew because they never told you and Democrats did not create a make-believe fuss. If anyone is responsible for Benghazi it is General Petraeus, republican golden boy, who was too busy thinking about his mistress' boobs than what intel the CIA was getting at their station in Benghazi. But republicans just have to blame Obama for everything. Michael, did you ask these questions about attacks during the Bush administration? I doubt it. Being in the diplomatic corps can be a dangerous job, especially when you represent a country that subverts governments, helps corporations screw countries, and starts wars for no good reason. That pisses people off. Maybe Congress should look at the policies they approve that make people want to kill us." 

When George W. Bush was president we all thought when these kind of disasters happened that W. was just a dope and these things are to be expected. Maybe Bush should have been put under the same kind of pressure by Democrats that Obama is getting from Republicans who see Obama as some kind of evil Muslim genius who actually knows all and is personally responsible for all misfortune including the planning of the Benghazi attack. But we do know that the Bush administration knew something was up on 9/11 and did nothing. We do know that they had FBI  reports that Arabs were taking flying lessons but dropped out during the landing lessons. Some Democrats questioned these things but most of them went meekly along with the bellicose plans of the Neocons. Why did so many republicans seem to exhilirated by 9/11 instead of outraged by the intelligence failure on a scale that makes Benghazi look like, well, little Benghazi? 

I am no fan of Obama. He is hardly a socialist or even a left leaning Democrat. He has done everything to protect the vested interests during his term. The bankers run our country's economy by any means necessary enjoying legal immunity for their crimes. The corporations guide our foreign policy. Austerity freaks control the budget and Obama enables them every step of the way. Criticize him for that if you will. 


But there are no facts behind the right wing's paranoiac attacks on Obama for Benghazi, just assertion based on speculation. Congress should be asking themselves "WHY do they attack?" Congress should reconsider the aggressive and destructive policies the USA indulges in around the world which they have encouraged and approved. 

When we are actively subverting the government of another country, people in that country are going to lash out against us, and diplomats are a handy target. Foreign governments are ultimately responsible for embassy and consulate  security by treaty. We had already destabilized and  destroyed the Libyan government by helping so-called "Arab Spring" Muslim fundamentalists rise in revolt against Qaddafi. We only have ourselves to blame that our embassy was left vulnerable as a result of that action. The guilt must be shared by all in government, including many of the Republicans crying a river of crocodile tears,  who initiated and approved these policies, not just the President or the Secretary of State.